Waling-Waling(Vanda Sanderiana Reichen-bach)
Considered by many as the Philippines' best orchid variety, Waling-waling is an epiphytic orchid named in honor of the renowned botanist Henry Sanders. It was discovered by German Taxonomist Heinrich Gustav Reicheinback which caused a horticultural sensation all over Europe in 1882. The orchid is endemic to Mindanao where it is perched on the top of tall trees.
Frequent collection of the wild variety in the Mindanao rain forests almost led to the extinction of the orchid. This was partly arrested when Ms. Charita Puentespina, owner of the Puentespina Orchid Farm in Davao City succesfully pionered the mass production of the orchid through tissue culture in 1985.
