Vanda

The name Vanda came from Indian language. it means that people like these plants by their fragarance, color and the shape of flower, there are about 80 species plants, native to China, the Himalayas, Indonesia and nothern Australia. Vanda are monopodial orchids, and most are epiphytic. in Java, Indonesia, they can be found on trunks and branches of trees in the jungle. Sometime they grows as a lithophyte on rocks. All Vanda enjoy the light, and with sufficient sunlight the may bloom two or three times a year.

Vandaceous orchids include the genera Vanda, Ascocentrum and Ascocenda (Vanda x Ascocentrum). It is important to remember that all Vandaceous orchids are of monopodial growth habit. That is, they grow from the tip or crown of the plant. The inflorescences appear from the axis of the leaves. Flowers are long lasting and appear in a cluster along the spike.

There are 70 species of the monopodial genus Vanda and they are spread from India in the west to the NE tip of Australia to the south and then north to China. The genus was established by Sir W. Jones in 1795 and his type species is Vanda roxburghii.

There are two distinct types of the genus Vanda, one is the strapleafed variety represented by Vanda Luzonica and the other is the terete leafed variety represented by Vanda teres.

Both types like some direct sun but the terete type requires 3-4 hours minimum of direct sun to flower regularly.

As a rule most Vandas prefer a slat wooden basket with not much medium over the roots and steady water, fertilizer and humidity year round. Most all Vandas appreciate direct sunlight at some time during the day and some can tolerate full sun all day. Generally a plant with more terete [tubular] leaves likes more direct sunlight than a Vanda that is strap leafed or has a "V" shape in cross-section