Orchids of New Guinea

Genus Vanda

Vanda Jones ex R.Br., Edwards's Bot. Reg. (1820) t. 506

Synonyms:

Genus Euanthe Schltr., Orchideen (1914) 567
Genus Trudelia Garay, Orchid Digest 50 (1986) 73

Monopodial epiphytic or sometimes terrestrial plants. Stem elongated. Leaves many, arranged in two rows, sheathing at the base, glabrous, deciduous, duplicate, leathery. Inflorescence lateral, a few- to several-flowered raceme. Flowers medium-sized to large, resupinate, showy. Sepals free. Petals free, similar to the dorsal sepal. Lip not mobile, spurred, the spur inside without callosities. Column-foot very short. Pollinia 2, cleft, solid, caudicles absent, stipe present, about as long as the diameter of the pollinia, viscidium present.

Species present in New Guinea:

Vanda helvola
Vanda hindsii

Distribution:

Tropical Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia. About 45 species; in New Guinea 2 species, both non-endemic.

Habitat:

Epiphytes in lowland and montane evergreen and deciduous forest. Occasionally terrestrial in open vegetation.

References:

Christenson, E.A. 1994. Taxonomy of the Aeridinae with an infrageneric classification of Vanda Jones ex R. Br. In Proceedings of the 14th World Orchid Conference: Glasgow 1993. London: HMSO, 1994, pp.206-216.
Motes, M. 1997. Vandas: their botany, history and culture. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.

Classification:

Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Vandeae
Subtribe Aeridinae
Genus Vanda

Notes:

Horticulturally, Vanda is one of the most important genera in Southeast Asia, and numerous hybrids have been raised. New Guinea is at the margin of its area of distribution and the two non-endemic species found here are not among the best. Many of the showier species are almost extinct in the wild.