Vanda, abbreviated in the horticultural trade as V., is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are 90 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among the most specifically adapted of all orchids within the Orchidaceae. The genus is highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long-lasting, and intensely colorful flowers.The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. Vanda species are widespread across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, with a few species extending into Queensland and some of the islands of the western Pacific.Flora of China v 25 p 471, 万代兰属 wan dai lan shu, Vanda Jones ex R. Brown, Bot. Reg. 6: ad t. 506. 1820.
Etymology The generic name Vanda is derived from the Sanskrit (वन्दाका)vandAkA Sanskrit English Dictionary, University of Koeln, Germany name for the species Vanda roxburghii (a synonym of Vanda tessellata).Garay, L. (1972), On the systematics of the monopodial orchids, Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harvard University, 23(4): 149-212
Distribution These mostly epiphytic, but sometimes lithophytic or terrestrial orchids, are distributed in India, Himalaya, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, southern China, and northern Australia.
Description The genus has a monopodial growth habit with flat, typically broad, ovoid leaves (strap-leaves). Species with cylindrical (terete), fleshy leaves, which are adapted to dry periods were transferred to the genus Papilionanthe. The stems of these orchids vary considerably in size; some are miniature plants and some have a length of several meters. The plants can become quite massive in habitat and in cultivation, and epiphytic species possess very large, rambling aerial root systems. The roots have pneumatodes.Eschrich, W. (1995). Gaswechsel. In Funktionelle Pflanzenanatomie (pp. 75-109). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
The few to many flattened flowers grow on a lateral inflorescence. Most show a yellow-brown color with brown markings, but they also appear in white, green, orange, red, and burgundy shades. The lip has a small spur. Vanda species usually bloom every few months and the flowers last for two to three weeks.
Ecology Pollination Vanda falcata has been reported to be pollinated by several hawkmoth species of the genus Theretra, namely Theretra japonica and Theretra nessus.Suetsugu, K., Tanaka, K., Okuyama, Y., & Yukawa, T. (2015). "Potential pollinator of Vanda falcata (Orchidaceae): Theretra (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) hawkmoths are visitors of long spurred orchid." European Journal of Entomology, 112(2), 393.
Conservation Many Vanda orchids, particularly V. coerulea, are endangered. These species have never been common in the wild and are typically encountered only infrequently in their natural habitats. They grow mainly in disturbed forest areas with high light levels and are therefore especially vulnerable to habitat destruction. The export of wild-collected specimens of the blue orchid (V. coerulea) and other wild Vanda species is prohibited worldwide, as all orchids are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Cultivation
This genus is one of the five most horticulturally important orchid genera. Its species are valued for their flowers, and many are important in hybridization and the cut flower market. V. coerulea is notable for its blue flowers, a coloration that is unusual in the botanical world. It is also highly valued in breeding and has contributed to numerous interspecific and intergeneric hybrids.
The color blue is rare among orchids, and only certain species of Thelymitra, a terrestrial species from Australia, produces flowers that are truly "blue" among the orchids. These species, much like Vanda, also have a bluish-purple tint towards the inner petals of the flowers.
Vanda dearei is one of the chief sources of yellow color in Vanda hybrids.
The plants do not possess pseudobulbs, but do possess leathery, drought-resistant leaves. Almost all of the species in this genus are very large epiphytes found in disturbed areas in habitat and prefer very high light levels, the plants having large root systems. Some of these species have a monopodial vine-like growth habit, and the plants can quickly become quite massive.
These plants prefer consistent conditions day-to-day in cultivation to avoid dropping their bottom leaves. The epiphytic species are best accommodated in large wooden baskets, bare rooted, which allows for the large aerial root systems. Disturbing or damaging the roots of large, mature vandaceous orchid plants, and in particular, Vanda and Aerides species, can result in the plants failing to flower and going into decline for a season or more. These plants do not tolerate disturbance or damage of their root systems in cultivation when they become mature. The terete-leaved terrestrial species are very easy to cultivate.
When grown bare-rooted, the epiphytic species require daily watering and weekly feeding and are very heavy feeders in cultivation. They can be grown out-of-doors in Hawaii and the like provided they are given some shade.
Fungal infections
Unfortunately fungal infections are not uncommon in cultivated plants. A variety of phytopathogens may infect Vanda orchids. Vandas may be affected by Fusarium wilt. This disease is characterized by purple discolouration in the vascular tissue, which results in the loss of their function. The hyphae and spores block the conductor vessels. Affected plants may superficially appear healthy, as they continue to grow, the oldest parts of the plants can be affected and the disease will eventually progress throughout the entire plant.Pedroso-de-Moraes, C., Souza, M. C. D., Ronconi, C. C., & Marteline, M. A. (2011). Response of Cattleya hybrids for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cattleyae Foster. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 54(2), 267-271. If cutting tools are not sterilized the infection may spread to other plants.Reddy, P. P. (2016). Orchids. In Sustainable Crop Protection under Protected Cultivation (pp. 393-407). Springer, Singapore.
Systematics In a recent molecular study of the genus Vanda , several Genera including the former Genus Ascocentrum, Neofinetia and Euanthe were brought into synonym with Vanda.
Species The following is a list of Vanda species recognised by Plants of the World Online as of January 2025 separated by sections: Section Image Name Year Distribution Elevation (m) Section Ascocentrum Vanda ampullacea 1914 Nepal, China (southern Yunnan), India (Sikkim, Andaman Islands, Assam), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam Vanda aurantiaca 2012 Bali, Sulawesi and the Philippines Vanda aurea 2012 Maluku (Sula) Vanda curvifolia 2012 India (Assam), Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, southern China and Vietnam Vanda garayi 2012 Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam Vanda insularum 2012 Maratua island to the east of Kalimantan, Borneo Vanda karinae 2021 India (Assam) Vanda miniata 2012 Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and the Philippines Vanda rubra 2012 Myanmar, Vietnam Section Ascocentropsis Vanda christensoniana 1993 Vietnam Vanda hienii 2019 Vietnam (Cao Bang) Vanda malipoensis 2014 China (Yunnan) Vanda nana 2012 Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia Section Cristatae Vanda alpina 1853 India (Assam, Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan, China (Yunnan) Vanda chlorosantha 1992 Bhutan Vanda cristata 1828Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, China (Yunnan, Xizang) Vanda flavobrunnea 1886India(Sikkim), Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Sumatra Vanda griffithii 1851 Nepal, Bhutan Vanda jainii 1984 India (Assam) Vanda longitepala 2008 publ. 2009 Myanmar Vanda sathishii 2022 India (Kerala) Section Dactylolobatae Vanda aliceae 2015 Bacan Island, North Moluccas Vanda celebica 1899 Indonesia (Sulawesi) Vanda crassiloba 1905 Maluku (Ambon, Seram) Vanda frankieana 2011 Borneo (Kalimantan) Vanda gibbsiae 1914 Borneo Vanda hastifera 1877 Borneo Vanda lindenii 1886 New Guinea Vanda mindanaoensis 2015 Philippines (Mindanao) Vanda saxatilis 1926 Buru Islands, Maluku, Indonesia Vanda scandens 1950 Philippines ( Mindanao, Palawan) Section Deltoglossa Vanda arcuata 1907 Indonesia - Sulawesi Vanda bartholomewii 2021 Maluku Vanda chirayupiniae 1894 Malaysia, the Philippines Vanda cootesii 2016 Philippines (Mindano) Vanda dearei 1886 Borneo Vanda devoogtii 1932 Sulawesi Vanda emilyae 2021 Papua New Guinea to Bismarck Archipelago. Vanda floresensis 2021 Lesser Sunda Islands (Flores) Vanda foetida 1906 S. Sumatra Vanda furva 1905 Java, Maluku Vanda helvola 1849 Java, Sumatra, Borneo and western Malaysia, Philippines Vanda hindsii 1843 Papuasia, Australia (N. Queensland) Vanda insignis 1849 Lesser Sunda Is., Malaysia, the Moluccas Vanda jennae 2005 Sulawesi Vanda limbata 1849 Java, Lesser Sunda Is., the Philippines (Mindanao) Vanda lombokensis 1925 Lesser Sunda (Lombok Island) Vanda luzonica 1915 Philippines (Luzon) Vanda mariae 2016 Philippines (Mindanao) Vanda merrillii 1932 Philippines (Luzon) Vanda metusalae 2008Moluccas, Sulawesi Vanda perplexa 2013 Komodo Island of the Lesser Sunda Islands Vanda punctata 1923 Lesser Sunda Islands (Tanimbar Islands) Vanda suavis 1848 Java Vanda sumatrana 1911 Sumatra Vanda tricolor 1849 Laos, Java, Bali Vanda ustii 2000 Philippines (Luzon) Section Eparmatostigma Vanda dives 2012 Vietnam, Laos Section Flabellatae Vanda flabellata 1985 Thailand, Myanmar, China (Yunnan) Vanda lilacina 1862 China (Yunnan), Thailand and Laos Vanda vietnamica 2012 Vietnam Section Lamellaria Vanda barnesii 2012 Philippines (North Luzon) Vanda javierae 1984 Philippines (Luzon) Vanda lamellata 1838 Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, Philippines, Borneo (Sabah), and the Marianas Islands Vanda roeblingiana 1894peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines (Luzon) Vanda sanderiana 1882 Philippines (Mindanao) Section Neofinetia Vanda falcata 1854 Japan, China (Fujian, S Gansu, SW Hubei, W Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang), Korea and the Ryukyu Islands Section Longicalcarata Vanda coerulea 1847 China (Yunnan), India(Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya), Myanmar and Thailand Vanda coerulescens 1851 India(Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), China (Yunnan), Myanmar, Thailand Section Obtusiloba Vanda bicolor 1851 India (Assam), Bhutan and Myanmar Vanda brunnea 1868 India, Myanmar, Thailand, China (Yunnan) Vanda denisoniana 1869 China (Yunnan), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam Vanda gardinerae 2021 Thailand. Vanda vipanii 1882 Myanmar Section Testacea Vanda bensonii 1866 India (Assam), Myanmar and Thailand Vanda funingensis 2016 China (Yunnan) Vanda liouvillei 1912 India (Assam), Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos Vanda parviflora 1844 Myanmar and Thailand Vanda testacea 1877 Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India(Assam), China, Nepal and Bhutan Section Vanda Vanda bidupensis 1998 Vietnam Vanda concolor 1849 China (Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan), Vietnam Vanda esquirolii 1921 China (SW. Guizhou, Guangxi), Laos, Vietnam Vanda fuscoviridis 1848 China (Guangdong) to Vietnam Vanda gracilis 2015 Vietnam Vanda hennisiana 2022 Myanmar, Vietnam Vanda motesiana 2009 India (Arunachal Pradesh ) Vanda tessellata 1830 China (Yunnan), India (Assam), Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar Vanda thwaitesii 1898 India (Kerala, Karnataka), Sri Lanka Vanda wightii 1864 India(Karnataka, Kerala) and Sri Lanka
Natural hybrids Vanda × amoena (V. coerulea × V. tessellata) (Assam) Vanda × boumaniae (V. insignis × V. perplexa) (Lesser Sunda Is.) Vanda × charlesworthii (V. bensonii × V. coerulea) (Myanmar) Vanda × feliciae (V. lamellata var. boxallii × V. ustii) (Philippines (Luzon)) Vanda × hebraica (V. denisoniana × V. brunnea) (Myanmar)Motes, M., Gardiner, L. M., & Roberts, D. L. (2016). The identity of spotted Vanda denisoniana. Orchid Review, 124(1316), 228-233. Vanda × leucostele (V. foetida × V. helvola) (Sumatera) Vanda × loii (V. lamellata × V. merrillii) (Philippines)