Vanda
Genus of orchids
title: "Vanda" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["vanda", "vandeae-genera", "epiphytic-orchids"] description: "Genus of orchids" topic_path: "general/vanda" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanda" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of orchids ::
| image = Vanda coerulea Orchi 6052.jpg | image_caption = Vanda coerulea | display_parents = 3 | taxon = Vanda | authority = Gaud. ex Pfitzer | type_species = Vanda roxburghii R.Br. | synonyms_ref = | synonyms =
- Ascocentrum Schltr.
- Euanthe Schltr.
- Finetia Schltr.
- Neofinetia Hu
- Nipponorchis Masam.
- Eparmatostigma Garay
- Trudelia Garay
- × Trudelianda Garay
- Christensonia Haager
- Ascocentropsis Senghas & Schildh.
- Gunnaria S.C.Chen ex Z.J.Liu & L.J.Chen
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. 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.
Etymology
The generic name Vanda is derived from the Sanskrit (वन्दाका) name for the species Vanda roxburghii (a synonym of Vanda tessellata).
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.
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.
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, because it has some of the most magnificent flowers to be found in the orchid family. This has contributed much to the work of hybridists producing flowers for the cut flower market. V. coerulea is one of the few botanical orchids which can produce varieties with blue flowers (actually a very bluish purple), a property much appreciated for producing 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
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Vanda_stem_infection.jpg" caption="Cross section of ''Vanda'' stem infected with ''Fusarium'', exhibiting typical purple spotting of vascular tissue"] ::
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. If cutting tools are not sterilized the infection may spread to other plants.
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: ::data[format=table]
| Image | Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanda aliceae | |||
| [[File:Vanda alpina Orch 027.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda alpina | Himalaya to China - S. Yunnan |
| [[File:Ascocentrum ampullaceum.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda ampullacea | |
| [[File:Vandarcuata - cropped.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda arcuata | Indonesia - Sulawesi |
| Vanda aurantiaca | |||
| Vanda aurea | |||
| [[File:Vanda barnesii ' 2207' W.E.Higgins & Motes- Orchid Digest 76- 241 (2012). 20250323 162118.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda barnesii | North Luzon, Philippines |
| Vanda bartholomewii | |||
| [[File:Vanda bensonii Bateman in Bot. Mag. 92- t. 5611 (1866) 20250427 160555.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda bensonii | Assam to Thailand |
| [[File:Vanda bicolor - cropped.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda bicolor | Bhutan |
| Vanda bidupensis | Vietnam | ||
| [[File:Vanda brunnea KPW.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda brunnea | China - Yunnan to Indo-China |
| Vanda celebica | Indonesia – Sulawesi | ||
| Vanda chirayupiniae | |||
| Vanda chlorosantha | |||
| [[File:Ascocentrum christensonianum.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda christensoniana | |
| [[File:Vanda coerulea Wild flowers from cherrapunjee.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda coerulea | Assam to China - S. Yunnan |
| [[File:Vanda coerulescens flower.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda coerulescens | Arunachal Pradesh to China - S. Yunnan |
| Vanda concolor | |||
| Vanda cootesii | |||
| Vanda crassiloba | |||
| [[File:Trudelia cristata.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda cristata | Himalaya to China - NW. Yunnan |
| [[File:Vanda curvifolia (Lindl.) L.M.Gardiner, Phytotaxa 61 49 (2012) (47449687522).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda curvifolia | |
| [[File:萬代蘭屬 Vanda dearei -新加坡植物園 Singapore Botanic Gardens- (9252396107).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda dearei | |
| [[File:KPW Vanda denisoniana O&M 2021.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda denisoniana | China - Yunnan to N. Indo-China |
| Vanda devoogtii | Sulawesi | ||
| Vanda dives | Vietnam, Laos | ||
| Vanda emilyae | |||
| Vanda esquirolii | |||
| [[File:Vanda falcata (Tokunoshima Kagoshimam Japan) (Thunb.) Beer, Prakt. Stud. Orchid.- 317 (1854) (35218280942).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda falcata | Japan, China, Korea |
| [[File:Vanda flabellata (Rolfe ex Downie) Christenson, Indian Orchid J. 1 156 (1985). (51221530448).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda flabellata | |
| [[File:Vanda pumila Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6 53 (1890) (40731172543).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda flavobrunnea | |
| Vanda floresensis | |||
| [[File:KPW Vanda foetida.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda foetida | S. Sumatra |
| Vanda frankieana | |||
| Vanda funingensis | |||
| Vanda furva | Java, Maluku | ||
| Vanda fuscoviridis | S. China to Vietnam | ||
| [[File:Vanda garayi, Februar 2011 - 02.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda garayi | |
| Vanda gardinerae | |||
| Vanda gibbsiae | |||
| Vanda gracilis | |||
| [[File:Vanda griffithii Bhutan (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda griffithii | E. Himalaya |
| Vanda hastifera | Borneo | ||
| [[File:KPW Vanda helvola O&M 2021.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda helvola | W. Malaysia to Philippines |
| Vanda hennisiana | |||
| Vanda hienii | |||
| Vanda hindsii | Papuasia to N. Queensland | ||
| [[File:Vanda insignis 'Daisen Ⅱ' Blume ex Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 33- t. 59 (1847) 20240504 002041.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda insignis | Lesser Sunda Is. |
| Vanda insularum | |||
| Vanda jainii | Assam | ||
| [[File:Vanda javierae 'Santa Fe' D.Tiu ex Fessel & Lückel- Orchidee (Hamburg) 41- 146 (1990) 20250323 164423.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda javierae | Philippines - Luzon |
| Vanda jennae | |||
| Vanda karinae | |||
| [[File:Vanda lamellata 'Senkaku 2105' Lindl.- Edwards's Bot. Reg. 24(Misc.)- 66 (1838). 20211130 225208.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda lamellata | Taiwan, Philippines, Sabah |
| [[File:Vanda lilacina KPW (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda lilacina | China - Yunnan to Indo-China |
| [[File:Vanda limbata Lombok type Blume, Rumphia 4 49 (1849) (50823302303).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda limbata | Java, Lesser Sunda Is., Philippines - Mindanao |
| Vanda lindenii | |||
| Vanda liouvillei | Assam to Indo-China | ||
| Vanda lombokensis | Lesser Sunda Is. | ||
| Vanda longitepala | |||
| [[File:Vanda luzonica (6177212074).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda luzonica | Philippines - Luzon |
| Vanda malipoensis | |||
| [[File:Vanda mariae '-1' ( Philippines) Motes Lankesteriana 16(3)- 337. 2016 (25468676338).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda mariae | |
| [[File:Vanda merrillii var. rotorii '2303' Ames & Quisumb. in Philipp. J. Sci. 56- 463 (1935) 20230430 020209.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda merrillii | Philippines |
| Vanda metusalae | |||
| Vanda mindanaoensis | |||
| [[File:Ascocentrum miniatum - Vanda miniata (3504006302).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda miniata | |
| [[File:Vanda motesiana (15841388584).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda motesiana | |
| [[File:Vanda nana (inflorescence).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda nana | |
| Vanda parviflora | |||
| [[File:Vanda perplexa imported from iNaturalist photo 63609737 on 11 September 2022 (cropped 2).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda perplexa | |
| Vanda punctata | Pen. Malaysia | ||
| [[File:Vanda roeblingiana '-3' Rolfe, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1894 365 (1894) (42509685815).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda roeblingiana | Philippines - Luzon |
| Vanda rubra | |||
| [[File:Vanda sanderiana (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f.- Gard. Chron.- n.s.- 17- 588 (1882). 20241201 154708.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda sanderiana | |
| Vanda sathishii | |||
| Vanda saxatilis | |||
| Vanda scandens | |||
| Vanda suavis | |||
| Vanda sumatrana | Sumatra | ||
| [[File:Vanda tessellata (Roxb.) Hook.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda tessellata | Indian subcontinent to Indo-China |
| [[File:Vanda testacea '-190201' (Lindl.) Rchb.f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 8 166 (1877) (49987690247).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda testacea | Indian subcontinent to SC. China |
| Vanda thwaitesii | S. India, Sri Lanka | ||
| [[File:Vanda tricolor 1zz.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda tricolor | Laos, Java, Bali |
| [[File:Vanda ustii Golamco- Claustro & de Mesa- Waling-Waling Rev. 8(1)- 10 (2000). 20210615 104511.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda ustii | Philippines - Luzon |
| [[File:Vanda vietnamica (Haager) L.M.Gardiner- Phytotaxa 61- 51 (2012). 20220919 233959.jpg | 120px]] | Vanda vietnamica | |
| Vanda vipanii | Myanmar | ||
| [[File:Vanda wightii IBDP 17134210 (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Vanda wightii | S. India |
| :: |
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)
- Vanda × leucostele (V. foetida × V. helvola) (Sumatera)
- Vanda × loii (V. lamellata × V. merrillii) (Philippines)
- Vanda × peetersiana (V. coerulea × V. coerulescens) (Assam)
Intergeneric hybrids
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Vanda_pachara_delight.JPG" caption="''Vanda'' Pachara Delight"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Vanda_Robert's_Delight_x_Crownfox_Magic_at_the_Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden_(81370).jpg" caption="''Vanda'' Robert's Delight 'Crownfox Magic'"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Vanda_Sansai_Blue_(20523361330).jpg" caption="''Vanda'' Sansai Blue"] ::
The following is a list of hybrid genera (nothogenera) in which hybrids vandas with orchids of other genera are placed although many of these are invalid because of recent taxonomic changes. For instance, × Ascocenda (Ascocentrum x Vanda) and × Vandofinetia (Vanda x Neofinetia) are no longer valid because both Ascocentrum and Neofinetia have been reduced to synonyms of Vanda by RHS, which is in charge of the International Orchid Register:
- × Aeridovanda (Aerides × Vanda)
- × Aeridovanisia (Aerides × Luisia × Vanda)
- × Alphonsoara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Andrewara (Arachnis × Renanthera × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
- × Aranda (Arachnis × Vanda)
- × Ascocenda (Ascocentrum × Vanda)
- × Ascovandoritis (Ascocentrum × Doritis × Vanda)
- × Bokchoonara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Bovornara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Burkillara (Aerides × Arachnis × Vanda)
- × Charlieara (Rhynchostylis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Christieara (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Vanda)
- × Darwinara (Ascocentrum × Neofinetia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Debruyneara (Ascocentrum × Luisia × Vanda)
- × Devereuxara (Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Eastonara (Ascocentrum × Gastrochilus × Vanda)
- × Fujiora (Ascocentrum × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
- × Goffara (Luisia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Hawaiiara (Renanthera × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Hagerara (Doritis × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Himoriara (Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Holttumara (Arachnis × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Isaoara (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Joannara (Renanthera × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Kagawara (Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Knappara (Ascocentrum × Rhynchostylis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Knudsonara (Ascocentrum × Neofinetia × Renanthera × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Leeara (Arachnis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Luisanda (Luisia × Vanda)
- × Luivanetia (Luisia × Neofinetia × Vanda)
- × Lewisara (Aerides × Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Vanda)
- × Maccoyara (Aerides × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Macekara (Arachnis × Phalaenopsis × Renanthera × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Micholitzara (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Neofinetia × Vanda)
- × Moirara (Phalaenopsis × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Mokara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Vanda)
- × Nakamotoara (Ascocentrum × Neofinetia × Vanda)
- × Nobleara (Aerides × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Okaara (Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Onoara (Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Opsisanda (Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Pageara (Ascocentrum × Luisia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Pantapaara (Ascoglossum × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Paulara (Ascocentrum × Doritis × Phalaenopsis × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Pehara (Aerides × Arachnis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Pereiraara (Aerides × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Phalaerianda (Aerides × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Raganara (Renanthera × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
- × Ramasamyara (Arachnis × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Renafinanda (Neofinetia × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Renanda (Arachnis × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Renantanda (Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Rhynchovanda (Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Ridleyare (Arachnis × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
- × Robinaria (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Ronnyara (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Sanjumeara (Aerides × Neofinetia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Sarcovanda (Sarcochilus × Vanda)
- × Shigeuraara (Ascocentrum × Ascoglossum × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Stamariaara (Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Sutingara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Teohara (Arachnis × Renanthera × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Trevorara (Arachnis × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Trichovanda (Trichoglottis × Vanda)
- × Vascostylis (Ascocentrum × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Vandachnis (Arachnis × Vandopsis)
- × Vancampe (Acampe × Vanda)
- × Vandachostylis (Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Vandaenopsis (Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Vandaeranthes (Aeranthes × Vanda)
- × Vandewegheara (Ascocentrum × Doritis × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
- × Vandofinetia (Neofinetia × Vanda)
- × Vandofinides (Aerides × Neofinetia × Vanda)
- × Vandoritis (Doritis × Vanda)
- × Vanglossum (Ascoglossum × Vanda)
- × Wilkinsara (Ascocentrum × Vanda × Vandopsis)
- × Yapara (Phalaenopsis × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
- × Yusofara (Arachnis × Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Vanda)
- × Yonezawaara (Neofinetia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
References
References
- ''Vanda''. International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/30077641-2
- "Alphabetical list of standard abbreviations of all generic names occurring in current use in orchid hybrid registration as at 31st December 2007". Royal Horticultural Society.
- The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. {{ISBN. 0-674-87526-5
- "''Vanda'' R.Br.".
- [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=134346 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. ]
- [http://www.spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=vandAkA&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning= vandAkA] Sanskrit English Dictionary, University of Koeln, Germany
- Jones D.L.. (2006). "Vanda". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), [[Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation]] (CSIRO), [[Australian Government]].
- Garay, L. (1972), On the systematics of the monopodial orchids, Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harvard University, 23(4): 149-212
- Eschrich, W. (1995). Gaswechsel. In Funktionelle Pflanzenanatomie (pp. 75-109). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
- Suetsugu, K., Tanaka, K., Okuyama, Y., & Yukawa, T. (2015). [https://www.academia.edu/download/47114467/Potential_pollinator_of_Vanda_falcata_O20160708-14493-1intagu.pdf "Potential pollinator of ''Vanda falcata'' (Orchidaceae): ''Theretra'' (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) hawkmoths are visitors of long spurred orchid."] European Journal of Entomology, 112(2), 393.
- 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.
- Reddy, P. P. (2016). Orchids. In Sustainable Crop Protection under Protected Cultivation (pp. 393-407). Springer, Singapore.
- (1999). "RAPD Analysis of Some Species in the GenusVanda(Orchidaceae)". Annals of Botany.
- Motes, M., Gardiner, L. M., & Roberts, D. L. (2016). The identity of spotted Vanda denisoniana. Orchid Review, 124(1316), 228-233.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::