Vanda R.Br.

Overview

The AOS describes vandas as small to massive monopodial epiphytes and lithophytes: the stems are erect to pendent with upturned tips, leafy and rooting towards the base, and aerial roots are common and abundant. The AOS gives about 53 species, from Sri Lanka north to Nepal and southern China, east to New Guinea and north-east Australia, and north to Taiwan and the Philippines. WCVP draws the genus more widely; the species it accepts are in the table below.

Classification and naming

Robert Brown published the genus in 1821. WCVP merges Ascocentrum, Neofinetia, Euanthe and others into Vanda (see below): the wind orchid long cultivated in Japan and China, for instance, is now Vanda falcata. The plate above is V. coerulea from Reichenbachia, vol. 2, plate 57; WCVP records it as native from Assam and the eastern Himalaya to south-central China and Indochina.

Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 35 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 1 more.

Andaman Is.AssamBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoBorneoCambodiaChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastEast HimalayaHainanIndiaJapanJawaKoreaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMarianasMyanmarNansei-shotoNepalNew GuineaPhilippinesQueenslandSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraTaiwanThailandTibetVietnamWest Himalaya

Introduced

Hawaii

Accepted species

WCVP accepts 97 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24.

Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

• 

  Epidendrum tessellatum

  Plants of the Coast of Coromandel · 42 · 1795
  
• 

  Vanda cœrulea

  L'Illustration horticole · 1860
  L. Stroobant
• 

  Saccolabium curvifolium

  L'Illustration horticole · 1866
  L. Stroobant
• 

  Vanda insignis

  Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 5759 · 1869
  Walter Hood Fitch
• 

  Vanda cœrulea

  Reichenbachia: Orchids Illustrated and Described · Tab. 57 · 1890
  Henry George Moon, Joseph Mansell

Cultivation

The AOS calls light the most important factor in growing and flowering vandas, and flower quality is directly linked to it, usually best in bright summer light; winter flowers are generally poorer, except for V. coerulea and its hybrids, which do better in cool winter months. All species want very bright but not direct light, intermediate to warm temperatures (nights of about 12.7–22.2 °C) and abundant water; for plants with healthy roots, daily watering is usually recommended.

Vandas can be potted in medium to coarse orchid bark, but most species prefer open baskets without any medium. They need steady conditions: swings in temperature and watering make them drop their lower leaves, leaving a bare stem with a few leaves at the top. Aerial roots can be trimmed with a sterile tool to about 60 cm. Water colder than 10 °C, hard water, or water softened with salts will injure the plants.

Further reading

• Reference library

References

1. WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232) · accessed 2026-10-24
2. American Orchid Society · Vanda
3. American Orchid Society · Vanda Culture Sheet