 |
Vanda cristata is a sister species to Vanda alpina.It is found from the Indian Himalayas
through to China at altitudes up to 2,300m. I hope that this means it will tolerate some cold through the winter. The plant did well through the summer but was killed by a very sharp radiation frost in December 2022. Plants of the World online says: "The native range of this species is Himalaya to China (SW. Yunnan) and Indo-China. It is an epiphytic subshrub and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome." The Internet Orchid Species encyclopedia says: "Found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet province China in montane forests of on moss covered trees that can take some full sun at altitudes of 600 to 2300 meters as a medium sized, warm to cold growing monopodial epiphytic species with a stout stem carrying coriaceous, recurved, truncately tridentate apically, conduplicate, linear leaves that are articulated basally to the imbricate sheathing leaf bases and blooms in the spring and summer on an axillary, descending, short, few [2 to 6] flowered inflorescence with short, broad bracts that are shorter than the leaves. It has fragrant floral scented, waxy, long-lived flowers with horns on the apex of the lip which is the determining factor between this species and V alpina." |
|
| 4th May 2022 | ||
