Vanda falcata
wind orchid
Family OrchidaceaeAlso called fūran, feng lan, fūkiran
About
The wind orchid is a small epiphytic orchid from China, Korea and Japan with fragrant, spurred white flowers; it has been cultivated for centuries, and selected forms are known in Japan as fūkiran.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Water
- Water frequently while in active growth.
- Humidity
- High: in its native range summer humidity averages 80–85%, and about 75% the rest of the year.
- Temperature
- A warm to cool grower that benefits from a cool, bright winter rest.
- Soil
- Mount on cork or tree-fern fibre, or grow on a raised mound of sphagnum moss as is customary in Japan.
- Mature size
- 8–12 cm tall.
Field notes
Morphology
8–12 cm tall with 4–20 narrow, curved, leathery leaves 5–12 cm long. Inflorescences 5–8 cm long carry 2–10 fragrant white flowers, each with a distinctive curved spur.
Distribution & habitat
China, Korea and Japan.
Ecology
Grows on the branches and trunks of deciduous and evergreen trees, and occasionally on cliffs or stone walls, anchored by many whitish roots that also gather nutrients washed down from above.
Cultivation notes
Named cultivars are selected for variegation, flower colour or form and plant shape. Plants are mounted on cork or tree-fern fibre, or in Japan grown on a raised mound of sphagnum moss; they benefit from frequent watering while growing and a cool, bright winter rest.
History & etymology
Formerly placed in the genus Neofinetia. Its cultivation is recorded in late-Ming China and in Japan from the 1660s, peaking in the Edo period. Its many mutant forms have led to it being proposed as a model for studying orchid flower development.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- China, South Korea, Japan
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- A warm to cool grower that benefits from a cool, bright winter rest.
- Humidity
- High: in its native range summer humidity averages 80–85%, and about 75% the rest of the year.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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