Vanda, the original Indian name for orchids, grows in the regions ranging from India to Phillipines and consists of about 60 species.The plant is an epiphyte and produces abundunt flowers.Flowers grow laterally, upright from the base of two leaved shoots; leaves usually strap shaped but can also take other forms.Often several flowers are produced by one plant. This orchid is easy to cultivate.

Some of you must have heard about Arandas, Mokaras, Kegawaras, Renentheras,Ascocentrums, Rhyncostylis-- all belong to the Genera of Vanda. Most of these are monopodial in habit with their leaves terete or or semi terete or some with broad leaves.They require a lot of sun and most of them are climbers with aerial roots appearing along the stem. Most of the orchids have special names like Scorpion Orchids or Spider orchids as called by the growers.Some Vandas are cultivated in Beds and some in Wooden Baskets Hanging in the mid air in a green House.The culture conditions are totally dependent on the type of Plant habit its Sunlight needs etc..They are heavy feeders and can with stand harsh environs.Most of the growers tend to dunk these orchids with Organic manure and other solutions.

The major variants in the group are Terete Vandas from the Vanda Arachnis tribe,Arandas, Renenthera group such as Renatanda,Renanopsis and Aranthera, Multi generic hybrids like Mokara( Arachnis X Ascocentrum X Vanda), Holttumara (Arachnis X Renenthera X Vanda ) Bokchoonara (Arachnis X Ascocentrum X Phalenopsis X Vanda ). The total number of multi generic hybrids in the monopodial orchids is over 60.Many multi generics are not so tall and are less tolerent of full sun than those parent plants that are climbers.

These orchids thrive well on High Humidity conditions and need watering atleast once a day with the Compost kept moist all through. They need support or staking at times , and also good ventilation between the plants. Most of these Orchids have been grown and Hybridised in the South East Asia for many many years. Most of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Srilanka, Phillipines are the places where one finds these varieties going grown in large areas. Some of the Varieties are still grown for the cutflower trade.