Vanda falcata explained

Vanda falcata, also known as 风兰 (feng lan) in Chinese, 풍란 (pungnan) in Korean, 風蘭 (fūran) in Japanese, or the wind orchid in English,[1] is a species of orchid found in China, Korea, and Japan. It was formerly classified in the genus Neofinetia.

Named cultivars selected for characteristics including variegation, flower color or form, and vegetative form are often referred to as 富貴蘭 (fūkiran) in Japan. Due to these highly variable mutant forms this species has been proposed as a model organism for floral development in orchids.

Description

Plants are 8–12 cm tall on monopodial stems of 1–6 cm. There are usually between 4 and 20 narrowly oblong-falcate (hence the epithet) leaves of 5–12 cm. that are leathery and sheathed at the base. The inflorescence, including flowers, is 5–8 cm. long, suberect, and carries as few as two, and as many as 10 fragrant, white flowers, each with a characteristic curved spur. 2n = 38.[2]

Ecology

Vanda falcata grows as an epiphyte on the branches and trunks of both deciduous and evergreen trees, and occasionally as a lithophyte on rock cliffs and man-made stone walls. Numerous whitish roots grow from the base of the plant, anchoring it to its host or substrate and collecting nutrients washed down from above. These roots are accustomed to excellent air movement. An adult in an optimal situation will produce numerous offsets.

Within V. falcatas range summer temperatures average 26–31 °C. during the day and 18–23 °C. at night. Average humidity is 80–85% in summer, and about 75% during the rest of the seasons. Plants receive heaviest rainfall during East Asian rainy season: June and July in southern Japan. Blooming time is usually synchronized with the monsoon, although plants may very occasionally bloom as late as December.[3]

Pollination

Vanda falcata has been reported to be pollinated by several hawkmoth species of the genus Theretra, namely Theretra japonica and Theretra nessus.[4]

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

The type specimen was introduced to the West from Japan by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1784, and it was described as Orchis falcata. For the next hundred years and more, the species was renamed and moved in and out of many of the Asian sarcanthoid genera, in addition to the African genus Angraecum. Finally, in 1925 H. H. Hu created Neofinetia as a monotypic genus. Two other species were included in Neofinetia, before the genus was reduced to synonymy with Vanda.

Horticulture

History of cultivation

Written records of V. falcata cultivation first appeared in Gao Lian’s The Anthography during the late Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) China. In Japan, the first documented records of V. falcata appear during the Kanbun era (1661-1673), later reaching a peak in popularity during the middle of the Edo period with a marked increase in the number of cultivated varieties. At this time, because the numerous cultivated varieties of the species were primarily enjoyed by the daimyō and other wealthy or high ranked citizens, the cultivated varieties were given the designation of fūkiran (富貴蘭), translating to "orchid of wealth and rank".[5]

Culture

Vanda falcata is a warm to cool grower. Plants may be mounted on slabs of cork or tree-fern fiber. In Japan, the custom is to grow them on a raised mound of sphagnum moss. The plants benefit from a cool, bright winter rest, and frequent watering when in growth.

Hybrids

Most hybrid names are now obsolete, as several genera were reduced to synonymy with Vanda.(As listed by the RHS:[6])

References

Notes and References

  1. Duttke . Sascha . Zoulias . Nicholas . Kim . Minsung . Mutant Flower Morphologies in the Wind Orchid, a Novel Orchid Model Species . Plant Physiology . American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) . 158 . 4 . 2012-02-01 . 0032-0889 . 10.1104/pp.111.191643 . 1542–1547. 22301129 . 3320168 . free .
  2. 178. NEOFINETIA . Flora of China . 25 . 483–484 . 2009 . 18 February 2012.
  3. Web site: Baker. Charles & Margaret. Neofinetia falcata culture sheet. Orchid Species Culture. 18 February 2012.
  4. Suetsugu, K., Tanaka, K., Okuyama, Y., & Yukawa, T. (2015). "Potential pollinator of Vanda falcata (Orchidaceae): Theretra (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) hawkmoths are visitors of long spurred orchid." European Journal of Entomology, 112(2), 393.
  5. Book: Art of Tradition & Evolution: Fukiran. 2014. Tochinoha-Shobo. Japan. 978-4-88616-310-3. 6.
  6. Web site: The Royal Horticultural Society . 2004-10-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20041027143915/http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/registerpages/orchidsearch.asp . 2004-10-27 . dead .

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