496 ORCHIDS 



VANDA. 



Few genera possess qualities better calculated to recom- 

 mend them than this. The name J^ainia \\'as communicated 

 to Dr. Robert Brown, tlie founder of the genus, by the 

 eminent scholar and linguist Sir William Jones. It is a 

 Sanscrit word of rather wide import, for it seems to have 

 been used for the common Vanda of Bengal and North-east 

 India ( T'. Roxbitrghii), and also for other Orchids of similar 

 habit. The genus was selected b}' Dr. Lindley as the 

 type of one of the fundamental (tribal) divisions of the 

 order — Vandca;. It includes about twenty species, the 

 majority of which are easy to cultivate, handsome in habit, 

 and ver\' beautiful in bloom. ['. suavis and f. tricolor 

 ha\-e perhaps the stateliest habit of all Old-U'orld Orchids ; 

 and in ]^. dcrnlca and ]'^. Sanderiana we ha\-e exceptional 

 size and beaut)' of colour in the flo\\'ers. All the species 

 are evergreen and epiphytal ; the}' are distributed o\-er a 

 large area, stretching from the Himala)-as, through India 

 to the Mala)'an Archipelago, one species being found in 

 tropical Australia, The first species to make its appearance 

 in the gardens of this countrj- was P'. Roxbnrghii, which 

 flowered in 1820. The leaves are most frecjuently strap- 

 shaped, occasionall)' oblong, and in a few species terete, 

 almost alwa}'s distichous and of leather}- texture, the apices 

 being either bilobed or curiousl}- jagged. The flowers are 

 in few- or man\'-flowcred racemes, which originate at the 

 base of the leax'es, either in the axils or on the opposite 

 side of the stem. The sepals and usualh' similar petals 

 are spreading, often much narrowed towards the base ; 

 the lip is continuous with the short, thick column, the 

 front portion being expanded, the small side lobes erect, 

 and the base forming a short spur or sac. The flowers 

 are fragrant, and remain for a long time in beaut}'. 



Culture. — Vandas ma}' be grown in either pots, baskets, 

 or c).'linclers : fjr the larger species, such as f. suavis, 

 K tricoloi\ &c , pots are preferable ; whilst baskets or 

 c\'linders are best for the dwarfer kinds, most of which 

 dislike ha\-ing their roots confined, and enjo}- a position 

 near the glass. Small plants and slow-growing species 

 ma}- be grown in hanging-baskets. Whatever \-essel is 

 used, it should be three-fourths filled with clean potsherds, 

 and the remainder with clean, fresh sphagnum. During 



