Native strap orchid

Description

Vanda hindsii, commonly known as the native strap orchid or the Cape York vanda, is a large epiphytic or lithophytic clump-forming orchid. It has thick, white, cord-like roots, branching stems, many thick, leathery, strap-like leaves and between three and seven shiny brown flowers with greenish to yellow markings and a white labellum. This orchid occurs in New Guinea and tropical North Queensland. Vanda hindsii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb that forms large, coarse clumps with thick, white, cord-like roots and branching stems up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. There are many thick, leathery, glossy, strap-like leaves 200–400 millimetres (7.9–16 in) long and 30–40 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in) wide arranged in two ranks along the stems. Between three and seven brown resupinate flowers with greenish to yellowish markings, 30–35 millimetres (1.2–1.4 in) long and wide are arranged on a stiff flowering stem 100–200 millimetres (3.9–7.9 in) long. The sepals are 14–16 millimetres (0.55–0.63 in) long and 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) wide, the petals about the same length but narrower. The labellum is white, 12–14 millimetres (0.47–0.55 in) long and 7–8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 in) wide with three lobes. The side lobes are erect and curved and the middle lobe is about 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long with a notched tip and a spur about 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from November to March. The native strap orchid grows on trees and rocks in humid forests. It only occurs in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Queensland where it is found in the Carron Valley, Iron Range and McIlwraith Range. Vanda, abbreviated in the horticultural trade as V., is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among the most specifically adapted of all orchids within the Orchidaceae. The genus is highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long-lasting, and intensely colorful flowers. Vanda species are widespread across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, with a few species extending into Queensland and some of the islands of the western Pacific.