Vanda coerulea
| Blue vanda | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Vanda |
| Species: | V. coerulea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Vanda coerulea | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Vanda coerulea, commonly known as blue orchid,[1] blue vanda or autumn lady's tresses, is a species of orchid found in Northeast India with its range extending to China (southern Yunnan). It is known as kwaklei in Manipuri and vandaar in Sanskrit. It has bluish purple flowers which are very long-lasting compared to other orchids. The plant bears up to 20 to 30 spikes.
Taxonomy
The plant was first formally first described by John Lindley in 1847 from the description provided by William Griffith. The latter had obtained the specimen from the Khasi Hills, and named it. He then sent the dried specimens to London.[2]
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L. A. L. Constans (1853)
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James Andrews (1860s)
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Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (1858)
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Henry George Moon (1893)
The heterotypic synonyms are,[3]
- Vanda coerulea f. delicata
- Vanda coerulea delicata
- Vanda coerulea var. grandiflora
- Vanda coerulea var. hennisiana
- Vanda coerulea f. luwangalba
- Vanda coerulea f. rogersii
- Vanda coerulea var. rogersii
Vanda coerulescens Lindl. is a similar but separate species of dwarf form in plant and flowers.
Distribution and habitat
Previously, it was thought to have been found only in the Khasi Hills.[2] Here it seemed was threatened as it was over-collected due to its ornamental nature, and local charcoal production from oak trees on which they usually grow. Therefore it was placed in the CITES Appendix I in the 1970s.[3]
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In Sohra, Khasi Hills
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In Khasi Hills
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In Meghalaya
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In Nagaland
Medicinal uses
The flower's juice is used as eye drops against glaucoma, cataract and blindness.[4] Active ingredients of Vanda coerulea may fight against the visible signs of ageing skin.[5]
In popular culture
In 1988 Seychelles released a stamp featuring the flower.
References
- ^ NRCS. "Vanda coerulea". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ a b Lindley, John (1847). "Vanda violacea". Edward's Botanical Register. 33: 30 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ a b "Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl. | General Information". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
- ^ Mohammad Musharof Hossain "Therapeutic orchids: traditional uses and recent advances — An overview", ⁎ Department of Botany, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
- ^ Bonté, F.; Simmler, C.; Lobstein, A.; Pellicier, F.; Cauchard, J.-H. (2011). "Action d'un extrait de Vanda coerulea sur la sénescence de fibroblastes cutanés" [Action of an extract of Vanda coerulea on the senescence of skin fibroblasts]. Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises (in French). 69 (3): 177–181. doi:10.1016/j.pharma.2011.02.001.
External links
- Media related to Vanda coerulea at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Vanda coerulea at Wikispecies