''Vanda falcata'', the wind orchid, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

found in China, Korea, and Japan. It was formerly classified in the genus ''Neofinetia''. *风兰 (feng lan) China (N

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

, S

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

, SW

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

, W

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

) *풍란 (pungnan) Korea *風蘭 (fūran) Japan (

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

from the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

westwards;

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

;

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

; and

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

.) 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 A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...

for floral development in orchids.

Description

Plants are 8–12 cm tall on

monopodial Vascular plants with monopodial growth habits grow upward from a single point. They add leaves to the apex each year and the stem grows longer accordingly. The word ''Monopodial'' is derived from Greek "mono-", ''one'' and "podial", "foot", in refe ...

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 An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

, 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.

Ecology

''Vanda falcata'' grows as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

on the branches and trunks of both deciduous and evergreen trees, and occasionally as a

lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

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 The East Asian rainy season (), also called the plum rain, is caused by precipitation along a persistent stationary front known as the Meiyu front for nearly two months during the late spring and early summer in East Asia between mainland China ...

: June and July in southern Japan. Blooming time is usually synchronized with the monsoon, although plants may very occasionally bloom as late as December.

Nomenclature and taxonomy

The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

was introduced to the West from Japan by

Carl Peter Thunberg Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus. After studying under Linnaeus at Uppsala Un ...

in 1784, and it was described as ''

Orchis ''Orchis'' is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), occurring mainly in Europe and Northwest Africa, and ranging as far as Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The name is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις ''orchis'', meaning "testicle", from t ...

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 The genus ''Angraecum'', abbreviated as Angcm in horticultural trade, common name comet orchid, contains about 220 species. Etymology Despite the genus's distribution being largely confined to Africa and its offshore islands, the genus name is a ...

''. Finally, in 1925 H. H. Hu created Neofinetia as a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus. Two other species were included in ''Neofinetia'', before the genus was reduced to synonymy with ''

Vanda ''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 ...

''.

History of cultivation

The first documented records of ''V. falcata'' appear during the Kanbun era (1661-1673) Japan, later reaching a peak in popularity during the middle of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

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 were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

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".

Culture

''Vanda falcata'' is a warm to cool grower. Plants may be mounted on slabs of

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

tree-fern The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree ...

fiber. In Japan, the custom is to grow them on a raised mound of

sphagnum moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

. The plants benefit from a cool, bright winter rest, and frequent watering when in growth. Vanda falcata1

Hybrids

Most hybrid names are now obsolete, as several genera were reduced to synonymy with ''

''. (As listed by the RHS:) * ''Aeridofinetia'' Hiroshima Choice — ''Aerides flabellata'' × ''Neof. falcata'', M.Kobayashi 1995 * ''Aeridofinetia'' Pink Pearl — ''Aerides jarckiana'' × ''Neof. falcata'', E.Iwanaga 1961 * ''Aeridofinetia'' Tiny Tim — ''Aerides falcata'' × ''Neof. falcata'', W.K.Nakamoto 1966 * ''Aeridofinetia'' Suzuka Pearl — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Aerides houlletiana'', S.Katsuta 2007 * ''Ascofinetia'' A. F. Buckman — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum christensonianum'', A.Buckman 2008 * ''Ascofinetia'' Emly — ''Ascofinetia'' Peaches × ''Neof. falcata'', E.Siegerist 1982 * ''Ascofinetia'' Color Burst — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum'' Sidhi Gold, L.Soule(Kultana) 2006 * ''Ascofinetia'' Cherry Blossom — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''

Ascocentrum ampullaceum ''Vanda ampullacea'' is a perennial epiphytic orchid found in southeast Asia from Nepal to China (southern Yunnan) and India, including the eastern Himalayas. It has had various classifications, initially called ''Aerides ampullacea'' by William ...

'', E.Iwanaga 1961 * ''Ascofinetia'' Furuse — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum pumilum'', H.Furuse 1979 * ''Ascofinetia'' Kaori — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascofinetia'' Cherry Blossom, I.Mochizuki 1990 * ''Ascofinetia'' Lion Star — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum'' Sagarik Gold, L.Stern 1984 * ''Ascofinetia'' Peaches — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum curvifolium'', E.Iwanaga 1962 * ''Ascofinetia'' Twinkle — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum miniatum'', Rev.M.Yamada 1960 * ''Ascofinetia'' Yellow Fuuran — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocentrum'' sp., O/U 2000 * ''Chrisnetia'' Green Light — ''Christensonia vietnamica'' × ''Neof. falcata'', Ching Hua 2008 * ''Cleisofinetia'' Rumrill Cameo — ''Cleisocentron pallens'' × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Rumrill 1987 * ''Darwinara'' Charm — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vascostylis'' Tham Yuen Hae, Takaki O.N. 1987 * ''Darwinara'' Fuchs Cream Puff — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vascostylis'' Five Friendships, R.F.Orchids 1995 * ''Darwinara'' Pretty Girl — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vascostylis'' Jim Snider, Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Dorifinetia'' Little Cherry — ''Dorifinetia'' Pilialoha × ''Neof. falcata'', Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Dorifinetia Pilialoha'' — ''Doritis pulcherrima'' × ''Neof. falcata'', Mr/Mrs H.Starke (Y.Sagawa) 1975 * ''Jisooara'' Jisco — ''Rhynchofadanda'' Porchina Blue × ''Neof. falcata'', R.Perreira 1987 * ''Hanesara'' Golden Beauty — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Aeridachnis'' Bogor, J.Hanes 1977 * ''Luinetia'' Rumrill — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Luisia teres'', J.Rumrill 1975 * ''Mizunoara'' Pololei Sunset — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Kagawara'' Christie Low, Haiku Maui (N.Mizuno) 2005 * ''Nakamotoara'' Blanc — Ascocenda Charm × ''Neof. falcata'', Rev.M.Yamada 1965 * ''Nakamotoara'' Cherry Hill — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Aroonsri Beauty, M.Sato 1990 * ''Nakamotoara'' Dainty Delight — ''Ascocenda'' Ophelia × ''Neof. falcata'', Rod McLellan Co. 1980 * ''Nakamotoara'' Joyce Hands — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Blue Boy, G.Hands(O/U) 2007 * ''Nakamotoara'' Peach Mist — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Karnda, Arnold J.Klehm 1997 * ''Nakamotoara'' Thai Surprise — ''Ascocenda'' Peggy Foo × ''Neof. falcata'', R.Griesbach (Bangkok Fl.Centre) 1996 * ''Nakamotoara'' Rainbow Gem — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Flambeau, Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Nakamotoara'' Selsal's Baby Blue — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Blue Eyes, J.& I.Sellés 1995 * ''Nakamotoara'' Wendy — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascocenda'' Meda Arnold, W.K.Nakamoto 1964 * ''Neofadenia'' Ucho — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Seidenfadenia mitrata'', S.Ichijyo (K.Nakatani) 1984 * ''Neoglossum'' Rumrill Dilly — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Ascoglossum calopterum'', J.Rumrill 1989 * ''Neograecum'' Conny Röllke — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Angraecum scottianum'', Röllke Orchzt. (G.Röllke) 1990 * ''Neosedanda'' (Vandofinides) Purity — ''Vandirea'' Takagi × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Rumrill 1980 * ''Neosedirea'' Summer Stars — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Sedirea japonica'', H.Furuse 1979 * ''Neostylis'' Baby Angel — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Neostylis'' Lou Sneary, Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Neostylis'' Dainty — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Rhynchostylis retusa'', Elliott Flynn 1965 * ''Neostylis'' Lou Sneary — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Rhynchostylis coelestis'', Hajime Ono 1970 * ''Neostylis'' Pinky — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Rhynchostylis gigantea'', M.Kobayashi 1990 * ''Parafinetia'' Crownfox Twinkle — ''Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua'' × ''Neof. falcata'', R.F. Orchids (Cheah Wah Sang) 2009 * ''Phalanetia'' Anna Bettencourt — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Phalaenopsis'' Veitchiana, Bettencourt 1988 * ''Phalanetia'' Hoshizukiyo — ''Phalanetia'' Irene × ''Neof. falcata'', T.Morie 2002 * ''Phalanetia'' Irene — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Phalaenopsis equestris'', Y.Sagawa 1975 * ''Phalanetia'' Koibotaru — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Phalaenopsis schilleriana'', T.Morie 2000 * ''Phalanetia'' Pacifica — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Phalaenopsis'' Chieftain, W.K.Nakamoto 1964 * ''Renanetia'' Bali — ''Renanthera'' Brookie Chandler × ''Neof. falcata'', E.Iwanaga 1962 * ''Renanetia'' Sunrise — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Renanthera imschootiana'', Sak.Takagi 1967 * ''Robifinetia'' Rumrill Vanguard — ''Robiquetia spathulata'' × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Rumrill 1982 * ''Rumrillara'' Salome — ''Rumrillara'' Rosyleen × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Rumrill 1979 * ''Sanjumeara'' Luke Neo — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Perreiraara'' Luke Thai, T.Orchids (R.Viraphandhu) 1994 * ''Vandofinetia'' Aspenwood Elf — ''Neof. falcata'' × Vanda Ben Berliner, I.Cohen (Lauralin) 1985 * ''Vandofinetia'' Baby Star — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vandofinetia'' Pat Arcari, Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Vandofinetia'' Blaupunkt — ''Vanda coerulescens'' × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Lindstrom (J.Dunkelberger) 1986 * ''Vandofinetia'' Kelly's Cloud Catcher — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Sally Roth, K.Hurley (Fournier) 2009 * ''Vandofinetia'' Little Blossom — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Miss Joaquim, Sak.Takagi 1967 * ''Vandofinetia'' Nago Blue — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Trevor Rathbone, E.Tamaki 1996 * ''Vandofinetia'' Nara — Vanda Patou × ''Neof. falcata'', Kirin Brew. (K.Takagi) 1992 * ''Vandofinetia'' Oriental Beauty — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Rothschildiana, Takaki O.N. 1987 * ''Vandofinetia'' Oriental Star — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Little Blue, Takaki O.N. 1989 * ''Vandofinetia'' Pat Arcari — ''Vanda coerulea'' × ''Neof. falcata'', Hajime Ono 1970 * ''Vandofinetia'' Premier — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda lamellata'', Rev.M.Yamada 1960 * ''Vandofinetia'' Red Tide — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda'' Mystic Queen, Lauralin 1989 * ''Vandofinetia'' Snow Dance — ''Vanda'' Pissamai × ''Neof. falcata'', Suphachadiwong (Kultana) 1984 * ''Vandofinetia'' Sweet Petite — ''Vanda'' Mimi Palmer × ''Neof. falcata'', B.Thoms 1994 * ''Vandofinetia'' Venus — ''Vandofinetia'' Premier × ''Neof. falcata'', J.Rumrill 1984 * ''Vandofinetia'' Virgil — ''Neof. falcata'' × ''Vanda cristata'', Highland Trop. 1992 * ''Vandofinetia'' White Crane — ''Vanda sanderiana'' × ''Neof. falcata'', Exotic Orchids 2006 * ''Wilkara'' Didit Finally — ''Asconopsis'' Irene Dobkin × ''Neof. falcata'', C.Wilk 2003

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * *『伝承と進化の美：富貴蘭』栃の葉書房 (2014) *『古典園芸植物　種類と作り方』ガーデンライフ編／誠文堂新光社 (1982) *『趣味の古典園芸植物』主婦の友社 (1975) *『総合種苗ガイド3　古典園芸植物編』誠文堂新光社 (1967) {{Taxonbar, from1=Q1037607, from2=Q22062147

falcata The falcata is a type of sword typical of pre-Roman Iberia. The falcata was used to great effect for warfare in the ancient Iberian peninsula, and is firmly associated with the southern Iberian tribes, among other ancient peoples of Hispania. ...

Orchids of China Orchids of Japan Orchids of Korea Plants described in 1784