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''Vanda christensoniana'' 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 ...
endemic to Vietnam. The specific epithet ''christensoniana'' honours the botanist and taxonomist Eric Christenson.Motes, M. R. (2021). The Natural Genus Vanda. Redland Press.
Description
It has a monopodial growth habit. The leaves are remarkable, as they are unusually purple for a ''Vanda''. The purple foliage permits this plant to grow in full sun, as the accumulation of anthocyanins near the plant surface filters light and improves photoprotection. This feature is also strongly expressed in hybrids. The flowers are rose or purple to white and are produced on 2-4 relatively short, densely many-flowered inflorescences.Taxonomy
This species is closely related to ''Vanda malipoensis
''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 ...
'' and ''Vanda nana
''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the Orchidaceae, orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considere ...
''. The phylogenetic tree based on the plastid genome (i.e. the maternal line) indicates, that it is separate from other section ''Ascocentrum'' species. Section ''Ascocentrum'' is shown to be in part paraphyletic, depending on which genetic material is examined. The nuclear genome results in different relationships. This inconsistency can be explained by hybrid speciation.Zou, L. H., Liu, Z. J., & Huang, J. X. (2014). Vanda malipoensis, a new species of Vanda (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae; Vandeae) from China: evidence from morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Phytotaxa, 186(2), 87-96. This phylogenetic tree and the placement of ''Vanda christensoniana'' close to section ''Ascocentropsis'', instead of section ''Ascocentrum'', is confirmed in a second study.Zou, L. H., Wu, X. Y., Lin, M. I. N., Chen, L. J., & Liu, Z. J. (2016). Vanda funingensis, a new species of Orchidaceae (Epidedroideae; Vandeae; Aeridinae) from China: evidence from morphology and DNA. Phytotaxa, 260(1), 1-13.
References
External links
christensoniana Endemic orchids of Vietnam {{Vandeae-stub