Vanda testacea

Status: Not rare.
Plant habit: Epiphyte.
Inflorescence: Raceme.
Flower size: 1 to 1.5 cm yellow flowers with a blue lip.
Altitude: 400 to 800 metres asl.
Flowering time: March to April.
Fragrance: Yes.
Heat tolerance: Blooms at sea level.
Endemism: Burma, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Southern Yunnan.

Loads of V. testacea on a tree

Variety from Coimbatore district

Variety from Wynad district

Photos: Courtesy Deepakkumar Sivarajan.

Smithsonia viridiflora

This is really orchid season. All those little orchids blooming up in those trees, very nicely camouflaged and visible only to the trained eye. Smithsonia is a genus that is endemic to South India and is represented by 3 species namely S. maculata, S. straminea and S. viridiflora. Smithsonia viridiflora was seen blooming in the lower elevations of the Western Ghats in May. The flowers measure about a centimetre across.