Cleisostoma tenuifolium

Inflorescence: Drooping raceme
Flower size: 7 mm across
Plant habit:  Small-sized epiphyte with thin long leaves
Altitude:  Sea level to 800 meters asl
Flowering time:  July through September
Fragrance:  None
Distribution:  South West India, Sri Lanka and Thailand
Heat tolerance:  Blooms in the plains
Hortus malabaricus name:  Tsjerou mau maravara, Kolli tsjerou mau maravara

Luisia zeylanica

Status: Common.

Inflorescence: Short raceme with 4-5 flowers.

Flower size: About 5 mm across.

Plant habit: Epiphytic, terete leaved.

Altitude: Sea level to 800 metres asl.

Flowering time:  July to August.

Fragrance:  No.

Endemism: Nepal, Southern India, Sri Lanka.

Heat tolerance: Blooms at sea level.

Aerides ringens

Status: Fairly common.
Altitude: Sea level to 2300 m.
Plant habit: Epiphytic with narrow long leaves.
Inflorescence: Raceme with some secondary branching.
Flowers: 0.5 cm across and 1.5 cm in length. Colours vary from pale pink at sea level to deep magenta at higher altitudes.
Flowering: Mar to April at higher altitudes and June to July at lower altitudes.
Endemism: Southern India and Sri Lanka.
Fragrance: No.
Heat tolerance: Blooms at sea level.

Rhytionanthos rheedei

Status: Not common.
Habit: Crawling epiphyte.
Altitude: 800 metres asl.
Inflorescence: Umbel with 2 to 4 flowers.
Flowers: Shoe shaped flowers measuring about 7 mm in length.
Flowering season: June and July.
Fragrance: No.
Heat tolerance: Blooms at lower altitudes.
Hortus Malabaricus name: Tsjerou Tecka Maravara
Endemism: Kerala, Karnataka.

Rhynchostylis retusa

Status:  Quite common.
Plant habit: Vandaceous epiphyte with striped leaves and thick long roots.
Inflorescence: Drooping raceme with about 100 flowers.
Flower size: About 1.5 cm across.
Altitude: A little inland at sea level to 800 meters asl.
Flowering time: June and July.
Fragrance: Citrus fragrance.
Heat tolerance: Blooms at sea level.
Endemism: India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia.
Hortus malabaricus name: Ansjeli maravara and Biti maram maravara.

  

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.