My generous vanda

Ten years ago, I bought a six-inch tall orchid mounted on a wood branch from a wandering plant vendor in the busy streets of Divisoria, hoping that it would be a rare species.

At home, I attached the plant to the trunk of a palm tree at the back of the house where it got full sun the whole day. Eight months later, it bloomed and checking my orchid books for its name, found out that it was Vanda lamellata var. boxallii, a rather common orchid found in the lowlands of Luzon.

Although disappointed that it didn't turn out to be a rare find, I nevertheless continued to care for it. It was a robust grower, sending flower spikes regularly, usually at the onset of the rainy season in July and lasting up to January of the following year.

In its third year, in addition to flower spikes, the plant began to give out vegetative shoots (keikis) which I would allow to grow beside the mother plant. In time, several of the offshoots would also give rise to their own keikis and it came to a point that two-thirds of the trunk of the palm tree was covered with the tangled mass of vanda leaves, roots, and flowers.

At the height of its flowering season, the fragrance emanating from the small white flowers could be detected as far away as ten feet from the palm tree. I must have given away at least fifteen keikis to relatives and friends in order to control the bushy growth of the plant. It doesn't seem to mind being treated this way, because it has continued to give me flowers and vegetative shoots on a regular basis.

As much as I would like to share it with other people (perhaps, to exhibit in an orchid show), I am prevented from doing so because the whole thing is attached to the trunk of the palm tree. And the only way I can share it with others is through this post. So there. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed taking care of it through these years.