Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl., 1847

Ormerod, Paul, Kurzweil, Hubert & Watthana, Santi, 2021, Annotated List of Orchidaceae for Myanmar, Phytotaxa 481 (1), pp. 1-262 : 237-238

Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Lindl. , Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 33: sub t. 30, 1847

Specimens examined:— MANDALAY. Pyinoolwin District: 1065 m, 1 Sep 1912, Lace s.n. ( E); same loc., 1065 m, 20 Sep 1927, Bogg B ( K) . SHAN. Taunggyi District: 1370 m, 20 Oct 1939, Dickason 9055 ( AMES); same loc., 3 Oct 2017, Kim s.n., photo. Also reported from Kachin and Chin states and Yangon Region by Kress et al. (2003: 90), but we have not seen material from these areas.

Distribution:— The eastern Himalayas, northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and southwestern China.

Note:— This taxon hybridises with V. bensonii to form V. × charlesworthii , V. coerulescens to form an unnamed hybrid (also in India) and Holcoglossum kimballianum to form Vandoglossum moorei (Rolfe) J.M.H.Shaw.

Vanda coerulescens Griff., Not. Pl. Asiat. 3: 352, 1851; Icon. Pl. Asiat. 3: t. 331, 1851. Type:— MYANMAR. Kachin State: Bhamo District, 26 Apr 1837, Griffith s.n., Kew Distr. 5787 (holotype: K)

Heterotypic synonyms: Vanda coerulescens Griff. var. boxallii Rchb. f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 7: 749, 1877. Vanda confusa Rolfe, Orchid Rev. 10: 196, 1902. Type:—ORIGIN UNKNOWN (probably Myanmar). 1877, Boxall s.n., cult. Low s.n. (W-R 38810; icon. W-R 38802).

Vanda coerulescens Griff. var. lowiana Rchb. f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 8: 102, 1877. Type:—ORIGIN UNKNOWN (probably Myanmar). Cult. Low s.n. (holotype: W-R).

Vanda coerulescens Griff. var. vipanii Rchb. f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 25: 752 & 804 [under corrections], 1886. Type:—ORIGIN UNKNOWN (probably Myanmar). May 1886, cult. Sander s.n. (holotype: W-R 38811 ) .

? Vanda parviflora Lindl. var. albiflora Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 50, 1890. Type:— MYANMAR. Mon State: Mawlamyine District , icon. Parish s.n. (holotype: K, in bound drawings?).

Specimens examined:—? MYANMAR. Types. UPPER MYANMAR. 1897, Veitch s.n. ex Burke s.n. ( K) . KACHIN. Bhamo District : type; same loc., 245 m, Apr 1912, Forrest 7450 ( E) . SAGAING. Kale District : fide Aung et al. (2020: 104) . CHIN. Falam District : 610 m, comm. 9 Oct 1923, Daun 24 ( K) ; Mindat District : 790 m, 27 Apr 2003, Murata et al. 029721 ( MBK) . MANDALAY. Pyinoolwin District: 1065 m, Samuel s.n. in Maymyo Bot. Gard. 13523 ( K) ; same loc., 1065 m, Samuel 13559 ( K) ; Myingyan District : 500 m, 22 Apr 2003, Murata et al. 029101 ( MBK) ; same loc., 21 Feb 2006, Khin Myo Htwe 81 ( MBK [s], TNS [s]) & 89 ( TNS [s]), fide Tanaka et al. (2015: 88); same loc., Jan 2010, Saw Lwin et al. MPO 057 ( SING) . SHAN. Illegible : 915 m, Mar 1888, Collett 544 ( K) ; Lashio District : May 1933, Dickason 5769 ( AMES) ; Taunggyi District : 505 m, 3 Mar 2014, Saw Lwin SL 53 ( RAF, RAF [s]) . BAGO. Pyay District: Apr 1868, Benson s.n. ( K, W-R 38807 ; icon. K & W-R 38803 ); Taungoo District : 1864, Parish 22 ( K) . MON. Mawlamyine District: type. WITHOUT LOCALITY. Griffith s.n., Kew Distr. 5245 ( K, W-R 38807 ) ; Jun 1877, cult. Meyer s.n. [comm. Low] ( K) ; Mar 1879, Low s.n. ( W-R 38805 ) ; 1 Jun 1891, cult. Schroeder s.n. ( K) ; 9 Mar 1899, cult. Moore s.n. ( K) ; Jun 1903, cult. Moore s.n. ( K) .

Distribution:— The eastern Himalayas, northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and southwestern China.

Notes:— Vanda confusa is based on V. coerulescens var. boxallii . In PO’s opinion, it is not a natural hybrid and definitely falls within the variability of V. coerulescens . Vanda parviflora var. albiflora looks more like a smallflowered form of V. coerulescens . It is probably not the same as V. lilacina Teijsm. & Binn. , for which no Myanmar material has been seen. Photographs identified as V. lilacina in Nyan Tun (2014: 451−452) seem to be V. coerulescens because they have the retrorse spur and relatively longer midlobe of that species.