Ascocenda orchids are exceptionally beautiful and highly valued for ornamental purposes.
Ascocenda is a typical epiphytic orchid with a robust, easygoing nature. It is native to Southeast Asia and loves high temperatures. Its flowering season runs from spring to autumn. If grown from a seedling, it takes five years to bloom. Thailand is currently the most successful in cultivating and breeding this genus.
Ascocenda
Morphological characteristics:
Ascocenda is a type of orchid produced by crossing Ascocentrum and Vanda. The plant is relatively short, reaching only half the size of a Vanda. Its flower colors are vivid and infinitely varied, making it a medium-sized "Ascocentrum-Vanda" among the new intergeneric Vanda orchids. Ascocenda flowers are colorful and pleasing to the eye, with varieties that bloom year-round, though most are concentrated in spring or summer and autumn. The color variation is very rich, with many colors available. The plant has exceptionally strong drought tolerance and loves to grow outdoors under direct bright sunlight, requiring no special equipment or management.
Most Vandas can produce sturdy flower spikes bearing more than a dozen blooms each. Flower size ranges from 2 to 4 inches. As for flower color, the variation is extensive, with white and multicolored forms, ranging from yellow, green, red, and purple to blue. Their flower shapes also vary greatly; some are recurved and twisted, while others are round and flat. As for the flowering season, they seem to be able to bloom year-round, with most producing flower spikes in spring or early summer. Their roots differ slightly from those of other orchid genera; aerial roots grow continuously from the stem throughout all four seasons, thick and round in shape.
Ascocenda
When in bloom, the flower stem emerges from between the leaf axils, measuring 20 to 30 cm long. Each flower spike bears 10 to 20 flowers, with each flower 4 to 5 cm in diameter. Each individual flower lasts about half a month, and the entire spike's flowering period lasts 2 to 3 months. The flower colors are richly varied, including yellow, pink, purplish red, tea brown, sky blue, violet blue, orange-red, and more, making them quite gorgeous. A plant can bloom at least 2 to 3 times within a year.
Ascocenda
History:
Since after World War II, Vandas have become popular around the world. Wherever there are warmer regions, their lovely presence can be seen. More than a decade ago, by introducing the miniature Thai native species Ascocentrum into their lineage, a new intergeneric "Ascocenda" was produced with a relatively short plant size and medium-sized Vanda-like flowers. This became even more popular. Their flower colors are truly infinitely varied, yet the plant size is only half that of a Vanda.
Vandas are native to tropical Asia, found from the mountainous regions of India through Myanmar, Thailand, into the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, and New Guinea. Their growth habit is monopodial, continuously growing upward from the top of the stem, growing faster in the bright sunny days of summer. Because their plants are relatively tall, they are mostly grown outdoors or in locations with direct sunlight.