I received an order of orchids today and I am so excited about these particular 2 from my order, Vanda merrillii and Vanda merrillii (dwarf form). I already have Vanda merrillii var rotorii, which is currently in spike. Obviously, I love the merrillii.
The Vanda merrillii (dwarf form) I have also seen referenced as Vanda merrillii var compactum. I have not come across any proof that this varietal name is acceptable.
The story behind this form is that it came out of the Philippines one time. It has not been seen or found again since then. In the additional research I've done there are 3 possible explanations: 1) a natural occurring hybrid; 2) a mutation in the regular form of V. merrillii; and 3) it is a completely different species that resembles a V. merrillii. The cool thing about it is it gets a terminal spike when it flowers, it will then put out a keiki and continues on with this growth pattern. Eventually, the plant is a big clump that can be divided.
My Vanda merrillii (dwarf form):[COLOR="Silver"]
New Vanda merrillii
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