the Indian name of a plant of the genus Epidendrum; which see, Encycl. The vanda is thus described by Sir William Jones.

"Cat. Spathe minute, straggling. Cor. Petals five, diverging, oval oblong, obtuse, wavy; the two lowest larger; the three highest equal, bent towards the nectary. Nectary central, rigid; Mouth gaping, oblique: Upper lip shorter, three parted, with a polished honey-cup; under lip concave, in the middle, keeled above, with two smaller cavities below, two processes at the base, incurved, hollow, oral pointed, converging; honey-bearing. Stam. Filaments very short. Anthers round, flattened, margined, covered with a lid, easily deciduous from the upper lip of the nectary. Pist. Germ. beneath long, ribbed, contorted with curves of opposite flexure. Style very short, adhering to the upper lip. Sigma simple. Per. Capsule oblong-comic, wreathed, six-keeled, each with two smaller keels, three-celled, crowded with the dry corol. Seeds innumerable, like fine dust affixed to the receptacle with extremely fine hairs, which become thick wool. Scapes incurved, solitary, from the cavity of the leaf, at most seven-flowered; pedicels alternate. Petals milk white externally, transparent; brown within, yellow-spotted. Upper lip of the nectary snow-white; under lip rich purple, or light crimson, fringed at the base, with a bright yellow gland, as it seems, on each process. The flowers gracefully fragrant, and exquisitely beautiful, looking as if composed of shells, or made of enamel; crisp elastic, viscid internally. Leaves sheathing, opposite, equally curved, rather fleby, sword-form, retuse in two ways at the summit, with one acute point. Roots fibrous, smooth, flexible; shooting even from the top of the leaves."

This lovely plant attaches itself chiefly to the highest Amraas and Bilwar (the Mangifera and Crateva of India); but it is an air-plant, and lives (says the President) in a pot without earth or water; its leaves are excavated upwards, to catch and retain dew.