Finally got a bloom! Mini Arundina species (Vietnam)

I have been waiting for this to flower for quite some time now and finally, today, it bloomed! Pretty little flower with white petals and a pink and yellow lip. The flower isn’t perfect but who cares, certainly not me, it’s finally blooming!



I received this plant many months ago from a friend. It is a very small plant compared to my Arundina graminifolia plants which are several feet tall. This mini Arundina, says my friend, is a Vietnam species. I do not know if it is simply a form or variant of A. graminifolia or a different species.



When I first got it, I planted it in a small 5” pot and left it for several months in the shade to recover from stress and establish itself. Then about two months ago, it was repotted with soil and placed in the sun (shade for half the day) and left alone. Yesterday when I checked on it, I found a single bud about to open, yahoo! Been waiting for a long time now to see the flower so you can imagine how happy I was!



Voila! I’ll see how long the flower lasts. I think I have seen this form before, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.



One of the older canes has produced a little keiki since I got it, will let it grow for a bit more than transplant it to another pot. A nice mini species of bamboo orchid definitely worth multiplying.

In Kuching, Arundina graminifolia plants grow like weeds (a good thing, actually!). See the flower of a Kuching plant by clicking here. They are often seen growing along roadsides west of Kuching in open, disturbed areas. They are also one of the first terrestrial orchids to colonize a disturbed area - see this photo (click here) - the other being Bromheadia finlaysoniana. They form large clumps that grow very tall. Although the flowers last only a couple days, a large clump never seems to be out of flower as there are always blooms on several canes.

This Vietnam arun however, is small and doesn’t need too much room. It is only about a foot and a half tall. Very cute and compact.

Yes, now I do remember! I did see this in Singapore back in 2007! Must have been the same form or type, small compact short plants with white and pink flowers. Here’s a photo I took with my camera phone at the Singapore Orchid Garden (Singapore Botanic Gardens).


Click for larger.

By the way, if you'd like to see more photos of my visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, please visit this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarawaklens/collections/72157603636667801/