The genus Vanda consists of about 80 species found from South and Southeast Asia, to New Guinea, and to part of Australia, and across some islands in the western Pacific. Vandas are monopodial orchids, with channeled, strap-like leaves that arise from a main axis, and they are generally large, vigorous growers that can develop immense root systems. Vandas produce large, flat, beautiful, sometimes fragrant, long-lasting flowers. Vandas tend to prefer warm to hot, high-light growing conditions. They grow well in pots, or when grown in ample humidity in the tropics or in a greenhouse, they grow well in baskets with their prodigious root systems hanging in the air. Numerous hybrids exist that offer not only a wider range of flower colors, but they are more vigorous, eager to flower, and tolerant of less-than-ideal growing conditions than the species from which they are derived. Vanda hybridizers have also sought to produce plants of more compact stature, making them ideal for indoor growers.