Unique species of the genus Christensonia, later included in the genus Vanda, Christensonia vietnamica was initially discovered by the Czech botanist Jiri Haager during an expedition undertaken in southern Vietnam. The genus Christensonia was created in 1993 and named in honor of Eric Christenson, for his contributions to the research of vandaceae species from the subtribe Aeridinae. The species Christensonia vietnamica shares common characteristics with both species of the genus Aerides and those of the genus Rhynchostylis. The accepted synonym for this species is Vanda vietnamica (Haager) L.M.Gardiner 2012
Christensonia vietnamica populates low areas, at altitudes from 100 to 700 m in southern Vietnam, in deciduous tree forests and silvosteppe zones, with a warm climate.
A monopodial growth species, it has a stem covered with overlapping sheaths formed from the base of semi-terete leaves, with alternate arrangement and hard, fleshy consistency. It blooms during the summer, on short axillary stems of about 7 cm. The flowers are medium-sized, about 3.2 cm in diameter, subtly scented, with citrus or fruity notes.
From the point of view of growth conditions, it will be very close to those suitable for the Phalaenopsis genus, with a light radiation intensity of 15000 – 20000 lux, and a relative humidity of 65 – 80%, with higher values (80%) in the case of cultivation on plaques, or lower (65%) for pot cultivation. The ideal growing medium is mounting on bark or cork plaques.
Being a moderately thermophilic species, temperatures of 22 – 28 ℃ are preferred for daytime values and 16 – 20 ℃ for nighttime values.
Normally, watering will be done at intervals of 5 – 7 days or more frequently, preferably by soaking, allowing the substrate to dry between two successive waterings. In the case of pot cultivation, the ideal way to administer water is when the roots lose their green color and become pearly.
Fertilization will be carried out throughout the year, at intervals of 2 weeks, with balanced fertilizers, with an NPK formula of 30 – 30 – 30, at 25 – 50% of the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. More diluted and more frequent fertilizations are recommended.
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