Arundina Blume (1825) is a small genus of terrestrial orchids in the family Orchidaceae (order Asparagales), native to tropical and subtropical Asia. For most of its taxonomic history it was considered monotypic, with Arundina graminifolia (D.Don) Hochr. — the bamboo orchid — as its sole species; a second species, A. caespitosa, was described in 2007.
Plants are perennial and terrestrial, producing tall, reed-like or cane-like stems that form dense clumps reaching 70 cm to 2 m in height. The narrow, plaited, linear-lanceolate leaves are 9–19 cm long and 0.8–1.5 cm wide, with clasping (amplexicaul) sheaths at the base. Flowers are showy, 5–7 cm across, rosy lilac and white with a distinctive purple lip, borne in succession on terminal racemes of up to ten blooms; flowering occurs in summer and autumn.
The genus is distributed across a broad swathe of tropical Asia, from Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal eastward through Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, the Ryukyu Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Guinea. A. graminifolia has additionally become naturalized in island and Caribbean regions including Réunion, Fiji, French Polynesia, Micronesia, the West Indies, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Hawaii, where it can behave invasively. In its native and naturalized range it colonizes secondary forests, forest fringes, roadsides, and other disturbed sunny habitats.
Etymology
The genus name Arundina is derived from the Latin arundo (reed or cane), referring to the tall, reed-like stems that characterize these orchids. The common name "bamboo orchid" for A. graminifolia reflects the same quality.
Distribution
Arundina is native to tropical and subtropical Asia, ranging from Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal east through Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, the Ryukyu Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Guinea. A. graminifolia has naturalized widely beyond this range, including in Réunion, Fiji, French Polynesia, Micronesia, the West Indies, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Hawaii, where it can be invasive in disturbed open habitats.
Ecology
Arundina graminifolia thrives in open, disturbed, and sunny environments — roadsides, road cuts, secondary forest edges, and cleared land — and is notably common along roadsides in Sarawak. The genus is pollinator-dependent; seed capsule production requires successful pollination. Small plantlets (keikis) also form near cane ends after flowering, providing a vegetative dispersal mechanism. In Hawaii, Mauritius, and Puerto Rico, A. graminifolia exhibits invasive behavior.
Cultivation
A. graminifolia is widely cultivated as an ornamental in tropical gardens. Plants produce keikis (small plantlets) near the cane tips after flowering; these can be detached and planted once roots develop. The species tolerates full sun and is adapted to disturbed, well-drained soils, making it amenable to roadside and garden planting. In Singapore, NParks replanting programmes successfully re-established the species after it was nearly lost from the wild.
Conservation
Arundina graminifolia was once reduced to approximately 200 wild individuals in Singapore, driven to near-extinction by habitat destruction of rainforests and mangrove forests. Targeted replanting efforts by Singapore's National Parks Board (NParks) have since restored the species to "common cultivated" status in that country.
Cultural Uses
Components of Arundina graminifolia have traditional uses in Chinese medicine, where the plant is credited with soothing, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and analgesic properties.
