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Selected species
Dendrobium amethystoglossum– Amethyst Tongued Dendrobium
Dendrobium anosmum – Unscented Dendrobium - misnomer
Dendrobium auriculatum – Eared Dendrobium
Dendrobium bicaudatum – Two-tailed Dendrobium
Dendrobium bukidnonensis– Bukidnon Dendrobium
Dendrobium bullenianum – Bullen's Orange Dendrobium
Dendrobium candidum
Dendrobium cariniferum
Dendrobium ceraula – Horned Dendrobium
Dendrobium cerinum
Dendrobium chameleon – Chameleon-like Dendrobium
Dendrobium chrysanthum
Dendrobium conanthum
Dendrobium crumenatum – Pigeon Orchid, Sparrow Orchid, Bag-shaped
Dendrobium, "dove orchid"
Dendrobium cuthbertsonii – Cuthbertson's Dendrobium
Dendrobium dearei – Deare's Dendrobium
Dendrobium erosum
Dendrobium fairchildae – Fairchild's Dendrobium
Dendrobium formosum
Dendrobium gerlandianum
Dendrobium gibsonii
Dendrobium goldschmidtianum – Goldschmidt's Dendrobium
Dendrobium guerreroi – Guerrero's Dendrobium
Dendrobium hercoglossum
Dendrobium heterocarpum – Different fruits Dendrobium
Dendrobium hymenophyllum
Dendrobium ionopus – Violet scented Dendrobium
Dendrobium junceum Philippine endemic
Dendrobium kingianum – Pink Rock Orchid, Captain King's Dendrobium,
Pink Rock Lily (sometimes separated in Thelychiton)
Dendrobium lindleyi – Lindley's Dendrobium (formerly D. aggregatum)
Dendrobium lituiflorum
Dendrobium loddigesii – Loddiges' Dendrobium
Dendrobium macrophyllum – Large leafed Dendrobium
Dendrobium mindanaense – Mindanao island Dendrobium
Dendrobium miyasakii – Miyaki's Dendrobium
Dendrobium nobile – Noble Dendrobium
Dendrobium papilio – Butterfly Dendrobium
Dendrobium parthenium
Dendrobium phalaenopsis – Cooktown Orchid (formerly D. bigibbum var.
phalaenopsis, D. bigibbum var. superbum) - now classified as
Vappodes phalaenopsis
Dendrobium philippinensis– Philippine Dendrobium
Dendrobium phillippsii – Phillips' Dendrobium
Dendrobium platycaulon – Flat Cane Dendrobium
Dendrobium profusum – Profused' Dendrobium
Dendrobium ramosii – Ramos' Dendrobium
Dendrobium sanderae – Sander's Dendrobium
Dendrobium schuetzei – Schuetz's Dendrobium
Dendrobium secundum
Dendrobium seratilabium – Serrated Lip Dendrobium
Dendrobium sinense
Dendrobium speciosum – Outstanding Dendrobium, King Orchid, Rock
Lily
Dendrobium taurinum – Bulls Head Dendrobium
Dendrobium thyrsiflorum
Dendrobium thysanophorum
Dendrobium uniflorum – Single flowered Dendrobium
Dendrobium velutinalabrum
Dendrobium victoriae -reginae – Queen Victoria's Dendrobium
Dendrobium wenzellii – Wenzell's Dendrobium
Dendrobium yeagerei – Yeager's Dendrobium
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Dendrobium is a huge genus of orchids. It was established by Olof
Swartz in 1799 and today contains about 1,200 species. The genus
occurs in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and
southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New
Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand. The name is from the Greek
dendron ("tree") and bios ("life"); it means "one who lives on
trees", or, essentially, "epiphyte".
In 1981, Briegar reclassified all terete-leaved Dendrobiums from
Australia and New Guinea into a new genus, Dockrillia. The Winika
orchid from New Zealand was formerly D. cunninghamii, but has now
been moved into a monotypic genus Winika. In 1989, Clements upgraded
the D. speciosum complex into individual species; similarly, the D.
bigibbum complex (which contains the well-known Cooktown Orchid of
Australia, D. phalaenopsis) has recently been split up.
Dendrobium species are either epiphytic, or occasionally lithophytic.
They have adapted to a wide variety of habitats, from the high
altitudes in the Himalayan mountains to lowland tropical forests and
even to the dry climate of the Australian desert.
This genus of sympodial orchids develop pseudobulbs, which vary
in length from a few centimetres (e.g. Dendrobium cuthbertsonii) to
two metres long (e.g. Dendrobium pulchellum). Most grow into long
reedlike stems. Some appear densely covered with short white or
black hairs (Dendrobium infundibulum).
In selected species, the short, ovate leaves grow alternately
over the whole length of the stems, in others, the leaves are
bunched towards the apex of the stem (e.g. Dendrobium tetragonum).
The axillary inflorescence vary in length from insignificant to 1m
long, and can carry from a few (1-4) (e.g. Dendrobium nobile) to as
many as 100 (e.g. Dendrobium speciosum) flowers. Deciduous species
carry their leaves for one to two years then typically flower on
leafless canes, while canes of evergreen species usually flower in
the second year and can continue to flower for a number of years
(e.g. Dendrobium densiflorum).
These orchids grow quickly throughout summer, but take a rest
during winter. Dormant buds erupt into shoots from the base of the
pseudobulb mainly in spring, and a few species in autumn. This is
then followed by rapid growth of new roots. Reproduction is usually
through seed, but a few species reproduce asexually through keikis
produced along the stem, usually after flowering and sometimes as a
result of injury to the growing tip.
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In horticulture
Dendrobium is commonly abbreviated as Den in horticulture. Some
species are in great demand by orchid lovers. This has resulted in
numerous varieties and hybrids, such as the Noble Dendrobium (D.
nobile) breeds, which have greatly extended the range of colors of
the original plant from the Himalayas. The flowers of Cuthbertson's
Dendrobium (D. cuthbertsonii) have been reported to last up to ten
months each.
While Dendrobium species may not be particularly easy to grow by
novice horticulturalists, they are known to vigorously remove
toluene and xylene from the air.[2]
Several hybrids in this genus have been registered and named
after notable persons and institutions:
Dendrobium Bae Yong Jun
Dendrobium Sccci 100th Anniversary
Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher |
