DENDROBIUM
(Abbreviation - Den.)
Mainly from tropical and sub tropical Asia, the Pacific & Australia, this is another very large genus of orchids, with approximately 900 or more species included.
The foliage is very variable, it can be very leafy and may have either few stems, or a lot of stems, and the flowers are also variable.
There can be only one, or may be many flowers on a raceme. All of the species in this genus are epiphytic.
Some movement has been made to reclassify some of the species. For example, D. linguiforme, D. mortii and D. teretifolium are sometimes reclassed under the new genera Dockrillia.
Culture
As a group, Dendrobiums are diverse both in how they look and how they need to be treated. Though most Dendrobiums are epiphytes and many need to be grown on a slab of fern or timber, some will grow quite well in a pot.
There are Dendrobiums which can be grown in all types of climates, from the tropics to cool temperate areas, though most come from mild or warm climates. If we were to generalise, the most important requirement is fresh air or good ventilation, followed by appropriate shade. Overwatering is always a danger with Dendrobiums grown in pots.
Many can be grown by division of offsets or separation. The pseudobulbs are commonly elongated and look like a piece of cane, hence are commonly called canes.
Cultivars
There are several different ways of classifying Dendrobiums; one way as follows:
1. Soft Cane - The cane is generally swollen or thick and soft inside.
2. Black Haired (Nigro-hirsute) -canes are covered by short black hairs.
3. Hard Cane -canes are thin and long
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