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, Vietnam, 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;[1] similarly, the D.
bigibbum complex (which contains the well-known Cooktown Orchid of
Australia, D. phalaenopsis) has recently been split up. However, as an
illustration of the current revisions in the taxonomy of Orchidaceae
these 'splits' have now been reversed and the currently accepted
species, natural nothospecies and synonyms are presented on
Wikispecies Dendrobium.Description 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 under a centimetre (e.g. Dendrobium leucocyanum) to several metres long (e.g. Dendrobium discolor), resembling canes. A few grow into long reedlike stems. Leaf bases form sheaths that completely envelope the stem. In the section Formosae (e.g. Dendrobium infundibulum), the sheaths and undersides of leaves are covered with fine short black hairs. Other species (e.g. Dendrobium senile), are covered with fine white hairs. 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. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrobium Best regards Pankaj -- *********************************************************** Pankaj Kumar, Ph.D. IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group Asia Office: Conservation Officer Orchid Conservation Section Flora Conservation Department Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation Lam Kam Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. Residence: 151, 1st Floor, Tai Om Tsuen Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. email: [email protected]; [email protected] Phone: +852 2483 7128 (office - 8:30am to 5:00pm); +852 9436 6251 (mobile). Fax: +852 2483 7194 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
