Dendrobium bensoniae Rchb. f. 1867 SECTION Dendrobium
Photo courtesy of Beau
Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl
Photo courtesy of Joe Bryson
Common Name Benson's Dendrobium [English Officer in Burma and Orchid Enthusiast 1800's]
Flower Size 2 1/2" [6.25 cm]
Found in Asssam, Myanmar and Thailand as a medium sized, pendant, hot to cool growing epiphyte at elevations of 450 to 1550 meters with yellow, fleshy, erect or pendulous, cylindrical, 12 to 30" [30 to 75 cm] long stems without swollen nodes carrying more than 1 per growth, linear, lanceolate or oval, leathery, deciduous leaf that blooms on a pendant, to 2" [to 5 cm] long, 1 to 3 flowered, racemose inflorescence, with 1 or 2 arising from the upper nodes of leafless stems with 1 to 3, sparkly, fragrant flowers occuring in the spring.
Through the winter months this plant should be watered less frequently but not allowed to dry out completely, cool weather helps as well and this plant can tolerate freezing temps for a short time if dry. Light fertilizer and heavy waterings throughout the growth cycle are instrumental in optimum plant growth and mounting accomodates the habit correctly.
Synonyms Callista bensoniae (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Dendrobium bensoniae var. aurantiacum 1874
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/1995; Orchidaceae Monandre-Dendrobiinae Fr. Kraenzlin 1910; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Die Orchideen 2 Auflage Schlechter 1927; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Eudendrobium bensoniae drawing fide; Flora of Malaya Vol 1 Orchids Holttum 1953; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1960; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Beautiful Indian Orchids and How to grow them Ghose 1968; Indian Orchids, A guide to Identification and Culture Vol II Pradhan 1979 photo fide; Opera Botanica #83 Orchid Genera in Thailand XII Dendrobium Sw. Seidenfaden 1985 drawing fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 72 No 4 2007 photo; Wild Orchids in Myanmar Vol 3 Tanaka 2007 photo fide ; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #2 2011 photo fide; Wild Orchids of Myanmar Hyan Tun [Mr Myanmar] 2014 Photo fide; A Guide to the Orchids of Myanmar Kurzweil & Lwin 2014 photo fide
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