Dendrobium palpebrae Lindley 1850 SECTION Densiflora

Photo by Gary Yong Gee

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Common Name The Brow-Like Dendrobium - In Thailand - Ueang Matchanu

Flower Size about 1 1/2" [about 3.75 cm]

This species is from Bangladesh, eastern Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam at altitudes of 800 to 2500 meters where it is widespread as a medium sized, warm to cold growing epiphytic species with clustered, rather slender to subclavate, sulcate stems enveloped by membraneous sheaths carrying 2 to 5, towards the apex, lanceolate to oblong, acute leaves that blooms in the spring and late summer on a 3 to 6" [7.5 to 15 cm] long, pendulous, 6 to 15 flowered inflorescence.

This species is often confused with D. farmerii as the flowers and growth habit are very similar. The major difference is the lip that is more ovate in outline. In addition, the lip has low side-lobes and the base has the hairs that John Lindley described "like eyelashes" - hence the specific epithet palpebra (eyelid).

This species appreciates a drier winter followed by heavy water and fertilizer after spring blooming.

Synonyms Callista palpebrae (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Callista palpebrae (Lindl.) Brieger 1981; Dendrobium farmeri var. album Regel 1868

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; A Century of Indian Orchids Vol 5 Hooker 1895 drawing fide; Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/1995; Orchidaceae Monandre-Dendrobiinae Fr. Kraenzlin 1910; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1960 photo not = D farmeri; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Beautiful Indian Orchids and How to grow them Ghose 1968; AOS Bulletin Vol 44 #9 1975 photo fide; Die Orchideen lieferung 11/12 Schlechter/Brieger 1981 as Callista palpebrae; Opera Botanica #83 Orchid Genera in Thailand XII Dendrobium Sw. Seidenfaden 1985 drawing/photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Laurent 1992 drawing fide; Identification of the Orchids [Orchidaceae Juss.] Vietnam Averyanov 1994; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; A Field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2001 photo not = D farmeri; The Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; A field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2005 photo not = D farmeri; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006 drawing fide; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007

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