Den. Sec. Rhopalanthe

Schltr

Pronunciation:

ro-pal-AN-thee
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae

Species in the Section Rhopalanthe are closely related to Aporum. The Section Crumenata Pfitzer is synonymous. Section Rhopalanthe is in the Subgenus Rhopalobium, which has plants with leaves on a sheathing base and pseudobulbs or stems which are fleshy for 1 to 3 internodes only. Species are mostly lowland, below 500 meters. They can grow from coastal regions to higher altitudes sometimes on cultivated trees and coconut plantations. Stems are long and slender above the basal nodes. Plants in this Section are separated from Section Aporum by having a few basal nodes that are swollen, whereas Aporum has wiry, slender and always dry stems. Fleshy overlapping leaves occur along the length of the stems. Many species have aerial growths and form dense, tangled plants. The inflorescences produce single, 3-lobed flowers along the stems which usually last less than a day.

Derivation: The name probably means a rod-like flower from rhopalo (rod-like) and anthos (flower).

Culture: This is a large group with varied growing conditions. The culture in the data below are averages. For growing data for specific species, literature, such as Reference 1 & 2, are highly recommended.

Species in this Section include: Den. aciculare, Den. angulatum, Den. aurantiflammeum, Den. cinnabarinum, Den. clavator, Den. confundens, Den. crumenatum, Den. cuneilabrum, Den. cymbulipes, Den. eboracense, Den. equitans, Den. exile, Den. faciferum, Den. hendersonii, Den. goldfinchii, Den. gracile, Den. junceum, Den. juncifolium, Den. lagarum, Den. inearifolium, Den. linguiforme, Den. litorale, Den. macfarlanei, Den. odoratum, Den. planibulbe, Den. peculiare, Den. plebejum, Den. philippinense, Den. puberilingue, Den. suaveolens, Den. setifolium, Den. tenellum, Den. tetraedre, Den. tricuspe, Den. truncatum, Den. ventricosum