Overall Length Of Growth Cane: at least 30 cm and up to 90 cm
Number Of Leaves Per Growth Or Cane: carrying up to 35 leaves per growth
Leaf Length: 11.25
Leaf Width: 3.75
Leaf Margin: smooth overall, dark green
Leaf Shape: broadly lanceolate, goes deciduous from the base up over the course of 2 to 3 growing seasons
Leaf Petiole Length: very short and almost disappears as the leaf widens immediately
Pseudobulb Length: 90 cm
Pseudobulb Width: 1.25
Pseudobulb Margin: elongated, fusiform, grooved longitudinally, purple marked with sheaths that do not fully cover the cane
Pseudobulb Distance: closely spaced, 1.25 cm
Pseudobulb Root Tip: green
Inflorescence Overall Length: 2.5-3.75 cm overall
Inflorescence Arrangement: 3 to 5 short, racemose, many flowered to 50 per inflorescence per growth
Inflorescence Dist Base To Bud: .25 cm they start almost immediately and cover the whole inflorescence
Inflorescence Dist Bet Flowers: very close like 1 mm, very densely packed
Inflorescence Dist To Sepal: 1.25 cm
Floral Bracts Length: triangular to 2 cm
Floral Bracts Width: .5 cm
Ovary Length: .625 cm
Ovary Width: 1-2 mm
Ovary Shape: slightly larger than the stem
Ovary Color: pink, darker than the flower
Ovary Texture: smooth with small grooves
Flower Natural Spread Length: 1.0 cm
Flower Natural Spread Width: 1.1 cm
Dorsal Sepal Length: .8 cm
Dorsal Sepal Width: .6 cm
Lateral Sepals Length: .7 cm
Lateral Sepals Width: .45 cm
Petals Length: 1.6 cm
Petals Width: .7 cm
Judging Center: St Paul Minnesota
Award Number: 20202562
Award Date: January 25, 2020
Awarded As: Dendrobium rutriferum
Purchased from Andy's orchids, labeled as Dendrobium erosum, I grew it for several years before entering it into a show and at that point decided to cross reference the identification to ensure it was correct since it is a relatively obscure dendro. I noticed that the descriptions I could find for D. erosum did not match my plant. The flower descriptions are quite similar but the plant shapes are very different. I discovered a website, orchidsnewguinea.com, a database of orchid descriptions from over 142 genre native to Papua New Guinea, and I found the photo, description, and for the first time the name Dendrobium rutriferum. I believe the description is a reprint from Lindenia which also has an illustration of the plant. Dendrobium erosum is described as a slender plant with thin bamboo like leaves and sheaths that cover the stems unlike rutriferum, which has fusiform shaped bulbs, broadly lanceolate leaves, and sheaths that do not fully cover the stem. I believe these are the major distinctions between the 2 plants.
Thanks
