Den. Sec. Dendrocoryne

Lindl

Pronunciation:

den-DRO-cor-nee
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae

Some of the plants in this section are among the most cultivated in Australia, and throughout the world. Dendrobium kingianum is my personal favorite of all the orchids. It is an attractive, neat plant, which produces an array of beautiful, long lasting, fragrant flowers in colors of white, white with colored lip, pale yellow, and splash, and plain petal flowers in shades of mauve, pink, and purple.

Notes on culture:
In Australia plants from this section are frequently grown in saucers. I use a plastic, azalea type pot, and a bark mix consisting of seven parts of 50/50 medium and fine fir bark, to which is added one part each of charcoal, coarse perlite, chunky peat, and, if available, medium tree fern.

I try to keep the plants tight in the pot, and this may require potting up every year. When potting up, I do not disturb the roots any more than necessary. If repotting is needed this is done after flowering, and before new growth starts. These are neat plants and need very little grooming. Like all dendrobiums these will form keikis, and this is variable and is a function of genetics and has little if anything to do with culture. The current year's keikis should be left on the plant as they will contribute to flower production. After flowering, however, all keikis should be removed as keikis will form keikis and the keikis will form keikis and eventually there will be a veritable weed patch. At the time of removal there should be adequate roots so that the keikis may be potted up, and they are interesting in that most will produce a new growth, perhaps another keiki, and the following season all may flower, i.e. the original keiki, the new growth, and the new keiki. Some keikis, however, remain small and are slow to develop roots, those from 'Karl Marx', for example, and when removed behave like seedlings out of flask and may need 3-5 years before flowering. A few inflorescences will start out in the normal way, but will develop a bulbous base like a new growth, and develop roots, but flower without any leaves forming. Some, but not all of these can be removed and potted up like keikis and will put out new growth.

Number of species:

Species in this Section include: Dendrobium adae, D. aemulum, D. callitopophyllum, D. falcorostrum, D. finniganense, D. fleckeri, D. gracilicaoule, D. jonesii, D. kingianum, D. moorei, D. speciosum 11. For Discussion: Dendrobium kingianum Bidwill, Dendrobium jonesii Rendle, The Natural Hybrid-Dendrobium x delicatum F.M.Bail