Den. Sec. Distichophyllum

Hooker f.

Pronunciation:

di-stik-o-PHIL-lum
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae

This is a section of dendrobiums that are related to the Genus Grastidium. Most of the plants occur in low to moderate altitudes in areas of year-around rainfall. The plants usually have long, slender stems with leaves in two ranks along the length of the stem. Flowers are small and are single or in pairs from the leaf axils. Flowers have a prominent mentum with a three-lobed lip and reflexed petals and sepals.

Den. piranha is the largest flowered member of the section. Named for its sinister-looking flowers which look like an Amazonian piranha fish with its jaws open and calli that looks like sharply pointed teeth.

These species are wide spread throughout Southeast Asia and Borneo. The data in the culture table below are averages. For growing data for specific species, literature, such as Reference 1 & 2, are recommended. For example, most of these species are grown warm to intermediate, however, Den. lamrianum is from montane rainforests on Mt. Kinabalu and should be grown cool with moist, good air flow. Derivation: The leaves are aligned in two rows or "distichous".

Number of species:

Section has approx. 35 species, including: Den. austrocaledonicum, Den. bifarium, Den. connatum, Den. corrugatilobum, Den. deltatum, Den. ellipsophyllum, Den. hosei, Den. lamrianum, Den. maraiparense, Den. melanostictum, Den. metachilinum, Den. nutans, Den. oligophyllum, Den. olivaceum, Den. pahangense, Den. pandaneti, Den. piranha, Den. rupicola, Den. sandsii, Den. striatiflorum, Den. trigonellodorum, Den. uniflorum