Den. Sec. Formosae

Bentham and Hooker

Pronunciation:

for-mow-SAY
Tribe: Dendrobieae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae

The sectional name Formosae was proposed by Bentham and Hooker and refers to the beautiful flowers. This section is also known as Nigrohirsutae and this name refers to the black hairs that are found on the leaf sheaths of a number of the species. Some of the most spectacular of all orchid species are members of this section. The flowers are generally large, usually white with various colors in the labellum, but recently a number of green flowered species have made their way into cultivation. In spite of the thin texture of the blooms they are usually long lasting. Commonly seen species are Dendrobium bellatulum, Den. dearei, Den. formosum, Den. infundibulum and Den. sanderae.

Number of species:

Approximately 30 species that include: Den. formosum, Den. infundibulum, Den. cruentum, Den. trigonopus, Den. bellatulum, Den. christyanum (syn. Den. margaritaceum), Den. dearei, Den. sanderae, Den. schuetzei, and Den. spectatissimum.