Dendrobium bellatulum Rolfe 1903 SECTION Formosae Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

Another Angle Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids, Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved

Specimen plant Photo by Erik Vallee.

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Common Name The Enchanting Dendrobium - In China Ai Shi Hu

Flower Size 1 to 1 1/2" [2.5 to 4.5 cm]

Found in the Himalayas, South China, Thailand and Vietnam in primary montane forests at altitudes of 700-2100 meters, this miniature species is a cool to hot growing epiphyte with tufted, very short, ovoid to fusiform, longitudinally rugose-costate stems carrying 2 to 4, ligualte to narrowly elliptic, leathery leaves covered in black hairs that blooms most often in the spring with an axillary, very short, racemose, few [3 to 5] flowered inflorescence arising on leafy stems, that have fragrant, longlasting flowers held close to the pseudobulb. It needs a drier winter rest from watering and fertilizer starting in November and ending with blooming in March. This species does best mounted as it needs to fully dry out between waterings.

Synonyms Dendrobium bellatulum var. cleistogamia Pradhan 1979

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970 photo; Beautiful Thai Orchid Species Kamemoto & Sagarik 1975 photo fide;AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 7 1983 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 8 1984 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 57 No 2 1988 photo; Schlechteriana Vol 2 No 4 1991 photo; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; Native Orchids of China in Colour Singchi, Zhanhuo and Yibo 1999 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 68 No 5 2003 photo; Wild Orchids in Myanamar Vol 1 Tanaka 2003; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 3 2004; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007; A Field Guide to the Orchids of China Singchi, Zhongjian, Yibo, Xiaohua and Zhanhuo 2009 photo fide; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009; Flora of China Vol 25 Illustrations Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2010 drawing ok; The Wild Orchids in Yunnan Xu Xiang Ye & Liu 2010 photos fide;

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