Dendrobium forbesii Ridl. 1886SECTION Latourea

Flower Closeup Photo courtesy of Danny Lentz, plant grown by Atlanta Botanical Garden

Side view of flower Photo courtesy of Joe Dougherty

Another Color Variation Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt, plant grown by Dan Newman of Hanging Gardens

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Common Name Forbes' Dendrobium [English Orchid collector 1800's]

Flower Size 1.2 to 2.8" [3 to 7 cm]

Found in Eastern Papua and New Guinea in mountain rainforests at 900 to 1500 meters in elevation in moist, mossy, open valleys as a medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with basally slender, clavate, orange stems carrying 2 apical, elliptic-oblong leaves that blooms on a 6 to 12" [15 to 30 cm] long, erect, inflorescence with long acuminate floral bracts that arises from between the leaves at the apex of a new growth with a few to many [7 to 20], fragrant flowers with the backs of the sepals and the ovaries covered with spines occuring in the summer till early winter. Slightly reduce water and fertilizer through the winter months and it is best put ina pot with a fast draining medium. Cited as a synonym of Dendrobium atroviolaceum but I will keep them separate at this time.

Synonyms Dendrobium ashworthiae O'Brien 1901; Dendrobium eustachyum Schltr. 1923; Latourea forbesii [Ridl.] Breiger 1981; Latourorchis forbesii [Ridl.] Breiger 1981;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1912/85; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 7 1958 drawing as D ashwothiae; The Orchids of Papua New Guinea An Introduction Millar 1978 photo fide; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; Flora Malesiana Orchids of New Guinea Vol II Shuiteman and de Vogel 2002; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 1 2006 photo; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006

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