Dendrobium mirbelianum Gaudich. 1829 SECTION Spatulata Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids, Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved

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Common Name Mangrove Orchid [Australia] - Mirbel's Dendrobium [French Botanist 1800's] - The Dark-Stemmed Antler Orchid

Flower Size to 2 1/4 " [to 5.5 cm]

Found from Queensland Australia , Solomon Islands and Papua and New Guinea as a medium to gigantic sized, hot growing epiphyte in coastal lowland forests and swamps, or lithophyte on exposed rock outcrops in savannah regions at elevations up of sea-level to 650 meters with high humidity and ample bright sunlight with basally swollen, cane-like and leafy above carrying many, oval to ovate, thick, leathery, dark green with purple stripes leaves thet blooms on a terminal or axillary, to 8 to 18" [20 to 45 cm] long, horizontal to gracefully arching, several to many [10 to 30] flowered inflorescence with waxy, glossy, heavy textured flowers arising on old or leafed mature canes occuring throughout the year and often more than once.

Synonyms Callista mirbelliana (Gaudich.) Kuntze 1891; Dendrobium aruanum Kranzlin 1910; Dendrobium buluense Schlechter 1912; Dendrobium buluense var. kauloense Schlechter 1912; Dendrobium giuliorietti Bailey 1883; Dendrobium giulianettii F.M. Bailey 1883; Dendrobium polycarpum Rchb.f 1883; Dendrobium prionochilum F. Muell. & Kraenzl. ex Kraenzl. 1894; Dendrobium rosenbergii Teijsm. & Binn. 1862; Dendrobium wilkianum Rupp 1941; Durabaculum mirbelianum (Gaudich.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 2002; Durabaculum prionochilum (F.Muell. & Kraenzl.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 2002

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1985; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; The Orchids of Papua New Guinea An Introduction Millar 1978 photos fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 1 1982 photo as D wilkianum; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 2 1982 photo; The Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991 photo fide; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; Orchid Australia Vol 12 No 1 2000 photo; Lindleyana Vol 17 No 1 2002; Flora Malesiana Orchids of New Guinea Vol II Shuiteman and de Vogel 2002; Australian Orchid Review Vol 70 No 6 2005/6 photo; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 as Durabaculum mirbelianum

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