Dendrobium mussauense Ormerod 1997 SECTION Spatulata Photos by Michel PG © and the Colnet Stamp Website
Inflorescence Photos by Dr Ed de Vogel © and the Orchids of New Guinea Website
Common Name or Meaning The Mussau Dendrobium [An Island in the Bismark Archipelago]
Flower Size 2 to 2.4" [5 to 6 cm]
Found in The Bismark Archipelago to the north of New Guinea close to the sea at low elevations as a large sized, hot growing, robust epiphyte or lithophyte with cane-like stems carrying 2 ranked, all along the stem, leathery leaves that blooms erect, to 15 flowered inflorescence.
Requires year round even watering, bright light to full sun and hotter temps, if caught in cool weather it is best to keep dry and needs a well draining coarse medium if put in a pot.
Related to D lineale but different and may be more widespread than thought. D mussauense has a lip basically the same shape as D lineale but this one has 4 higher ridges in the middle of the lip while D lineale has ridges that stay the same height fro one end to the other of the lip.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Dendrobium and its Relatives Lavarack, Harris and Stocker 2000 photo good;
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