Dendrobium wulaiense Howcroft 1981 SECTION Spatulata

Photo by Wolfgang H. Bandisch, Copyright © 1998, 1999 All rights reserved. And his Papua & New Guinea Orchid Species site

Flower Closeup Photo by © P.J. Cribb and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website<

Common Name Wulai Island White Orchid [PNG] - The Wulai Island Dendrobium [An island near Papua and New Guinea]

Flower Size 1 1/4" to 2 1/2" [3.5 to 6 cm]

A lithophyte on cliff faces overlooking the sea or an epiphyte on trees often overhanging beaches or the ocean, from Papua and New Guinea, where it can be found from sea level to about 500 meters as a giant sized, hot growing epiphyte, with erect, cane-like, basally swollen, maroon striped stems carrying 5 to 7, ovate to elliptic, leathery leaves that blooms on a 5 to 19" [12.5 to 47.5 cm] long, few to many [to 30] flowered inflorescence that arises from the nodes near the apex of the leafy mature cane carrying sweetly scented, fleshy, wide-opening flowers all held in the upper half.

A slight reduction of water and fertilizer should occur through the winter months and resumed only after the onset of new growth in the spring.

Synonyms Durabaculum wulaiense (Howcroft) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones, Orchadian 13: 489 (2002

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Antelope Dendrobiums Cribb 1985 photo fide/drawing fide; Lowland Orchids of of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Byrne 1994 drawing/photo fide; Orchid Species Culture; Dendrobium Bakers 1996; Orchids of Papua New Guinea Millar 1999 photo fide; Dendrobium and its Relatives Lavarack, Harris and Stocker 2000 photo fide; Flora Malesiana Orchids of New Guinea Vol II Shuiteman and de Vogel 2002; The Dendrobiums H. P. Wood 2006 photo fide

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