Object Details
- Description
- A well-know Australian native, this small to medium sized orchid can be found from the coast to 150 miles inland. It is a tough orchid which can stand frost, snow, dry winds in the winter, and scorching heat in the summer. D. speciosum prefers to grow in leaf mold on rocks in the open forest or near the base of cliffs, but can also be found growing in trees. There are many varieties of this orchid with their own growing ranges and forms, which have been thoroughly studied by enthusiasts.
- Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
- December to April; peak in February and March
- Ethnobotanical Uses
- Aboriginal Australians have used the pseudobulbs of this orchid as food.
- Pollination Syndrome
- Bee (Apis mellifera, Homalictus brisbanensis, Hylaeus disjuntus, Trigona carbonaria)
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Accession Number
- 2019-0002A
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Life Form
- Lithophytic
- Bloom Characteristics
- Erect or pendant inflorescence is 4-24" (10-30.5 cm) long and can have up to 100 waxy, white flowers which do not open fully. Flowers are 3" (7.6 cm) across and long-lasting.
- Foliage Characteristics
- Leaves are flat, oblong, deep green, 2-10" (5-25.5 cm) long, and can last 10 years.
- Fragrance
- Hyacinth (when in full sun)
- Range
- E to SE Australia
- Habitat
- Rocks at the base of cliffs, open forests; 0-3000ft (0-900m)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
- Common Name
- King Orchid
- Rock Lily
- Sydney Rock Orchid
- The Outstanding Dendrobium
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Lilianae
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Subfamily
- Epidendroideae
- Genus
- Dendrobium
- Species
- speciosum
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Topic
- Orchids
- Living Collections
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2019-0002A
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ax782d9b705-7796-4f5e-bb5e-b53898b785ae
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