Dendrobium densiflorum
The photographs show the species flowering in our greenhouse and flowering in habitat in Sikkim, India.
As you can see this is a very grand orchid with dense spikes of golden yellow flowers with a darker lip. This is possibly the largest orchid species in our collection (the plant in the greenhouse is over a metre across) but it is well worth the space.
In Sikkim we have found the species growing at around 1000m where it lives as an epiphyte generally in tall semi-evergreen trees with little moss. The high end of its range overlaps the lower end of Dendrobium nobile’s range and we have seen both species flowering together in late spring just as they do in our greenhouse,
We grow out plants mounted with heavy watering in the summer.
The natural habitat of the species is a little warmer than that of most of our orchids in our cloud forests greenhouse (min 12C), and a lot warmer than our Himalayan greenhouse (min 7C) (Our Cymbidiums and Coelogynes live at least 1000m higher up than Dendrobium densiflorum in the Sikkim forests) So to provide ideal conditions for Dendrobium densiflorum we hang our plant high in the roof of the greenhouse where it clearly enjoys the extra warmth and light.
In its habitat the summers are warm and wet and the winters cooler and dryer but not to dry as shown by the moss on its host tree.
Plants are very long lived and flower from older pseudobulbs so patience is required to grow a specimen – but it is well worth it as shown by the lovely specimen in the forests of Sikkim and in our greenhouse.