Dendrobium bowmanii

Dendrobium bowmanii, commonly known as the straggly pencil orchid,[2] is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has thin wiry, straggly stems with a small number of small leaves and up to four greenish or brownish flowers with a conspicuous white labellum. It grows in drier rainforests and coastal scrub in New South Wales, southern Queensland and New Caledonia.

Straggly pencil orchid
Illustration by Lewis Roberts
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Dendrobieae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae
Genus: Dendrobium
Species:
D. bowmanii
Binomial name
Dendrobium bowmanii
Synonyms[1]

Description

Dendrobium bowmanii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb that has thin, wiry, straggly, spreading or pendent stems up to 600 mm (20 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide with a few branches. The leaves are cylindrical, dark green, 50–150 mm (2–6 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. The flowering stems are 20–80 mm (0.8–3 in) long and bear between up to four greenish yellow to pale brown flowers 16–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long and 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) wide with a few reddish streaks. The sepals and petals spread apart from each other, the sepals 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide, the petals a similar length but narrower. The labellum is white, about 20 mm (0.8 in) long and 6 mm (0.2 in) wide with three lobes. The side lobes are erect and the middle lobe turns downward and has wavy edges and three ridges along the midline. Flowering occurs throughout the year with flushes from August to November and February to June.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Dendrobium bowmanii was first formally described in 1873 by George Bentham and the description was published in Flora Australiensis.[5][6] The specific epithet (bowmanii) is apparently a reference to Edward Macarthur Bowman who collected the type material.[6][7]

Distribution and habitat

The straggly pencil orchid grows in drier rainforests and in coastal scrub between the Forty Mile Scrub National Park in Queensland and the Clarence River in New South Wales. It is also widespread in New Caledonia.[2][3][8] It also has, in rare cases, been recorded hybridising with the cucumber orchid (Dendrobium cucumerinum) where they grow together.[9]

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References
  1. "Dendrobium bowmanii". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 392. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Weston, Peter H. "Dendrobium bowmanii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  4. "Dockrillia bowmanii". Trin keys: Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  5. Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1873). Flora Australiensis (Volume 6). London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 286. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  6. "Dendrobium bowmanii". APNI. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  7. "Bowman, Edward Macarthur (1826–1872)". Australian National Botanic Garden. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  8. "Dendrobium bowmanii". Fauna and Flora of New Caledonia. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. Weston, Peter H. "Dendrobium cucumerinum". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
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