When I collected wild orchid Pholidata Imbricata in the Western Ghats near Kavadi Kere, an Orchid Leafless Dendrobium also known as Dendrobium Macrostachyum wild, which was growing among the bulbs of Pholidata also landed in my pots.
On one of my peering sessions at the orchid plants revealed this beautiful delicate single flower on a leafless long cane. I was exhilarated! I had no words to explain the simple beauty of this golden yellow flower. The flower was an inch wide and the texture of the lip was furry.
The leaves of the plant are just sprouting on the bare spike.
The other varieties of Leafless Dendrobiums are Dendrobium Pierardii, Dendrobium Cucullatum, Dendrobium Madrasense, Dendrobium Primilinum, Limodorum Aphyllum, Callista Aphylla. These orchids are common in India, China, Himalaya, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia. It is an epiphyte with thin pendulous stems known as cane and blooms on the nodes when all the leaves have dropped.
In the wild these varieties are found on trees in Western Ghats of India. The roots of this plant needs a lot of moisture and hence are found embedded along with other tubular orchids and moss to ensure proper moisture to the roots. I have padded the plant with rocks and moss to give them the same feeling of living in the wild.
New leaves grow on the leafless cane as the flowers drop off. They bloom continuously every year. The plants grow to a height of 2 to 3 feet and the clump looks great swaying to the gentle breeze on the tree. Blooming time is from April to June.
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This one is Dendrobium macrostachyum. Better to keep it hanging with some moss or coconut husk tied around it’s roots. Yours is a very good form. The usual forms have pink veins running on the lip. Where was this form collected from ?
Hi Prejith,
I cannot thank you enough. But Dr.Anand Rao has mentioned in his book on Orchids, that this orchid is also known as Leafless Dendrobium. Please let me know if you think otherwise.
I collected this in a farm house near Kavadi Kere, Sirsi Taluk, Karnataka.
Regards,
Shantha
Leafless dendrobium would be the common name and Dendrobium macrostachyum would be the botanical name. It is one of the most common dendrobiums in the lowlands of Kerala and is also found in the highlands upto 800 meters.