Need ID on Dendrobium

[OrchidAddict]

Hey friends! I have a love of Dendrobiums, but I very rarely get to see them blooming in person here in the North, and it seems like every time I order them online, I'm disappointed with them. The canes are usually very tall and spindly, and then when the flowers bloom, they are much smaller than I expected.

Then I happened to stop by my local garden center and was blown away when I saw this:



To me, this is perfection, and it took my breath away. I snatched it right up and it is now occupying a place of honor on my piano.

The problem is that it's obviously a NOID hybrid, so I have no idea where to find another one like this. I'm not looking for an exact ID on this particular plant, because I know that's impossible (the tag just said "Dendrobium!") But I want more like it, because this is what I'm always trying to achieve when I order a Dendrobium, but what arrives never looks like this.

So I'm hoping someone can tell me what type of hybrids/species Dendrobiums have the characteristics that I'm really looking for:

1. Relatively short, plump canes (the tallest on this one is 8".)
2. Large flowers with petals that seem to "reach up and out" from the rest of the flower (see closeup of flower below)



The flowers on this plant are 4" across horizontally, and nearly 5 and 1/2 inches diagonally. They are simply breathtaking. The bloom spike is about 15" long.

I have seen photos like this online of Dendrobiums, but when they arrive and bloom they are always severe disappointments: tall and spindly canes with small flowers. I have given most of them away.

Anyway, obviously the Dendrobium above is not a nobile variety. If someone could give me an idea of some popular hybrids or species plants that have the general form/look of the plant above, I would be extremely grateful. This is the first Dendrobium I've purchased that I absolutely LOVE, and it's a total mystery plant, which is frustrating. I want MORE!!

I'm happy with any color in a Dendrobium. It can be solid, two-tone, striped... whatever. I just want this SHAPE to the plant: short, stocky canes with large flowers.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm dreaming of a breathtaking Dendrobium display....

I can't wait to hear what you can come up with. Thanks, friends!

[coeruleo]

it's doing the 'jazz hands' dance.

[OrchidAddict]

it's doing the 'jazz hands' dance.

Well, in that case, I would like more "jazz hands" dends, please.
Is there a Dendrobium show choir that's looking for special engagements? Perhaps a Glee club? Of course, now I'm not going to be able to look at this plant without thinking "jazz hands!" every time I walk past it. I suppose it's appropriate that it's on top of my piano.

Okay... now I just need some more members for my Glee club...

Who knows where I can get more "jazz hands" dends? Anyone?

[angela]

Hi Jenn,

Great buy to start your collection of Dens. I believe this one is Den. Porntip. My plant came out of Thailand.. It is an Intermediate type Dendrobium. I have to tell you that the canes are not going to remain as short as they are now. There are not many Dens. that don't have long canes ( some longer than others) except for the mini Dens. and Compactum varieties.
These make up the largest part of my collection. I have all kinds, and I find them easiest to grow. (I am growing outdoors)
Good Luck.

[catttan]

Pretty. Very difficult to ID as there are many look-alikes and many of them are grown for the cut flower trade. As an oldie I would call this, a variety of Den Lim Chong Min or Lim Chong Min type. If you visit Singapore you will you will be greeted with a hordes of similar looking dendrobiums in the landscaping and decoration in and around the airport.

[Katherine]

Jen, I am quite sure it is a Dendrobium Phalaenopsis. Beyond that I can not say.

[OrchidAddict]

Hi Jenn,

Great buy to start your collection of Dens. I believe this one is Den. Porntip. My plant came out of Thailand.. It is an Intermediate type Dendrobium. I have to tell you that the canes are not going to remain as short as they are now. There are not many Dens. that don't have long canes ( some longer than others) except for the mini Dens. and Compactum varieties.
These make up the largest part of my collection. I have all kinds, and I find them easiest to grow. (I am growing outdoors)
Good Luck.

Thanks, Angela! It's okay with me if the canes get bigger; I just want them to stay nice and plump if they're going to get taller. It's the spindly little canes that look like sticks that bug me. (I'll try to take a pic of what my Den Nopporn Pink 'Pink Elephant' looks like at the moment... it's a good illustration of what I find really unattractive in a cane). I'll do a search for "intermediate" Dendrobiums from Thailand and see what turns up!

Pretty. Very difficult to ID as there are many look-alikes and many of them are grown for the cut flower trade. As an oldie I would call this, a variety of Den Lim Chong Min or Lim Chong Min type. If you visit Singapore you will you will be greeted with a hordes of similar looking dendrobiums in the landscaping and decoration in and around the airport.

Thanks, Yew! I did a search for Den Lim Chong Min and it does look rather similar in shape. I know this is difficult to ID... I was actually counting on the fact that there would be lots of look-alikes out there somewhere... I just need to know where to find those look-alikes! Perhaps I should do search for Singapore-type Dendrobiums and see what that turns up.

Jen, I am quite sure it is a Dendrobium Phalaenopsis. Beyond that I can not say.

Yep... it's a Dendrobium Phalaenopsis all right. Those are mostly what I buy (although I do have three nobiles at the moment and three formosae... the formosae seem to like me, but the jury's still out on the nobiles).

Oh, and thanks for sending me that link! I did look through that website you sent me a pm for. It had a lot of similar Dends to what I've already ordered and been disappointed with. I am having a difficult time finding the particular flower shape of the one above. Most Phalaenopsis Dends have skinnier flowers that aren't very tall, and the petals are narrower and pointier and reach at a more sideways angle rather than up. What amazes me about the shape of the Dendrobium I bought is that the flowers are quite tall as well as wide. It makes for a much more symmetrical flower. I love how the petals are reaching up so high as to almost create a perfect square if one were to draw a box around the flower.

Anyway, I think I'm going a bit off the rails here trying to explain what appeals to me so much about the shape of this particular flower. I just want to know where I can find the look-alikes! If these are so common in Singapore and Thailand, I would hope there are some American nurseries that carry these types of hybrids so I can get my hands on a couple more that have flower shapes like this one.

I just happened upon a Thai blog that had this flower as its welcome photo:


That's definitely the shape I'm looking for. Perhaps I should start looking for Thai hybrids in particular. If anyone knows where I can find Thai hybrids from an American grower, please pm me with the site! I'd love to get more like this!

[coeruleo]

wait... the flowers are 4"x5"???????? on a dendrobium????????? i've never seen a dendro that size? biggest i've seen in person was maybe a little over 2" flowers. i must admit i know nothing about them for them most part, i did try some very small mini ones once, but could not get them to flower, so i gave them all away to make room for phals. i do not have luck with the indoor/outdoor seasonal types, they always sulk and never grow very robustly for me and when they finally snap out of it it's time to go back inside, so i'd have to do outdoor only or indoor only dendros. how much light do you give this one (i don't really understand footcandles, but if you tell me what else is flowering near this one i can have an idea of light levels). they must need higher than phal light. like cattleya range to vandas? i do have one kingianum, and that one can handle a bit of sun, but i don't think this type needs that much light does it?

[Katherine]

Jenn, Check out Den/ Phal 'Sonia' Looks like a dead ringer

[maryv]

I have the exact same one just 2" across and diagonally. Its a real beauty alright.