Wrong orchid? Need ID help!

[OrchidAddict]

Hey friends! I ordered a Phalaenopsis parishii from a company I've ordered from many times before. I've always been happy with their service, and I've never had an order get mixed up. Well, now I'm really scratching my head. The plant below is what was tagged as Phalaenopsis parishii.



By the way, I know it looks way over-potted, but trust me... this thing had so many roots I could barely squish it into THIS pot. I'd never get it into a smaller one.

Anyway, the company tags all of their orchids when they are seedlings... each plant has a tag with a code tied securely to the base of it. The code corresponds with a specific plant on their website. When it first arrived, the first thing I did was check the code, which DID correspond to the website's code for Phal parishii. But... call me crazy... this looks NOTHING like a Phal to me.

Is there something I'm missing here? (Besides the parishii I ordered)?

To me, this appears to be in the Dendrobium family. It has no black fuzz, so it's not a formosae dend. Anyone got any guesses? Whatever this thing is, it's very happy and already has a decent-sized keiki on it (look on the table right in front of the pot... the baby is sitting there.)

Anyway, I'd love to know what plant this is... or even what family it's in. Any guesses are most welcome! If it IS a Dendrobium, then I'm absolutely floored by the amount of roots on this plant; I've never seen a dend this size with such a massive amount of roots.

Thoughts? I'm stumped over here. But if this is truly Phal parishii, I'll eat my hat.

[Ron-NY]

It is probably a Dend parishii, unless they messed up more than the genus name.

[OrchidAddict]

It is probably a Dend parishii, unless they messed up more than the genus name.

Oh... DUH.

I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks, Ron, for pointing out the obvious!! I feel really stupid now... especially since I had planned on acquiring a Dendrobium parishii at some point anyway... it's not like it wasn't on my radar. It's amazing how sometimes we miss the most obvious answer!



Well, it appears I have a very happy Dendrobium parishii. With a baby. That's terrific!!

[Ron-NY]

your welcome Jenn!

[OrchidAddict]

Well, it occurred to me to go check the company's website to see if they have Dendrobium parishii listed for sale. They don't. And it's not listed in their downloadable catalog either. So now I'm really confused. If it's not a Dendrobium parishii, then what is it?? I may just have to wait until it blooms...

I also got a free plant from them that came with a mystery number too... the number doesn't correspond to anything in their catalog. I wonder if they're under new management... it's not like them to mess up an order. Aaargh!!!

[Ron-NY]

Send them a note, along with the numbers and pictures of the plants. It could be Dendrobium anosmum for that was my first guess until I read your full post. Dend parishii is normally shorter canes

[Orquiadicto]

I'd send the vendor a picture and ask them what it is.

[jh3699]

Well, just to add my two cents and already something thats been established, that has got to be a dendrobium... and you got a keiki on it to boot!

[Ron-NY]

safe to say it is a Dendrobium in the Section Dendrobium. anosmum, pulchellum, parishii, ect
Jenn, contact them you should get what you ordered and they should let you keep this for your troubles.

[OrchidAddict]

safe to say it is a Dendrobium in the Section Dendrobium. anosmum, pulchellum, parishii, ect
Jenn, contact them you should get what you ordered and they should let you keep this for your troubles.

Thanks, Ron! I've already sent them an email... I had to go through a form on the website so I couldn't attach photos... I'm hoping they get back to my personal email so I can send pictures. I searched for anosmum and pulchellum on their site and struck out with both of those, too.

Then I went and just scrolled through their Dendrobium listings to see what it could be. The likeliest candidate seems to be Dendrobium lampongense. The other ones are all Phalaenopsis-type or miniatures. There IS one that's listed as "Dendrobium Nobile x Mary Caine," but they only have those in seedling size, and the lampongense they have in blooming size.

I wish I knew more about Dendrobiums... I'm not as knowledgeable about Dendrobiums as I am about other varieties... but I do have a massive soft spot for the formosae dends. I've been slowly collecting them in-between the Phals I'm collecting for breeding purposes and the Catts I buy on impulse.

Anyway, what are your thoughts... does this look like it could be lampongense to you? If it's not, than I have no CLUE what it is. Gosh, it's fun playing "Pin the tag on the orchid!" (heavy sarcasm implied)