Dendrobium aemulum R.Br.

Ironbark orchid (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Dendrobium

Characteristics

Pseudobulbs mainly projecting, 50–180 × 7–12 mm, dumpy or squat, oblong, straight, hard, reddish or purplish brown. Leaves 2–4, 20–50 × 20–30 mm, thick, leathery, dark green, apex blunt to bluntly pointed. Racemes 30–60 mm long, 2–7-flowered. Flowers 17–20 × 20–25 mm, crystalline white, sometimes ageing pinkish. Sepals and petals narrow, widely spreading, drooping with age. Dorsal sepal 18–25 × 2.5–3 mm. Lateral sepals 16–22 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 18–25 × 1 mm. Labellum 6–7 × 5–6 mm, white with purplish markings; lateral lobes erect, pointed; midlobe decurved, acutely pointed, with prominent convolute yellow ridge.
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Pseudobulbs mainly appressed to host, 30–120 × 4–6 mm, cylindrical, straight, dark reddish green. Leaves 1–2, 30–90 × 15–30 mm, moderately thick, leathery, dark green, broadest below middle and tapered to long point. Racemes 30–50 mm long, 2–7-flowered. Flowers 17–22 × 16–22 mm, opening pale greenish cream, ageing to cream. Sepals and petals narrow, widely spreading. Dorsal sepal 15–20 × 2.5–3 mm. Lateral sepals 14–18 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 14–17 × 1–1.3 mm. Labellum 6–7 × 6.5–7 mm, cream with purplish markings; lateral lobes erect, pointed; midlobe decurved, pointed, with prominent convolute yellow ridge.
Pseudobulbs mainly projecting from host, 30–100 × 4–8 mm, cylindrical, straight, hard, dark greenish brown. Leaves 1–3, 30–50 × 15–25 mm, thick-textured, leathery, dark green, blunt. Racemes 30–50 mm long, 3–8-flowered. Flowers 30–45 × 20–30 mm, white. Sepals and petals narrow, thin-textured, widely spreading. Dorsal sepal 15–22 × 2.5–3.5 mm. Lateral sepals 15–20 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 17–25 × 1–1.5 mm. Labellum 5–6 × 6–7 mm, white with purple markings, upper surface densely papillate; lateral lobes erect, pointed; midlobe decurved, blunt to truncate, with prominent convolute yellowish green ridge.
Pseudobulbs mainly projecting from host, 40–180 × 3–5 mm, narrowly cylindrical, straight, dark reddish brown. Leaves 1–2, 40–60 × 15–22 mm, thin textured, dark green, pointed. Racemes 40–80 mm long, 5–10-flowered. Flowers 32–45 × 25–38 mm, white. Sepals and petals narrow, widely spreading, thin-textured. Dorsal sepal 19–30 × 2.5–3.5 mm. Lateral sepals 20–25 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 20–30 × 1–1.5 mm. Labellum 5–6 × 7–7.5 mm, white with some purple markings, upper surface papillate; lateral lobes erect, incurved close to column, purple; midlobe decurved, with prominent convolute yellow ridge.
Pseudobulbs mainly appressed to host, 50–200 × 4–8 mm, cylindrical, straight, dark reddish green, radiating in circle like spokes of a wheel. Leaves 1–3, 20–50 × 10–25 mm, moderately thick, leathery, dark green. Racemes 30–100 mm long, 5–11-flowered. Flowers 27–42 × 25–40 mm, crystalline white. Sepals and petals narrow, widely spreading. Dorsal sepal 20–33 × 2.5–3 mm. Lateral sepals 17–30 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 17–33 × 1–2 mm. Labellum 6–7 × 6–7 mm, cream to white with purplish markings; lateral lobes erect, pointed; midlobe decurved, apex truncate, with prominent convolute yellow ridge.
Pseudobulbs mainly projecting from host, 30–120 × 5–8 mm, cylindrical, straight, dark reddish brown. Leaves 1–3, 30–60 × 15–30 mm, moderately thick, leathery, dark green, often with red margins and often purplish beneath. Racemes 30–65 mm long, 3–10-flowered. Flowers 22–32 × 20–30 mm, white. Sepals and petals narrow, widely spreading. Dorsal sepal 16–22 × 2.5–3 mm. Lateral sepals 15–20 × 2.5–3 mm. Petals 15–22 × 1–1.5 mm. Labellum 6–7 × 5.5–6 mm, white with purplish markings; lateral lobes erect, pointed; midlobe decurved, pointed, with prominent convolute yellow ridge.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support epiphyte
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Environment

Widespread and common on slopes and ridges in open forest, extending from the coast to adjacent hinterland ranges and some ranges further inland. Found growing mainly on the upper trunks and larger branches of iron-barked species of Eucalyptus (E. crebra, E. siderophloia, E. paniculata, E. tricarpa). Mainly seen growing on large old trees.
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Of restricted distribution, but locally common on large old trees of Forest Oak in moist areas of open forest; occurs less commonly on Black Wattle (Callicoma serratifolia). Grows on the trunks and larger branches of trees.
Locally common; found growing in moist to wet rainforest on a range of host trees. It also occurs in other moist to wet forests and sheltered gullies, sometimes on rocks, often in very shady locations.
Of restricted distribution, but locally common on large, old trees of Forest Oak in moist areas of open forest. It grows on the upper trunks and larger branches of trees in shady locations. 
Locally common; found growing on a range of host trees, particularly Narrow-leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus drepanophylla), on slopes, ridges and gullies in humid open forest.
Locally common on the scaly basal bark of Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus) in moist to wet forest, especially on slopes above gullies and streams in ranges.
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-11

Usage

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Cultivation

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Images

Dendrobium aemulum unspecified picture

Distribution

Dendrobium aemulum world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:626748-1
WFO ID wfo-0000938334
COL ID 34MFD
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 671294
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Tropilis odontochila Callista aemula Dendrobium odontochilum Dendrobium aemulum Dendrocoryne aemulum Tropilis emulum Dendrobium aemulum var. aemulum Tropilis aemulum