🌏 Habitat and Ecology
​This orchid is an artificial primary hybrid, created horticulturaly by crossing two distinct species of Dendrobium native to Southeast Asia and Southern China.
​To understand its ecological needs, we look to its parents:
​Dendrobium ellipsophyllum: A widespread species found from Myanmar to Vietnam and Southern China, inhabiting lowland evergreen forests and primary montane forests at elevations from 300 to 1,300 metres.
​Dendrobium sinense: A warm-growing species endemic to Hainan island, China, found in primary forests at lower elevations between 500 and 800 metres.
​The resulting hybrid combines these genetics, creating a plant well-suited to warm-to-intermediate tropical conditions, mimicking the seasonally wet forest canopies of its ancestry.
​🌸 Description and Distinguishing Features
​This hybrid is a compact, epiphytic orchid that blends the distinct morphological features of its two parents from different sections of the genus (Distichophyllae and Formosae), making it a highly desirable collector's plant.
​Habit: The plant produces slender, cane-like stems that tend to be arching or semi-pendulous, rather than strictly erect. It typically typically inherits the short, black hairs (nigrohirsute) on its canes and leaf sheaths, a characteristic trait of the D. sinense parent.
​Foliage: The leaves are arranged oppositely along the stem (distichous). They are generally leathery (coriaceous) and elliptic in shape.
​Flowers: The blooms arise from the upper nodes of the canes. While hybrids vary, this cross generally produces flowers with tepals ranging from creamy-white to pale greenish-yellow. The defining feature is the lip (labellum), which is intricately marked with bold, dark red to maroon veins and blotches—a dominant trait from D. ellipsophyllum—contrasting sharply with the lighter petals.
​Fragrance: Both parents are highly aromatic. D. ellipsophyllum scents of honey/beeswax, while D. sinense has a fresh citrus fragrance. The hybrid is typically strongly fragrant, offering a complex, pleasing blend of these notes.
​🔬 Taxonomy and Ethnobotany
​Taxonomy: This is a horticultural primary hybrid, scientifically denoted as Dendrobium ellipsophyllum × Dendrobium sinense. It represents an intrageneric cross between Section Distichophyllae and Section Formosae (the black-haired Dendrobiums).
​Ethnobotany: As a modern horticultural creation, this specific hybrid has no traditional uses, though its parent species have long histories of botanical appreciation in their native Asian ranges.
​💧 Cultivation and Care
​This hybrid is generally robust and adaptable, suitable for intermediate to warm orchid growing areas. Its semi-pendulous habit makes it ideal for baskets or mounts.
​Light: Requires bright, filtered light (similar to Cattleya levels). Insufficient light will result in weak canes and failure to flower.
​Substrate: Due to its arching canes and epiphytic nature, it often displays best when mounted on cork or tree fern, or grown in a hanging basket with a highly aerated mix (e.g., medium-grade bark and perlite). It dislikes soggy, compacted roots.
​Watering: It originates from monsoon climates. Water copiously during the active growing season (spring and summer), allowing the roots to approach dryness between waterings.
​Seasonal Pattern: In winter, growth slows. Reduce watering significantly during this cooler period—providing just enough to prevent the canes from shrivelling—to induce flowering.
​Temperature: It is a warm-to-intermediate grower that benefits from a day/night temperature differential.
​Daytime: 22-28 C (72-82 F).
​Night time: 15-20 C (59-68 F).
​Humidity: High humidity (ideally 60-80%) with good air movement is important for healthy growth.
​✨ Unique Features
​The defining characteristic of this hybrid is the aesthetic balance it achieves. It combines the pristine cream/white background and black-haired canes of the Formosae section with the dramatic, intricate red lip markings and distinct honey-scent notes of D. ellipsophyllum, all on a plant of manageable size.
​🏷️ Specifications
​Plant Size: (user input)
Plant Family: Orchidaceae
Plant Passport: A Dendrobium hybrid B 140084 C [buyer to use number of the plant label] D GB