🇲🇲 Habitat and Ecology
Dendrobium pendulum (historically well-known as Dendrobium crassinode) is a distinctive epiphytic orchid native to the Himalayan region and Indochina. Its range spans Northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China (Yunnan).
It thrives in montane deciduous forests at elevations typically between 1,000 and 1,600 metres. In this habitat, it experiences a classic monsoon climate: a warm, drenched summer followed by a cool, prolonged, and bright dry season in winter. It is usually found growing on the branches of deciduous trees, where it receives increased sunlight in winter after the host tree sheds its leaves.
🌸 Description and Distinguishing Features
This orchid is a sympodial, deciduous perennial belonging to the Section Dendrobium (Nobile type). It is immediately recognizable even when not in bloom due to its unique cane structure.
Canes (Pseudobulbs): The stems are pendulous (hanging down), reaching 30-60 cm in length. The defining feature is the swollen, knot-like internodes: the canes are constricted at the nodes and swollen in the middle of each segment, giving them the appearance of a string of beads, a rosary, or a pile of bones.
Foliage: The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, and deciduous. They turn yellow and drop off in autumn, leaving the strange, knobby canes bare for the winter blooming season.
Flowers: The flowers emerge in clusters of 1 to 3 from the nodes of the leafless canes in late winter or early spring.
Aesthetics: The blooms are 5-6 cm wide and have a waxy texture. They are typically white, with bright purple or amethyst tips on the petals and sepals. The lip is broad, white with a purple tip, and features a prominent golden-yellow throat surrounded by a white halo. They are sweetly fragrant, often described as smelling like vanilla or primrose.
🔬 Taxonomy and Ethnobotany
Taxonomy: The specific epithet pendulum refers to its hanging growth habit. For a long time, it was known as Dendrobium crassinode (meaning "thick node"), which descriptively fits the plant perfectly, but D. pendulum is the older, accepted name.
Ethnobotany:
Medicinal Use: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), several Dendrobium species (collectively Shi-hu) are used as tonics to nourish the stomach and generate body fluids. While D. nobile is the primary source, D. pendulum is often harvested and used interchangeably in local folk medicine in Yunnan and Indochina for similar restorative purposes.
Horticulture: It was heavily collected in the Victorian era (introduced by Benson in 1867) for its bizarre "beaded" stems and is a parent to many Nobile-type hybrids, passing on its node shape and purple-tipped colouration.
💧 Cultivation and Care
Dendrobium pendulum is a classic "winter rest" species. It must have a dry, cool winter to bloom; otherwise, it will produce "keikis" (baby plants) instead of flowers.
Light: Requires bright, filtered light. During the winter rest (when leaves have fallen), it can tolerate (and benefits from) nearly full sun to ripen the canes.
Substrate: Because of its strictly pendulous habit, it is best grown mounted on cork bark, tree fern, or in a hanging basket. Growing it upright in a pot is difficult and looks unnatural.
Watering (Growth Season): In spring and summer, water copiously and frequently. The plant needs to store massive amounts of energy in its "beaded" canes.
Watering (Winter Rest): Once leaves yellow in late autumn, stop watering. For 2-3 months in winter, provide no water (or very light misting only if canes shrivel severely). Resume heavy watering only when flower buds are clearly visible and protruding.
Temperature:
Summer: Warm, 25-32 C (77-86 F).
Winter: Cool nights are essential. Aim for 8-12 C (46-54 F).
✨ Unique Features
The "string of beads" morphology of the canes is unique. Unlike the smooth cylinders of D. nobile or the club shapes of D. thyrsiflorum, D. pendulum looks like a knotted rope or a series of connected joints, making it visually interesting even when the plant is completely dormant and leafless.
🏷️ Specifications
Plant Size: Recently deflasked and maturing.
Plant Family: Orchidaceae
Plant Passport: A Dendrobium pendulum B 140084 C [buyer to use number of the plant label] D GB
