🇮🇩 Habitat and Ecology
Dendrobium viridiflorum (the Green-Flowered Dendrobium) is a medium-sized, epiphytic orchid native to the Maluku Islands to the Solomon Islands. It is found growing on trees in montane cloud forests at high elevations, typically between 1,500 and 2,000 metres. This species is adapted to a cool growing regime with high humidity, constant moisture, and bright, filtered light.
 
🌸 Description and Distinguishing Features
 
This orchid is a sympodial perennial that forms clusters of upright, cane-like stems.
* Pseudobulbs & Foliage: It produces slender, erect, cane-like pseudobulbs (stems) that are typically sheathed. The leaves are persistent, leathery, and narrowly ovate.
* Flowers: Flowers are produced singly or in pairs on short spikes that emerge from the nodes near the apex of the canes, typically blooming in winter and spring. The blooms are medium-sized (3-4 cm wide).
* Aesthetics: The flowers are noted for their unique colour: they are usually a uniform pale green, yellow-green, or chartreuse. The sepals and petals are narrow and spreading. The lip (labellum) is often slightly darker green or yellow. The flowers are fragrant, often having a light, citrusy scent.
* Ethnobotany: While no specific ethnobotanical uses are commonly recorded for D. viridiflorum, many Dendrobium species from this region are used in local traditions as ornamentals and occasionally for tonics due to the alkaloids and beneficial phytochemicals they contain.
 
💧 Cultivation and Care
Dendrobium viridiflorum is a cool-growing orchid that requires stable, cool nights to thrive and bloom.
* Light: Needs bright, filtered light. Ample light is necessary for flowering, but shield from harsh midday sun.
* Substrate: Use an open, coarse, and fast-draining epiphytic mix of orchid bark, charcoal, and perlite.
* Watering: Water regularly during the growing season (spring to autumn), allowing the medium to approach dryness between waterings. Reduce watering slightly in winter.
* Temperature:
* Optimal Daytime Temperature: 18-24 C (64-75 F).
* Optimal Nighttime Temperature: Cool nights are crucial to induce flowering, ideally 10-15 C (50-59 F).
* Humidity: High humidity (60-80%) and good air circulation are necessary.
 
✨ Unique Features
This orchid is prized by collectors for its rare, clear green-to-yellow flowers and its sweet, subtle fragrance. Its manageable size and requirement for cool growing conditions make it a distinct and elegant addition to a cool conservatory or specialized orchid collection.
 
🏷️ Specifications
Plant Size: Flowering sized divisions from our stock plant. 5+ canes.
Plant Family: Orchidaceae
Plant Passport: A Dendrobium viridiflorum B 140084 C [buyer to use number of the plant label] D GB