Dendrobium dearei and the rains
For about two months now, not a week passes without some form of precipitation falling down on us. Even very sunny days are broken into episodes of drizzles which can escalate into a full-blown shower before the sun wins again, to be overwhelmed once more by rain. Sometimes both play at the same time on the stage, a precursor to rainbows that add color to an otherwise gray, humorless sky. But, I do not mind. Most of my plants are rainforest species, and I do not concern myself too much about the welfare of most of my succulents during these rainy days, except for a very few species that may need shelter once the rains fall practically non-stop for about 5 days or so.
I do not maintain as many orchids as I used to, but what I do have, I try quite hard to take care as much as I can. And because there are species orchids that sulk when their roots are on the dry side and thus require more watering from my part, the almost constant rains make maintenance easier while making the plants happier. As of this writing, I have a number of orchids that are either in bud or in flower, and things certainly become much more interesting when there are more rains than sunshine, especially now that the cool weather is upon us.
Dendrobium dearei is one of those orchids that are currently displaying their blooms. It is found almost all throughout the entire eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago, but reaches west into the island of Mindoro. J.J. Wood identified a plant from Borneo as this species. The late Peter O’Byrne suspects that the Bornean D. dearei may be polyploids due to the much taller stems with leaves to 18 cm long with pendulous inflorescences reaching to 25 cm (10 in) and bearing up to 26 flowers that have been described as smelling of “wet socks!” and which measure to 5 cm (2in) across with irregularly toothed margins of the midlobe. However, I find the differences to be too numerous to justify the application of the name Dendrobium dearei to the Bornean plants. But hey, what do I really know.
Dendrobium dearei, at least the Philippine plants, have upright to sub-horizontal pseudobulbous stems to almost a meter long with leaves from 5 to 8 cm long that persist for about 2 years before completely falling off. The root tips are dull orange. The short inflorescences are produced near the ends of the stems and bear from 3 to 18 flowers, and there can be more than one inflorescence on the same stem appearing at the same time. Large, well-grown plants, of course, bear the most flowers. These flowers are commonly 5 cm across, occasionally larger, and odorless. This species can bloom several times a year, usually beginning in May then continuing until January the next year. The flowers are long-lasting, and if not pollinated will stay in pristine condition for 2 months; plants cultivated in cooler conditions have flowers that last longer but the plants themselves grow much slower, with new growths necessitating 2 seasons to reach maturity. Because these plants flower from the recent growths, flower production is slower in cooler climes. If humidity is pretty high year round, then the plants can be attached on pieces of wood, otherwise, it is wise to have them potted.
These are strictly lowland plants, often found at altitudes around 200 meters, although I have seen at least one reference mentioning that in Agusan and Surigao provinces on Mindanao, D. dearei occurs sympatrically with D. schuetzei at altitudes to 910 m. I have no way of validating this, at least for now. Nevertheless, due to the fact that this species is found at high rainfall areas, particularly during the cooler months, the plants are responding extremely well with our current weather. The roots are healthier, the stems are fuller, and the leaf-munching pests are nowhere to be found (except on my begonias).
I do not maintain as many orchids as I used to, but what I do have, I try quite hard to take care as much as I can. And because there are species orchids that sulk when their roots are on the dry side and thus require more watering from my part, the almost constant rains make maintenance easier while making the plants happier. As of this writing, I have a number of orchids that are either in bud or in flower, and things certainly become much more interesting when there are more rains than sunshine, especially now that the cool weather is upon us.
Dendrobium dearei is one of those orchids that are currently displaying their blooms. It is found almost all throughout the entire eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago, but reaches west into the island of Mindoro. J.J. Wood identified a plant from Borneo as this species. The late Peter O’Byrne suspects that the Bornean D. dearei may be polyploids due to the much taller stems with leaves to 18 cm long with pendulous inflorescences reaching to 25 cm (10 in) and bearing up to 26 flowers that have been described as smelling of “wet socks!” and which measure to 5 cm (2in) across with irregularly toothed margins of the midlobe. However, I find the differences to be too numerous to justify the application of the name Dendrobium dearei to the Bornean plants. But hey, what do I really know.
Dendrobium dearei, at least the Philippine plants, have upright to sub-horizontal pseudobulbous stems to almost a meter long with leaves from 5 to 8 cm long that persist for about 2 years before completely falling off. The root tips are dull orange. The short inflorescences are produced near the ends of the stems and bear from 3 to 18 flowers, and there can be more than one inflorescence on the same stem appearing at the same time. Large, well-grown plants, of course, bear the most flowers. These flowers are commonly 5 cm across, occasionally larger, and odorless. This species can bloom several times a year, usually beginning in May then continuing until January the next year. The flowers are long-lasting, and if not pollinated will stay in pristine condition for 2 months; plants cultivated in cooler conditions have flowers that last longer but the plants themselves grow much slower, with new growths necessitating 2 seasons to reach maturity. Because these plants flower from the recent growths, flower production is slower in cooler climes. If humidity is pretty high year round, then the plants can be attached on pieces of wood, otherwise, it is wise to have them potted.
These are strictly lowland plants, often found at altitudes around 200 meters, although I have seen at least one reference mentioning that in Agusan and Surigao provinces on Mindanao, D. dearei occurs sympatrically with D. schuetzei at altitudes to 910 m. I have no way of validating this, at least for now. Nevertheless, due to the fact that this species is found at high rainfall areas, particularly during the cooler months, the plants are responding extremely well with our current weather. The roots are healthier, the stems are fuller, and the leaf-munching pests are nowhere to be found (except on my begonias).
It has been raining heavily since yesterday, but a brief respite earlier today allowed me to take a few snapshots of the flowers, only for rain to fall again on my shoulders. I did not mind. I got what I needed.
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