This is another new species for 365 days of orchids. This small growing dendrobium comes from Australia where it grows as an epiphyte in humid ravines and gullies in Queensland and New South Wales.

We grow the species mounted as plants are very pendulous and find that it enjoys a shaded and cool environment (Cool Asia or Cool Americas in our greenhouses) with a little less water in the winter but not a prolonged dry period.

The flowers are long lasting and flower from new and old bulbs. The name refers to the four sided bulbs which make this species very easy to identify when not in flower although there seems to be several distinct varieties. This plant is the small growing small flowered type that produces lots of flowers at a time. We have also grown the large flowered variety that is bigger all round but has less flowers at a time. These have been separated into different sub-species or species by some (see interesting article here) which leaves the variety shown in our photo as the true Dendrobium tetragonum.