Object Details
Description
This is a cheerful, honey-scented, miniature to small plant which has many flowers that open light yellow and darken over time to a vibrant hue. There has been confusion over time between this orchid and Epidendrum aggregatum, because two different botanists tried to name this orchid within the same book. The second, a man named Roxburgh who tried to classify this as an epidendrum, was rejected. Later, the botanist Lindley named an entirely different orchid E. aggregatum, which is accepted. Additionally, D. lindleyi and D. jenkinsii are often confused for each other (that orchid’s record tells how to differentiate these two). All of this is to say, sometimes it is very important to pay attention to who a plant’s botanical author is, to be sure you have the right plant.
Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
February to May
Provenance
From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
Accession Number
2009-2362A
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Life Form
Epiphytic
Bloom Characteristics
Arching to pendant inflorescence is 6-12" long with 10-14 yellow-orange flowers which darken in color over time. Flowers are 1-2" across, and can last 2-3 weeks.
Foliage Characteristics
Leaves are 3" long, rigid, and leathery.
Fragrance
Honey (stronger in early morning and evening)
Range
E Himalaya to S China and Indo-China
Habitat
Trunks and branches of deciduous to semideciduous trees; 500-1400m
See more items in
Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
Common Name
Lindley's Dendrobium
Group
[vascular plants]
Class
Equisetopsida
Subclass
Magnoliidae
Superorder
Lilianae
Order
Asparagales
Family
Orchidaceae
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
Genus
Dendrobium
Species
lindleyi
Data Source
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic
Orchids
Living Collections
Link to Original Record
Record ID
ofeo-sg_2009-2362A