Dendrobium bensoniae is native to Northeast India, Myanmar and probably Thailand. In the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, they are found at an altitude of 1520 m. They appear on the hills in East and West of Burma, from the geographical latitude on which Bhamo lies in the north, after Moulmein in the south. The original find in Myanmar took place west of the Prome, at an altitude of about 457 m.
Dendrobium bensoniae, also called as Benson's Dendrobium (named after an English officer in Myanmar and orchid enthusiast), Callista bensoniae, Dendrobium bensoniae var. aurantiacum, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1867.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM BENSONIAE
Dendrobium bensoniae is native to Northeast India, Myanmar and probably Thailand. In the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, they are found at an altitude of 1520 m. They appear on the hills in East and West of Burma, from the geographical latitude on which Bhamo lies in the north, after Moulmein in the south. The original find in Myanmar took place west of the Prome, at an altitude of about 457 m. Although there are reports of their occurrence in Thailand.
It is a medium sized, pendant, hot to cool growing epiphyte, which reaching 30-75 cm in height, with yellow, fleshy, erect or pendulous, cylindrical, 12 to 30" (30 to 75 cm) long stems without swollen nodes carrying more than 1 per growth, linear, lanceolate or oval, leathery, deciduous, 5-8 cm long leaf.
Benson's Dendrobium blooms on a pendant, to 2" (to 5 cm) long, 1 to 3 flowered, racemose inflorescence, with 1 or 2 arising from the upper nodes of leafless stems with 1 to 3, sparkly, fragrant flowers occurring in the spring. The flowers are 5-6 cm in diameter. The petals of both whorls, sometimes twisted, can be lavender, greenish or milky white. The lip is yellow to orange, with white edges and has a yellow disk in the middle. Most of the varieties of this species have two chestnut spots in the throat, but sometimes it does not exist at all, and even more rarely there are flowers completely white without any colored spots. The mantle is covered with a nap, concave, serrated along the edges, with a tuft of long, thin hairs on the stenosis.
DENDROBIUM BENSONIAE CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Dendrobium bensoniae needs a light level of 25000-35000 lux.
Temperature:
It is a plant with moderate thermal requirements. The average temperature of the summer day is 26-27 ° C, night 20 ° C, giving a daily difference of 7-8 ° C. In spring, the average day temperature is 28-30 ° C, the night 12-18 ° C giving a daily difference of 11-16 ° C. The average temperature of the winter day is 21-24 ° C, the night 6-8 ° C, which gives a daily difference of 13-16 ° C.
Humidity:
Benson's Dendrobium needs a humidity of 80-85% in the growing season, at the beginning of winter it drops to 75%. During 2 months at the beginning of spring, during dry, dry weather, the humidity is lower and drops to 60%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Dendrobium bensoniae is best mounted on tree fern rootstocks, but in summer the plants must be watered at least once a day and the humidity high. When growing in pots, any loose, quickly drying soil is recommended. Repotting is best done in the spring when new roots begin to grow.
Watering:
From late spring to early autumn, during the growing season, water is abundant. During this period, cultivated plants should be kept in a constant moisture, with little or no drying between waterings. The amount of water should be gradually reduced when new growths reach maturity in autumn.
Fertilizer:
It is recommended to apply a 1/4-1/2 dose of orchid fertilizer weekly. The fertilizer enriched with nitrogen should be used from spring to mid-summer, and enriched with phosphorus from the end of summer to autumn.
Rest period:
For 3 months of winter, the nighttime temperature is below 10 ° C. Plants should be able to tolerate temperatures below 0 ° C for a short period of time, but such extreme temperatures should be avoided during cultivation. During such low temperatures the plant is likely to survive without harm if it is dry. For the majority of winter, Dendrobium bensoniae should dry out between watering, but should not be dry for too long. The amount of water in the crop should be further limited to the occasional morning fogging. To initiate flowering, low night temperatures and a large diurnal temperature difference are important. The condition of plants worsens after about 2 years if they do not go through winter rest.
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