Dendrobium canaliculatum is native to Australia and New Guinea. This Dendrobium grows almost exclusively on the branches of a tea tree with a "paper" bark. It occurs in marshy areas, in rare forests, in meadows at an altitude of 0-760 m above sea level. Most often this orchid can be found in wet places along streams and in lowlands, during the rainy season flooded with water.
Dendrobium canaliculatum, also called as The Grooved Leaf Dendrobium, The Brown Tea Tree Orchid, Callista canaliculata, Callista foelschei, Callista tattoniana Kuntze, Cepobaculum canaliculatum, Cepobaculum foelschei, Cepobaculum tattonianum, Dendrobium canaliculatum var. foelschei, Dendrobium canaliculatum var. nigrescens, Dendrobium canaliculatum var. pallidum, Dendrobium canaliculatum var. tattonianum, Dendrobium foelschei, Dendrobium tattonianum, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by Robert Brown in 1810.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM CANALICULATUM
Dendrobium canaliculatum is native to Australia and New Guinea. These plants meet from Cairns in Northeast Australia, further north along the Cape York Peninsula and further to Papua New Guinea. They grow almost exclusively on the branches of Melaleuca trees with "paper" bark. These orchids meet in various habitats, ranging from swampy to semi-arid areas, in rare forests and meadows, at altitudes 0-760 m. Most often, they are found in moist habitats along streams and on dwarf trees on low lying areas flooded in time rainy season.
The Brown Tea Tree Orchid is a miniature sized, hot growing epiphyte, which can reach a height of 8-25 cm, with fusiform, enveloped in sheaths, sulcate with age, 2.5-5.0 cm long, rarely reach 15 cm canes carrying 2 to 6, towards the apex, linear, subcylindrical, very fleshy, grooved on the upper side, acute, usually are 5-10 cm long, but can reach up to 20 cm leaves.
The Grooved Leaf Dendrobium blooms from midwinter till mid spring on an erect to arcuate, 4 to 16" (10 to 40 cm) long, axillary, densely many flowered, racemose inflorescence arising from the nodes near the apex of each old and new growth, each carrying fragrant flowers. The flowers are 2.5 cm in diameter. The slender petals of both whorls are normally white to yellow-green at the base, with different shades of yellow (var.canaliculatum) on the upper half, but the color may vary from white with pale-yellow tips of flakes of both whorls (var.pallidum) to deep reddish - brown or almost black, which usually gets brightened at the base (var.nigrescens). The inner coat flakes are longer than the outer whorl flakes and are twisted at least twice. The lip is white, has 3 bulges and red and yellow spots on the side plots and on the disk.
DENDROBIUM CANALICULATUM 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 canaliculatum needs a light level of 30000-40000 lux. These plants tolerate almost full sun and a high level of light is necessary to initiate flowering.
Temperature:
The Grooved Leaf Dendrobium is a thermophilic plant. The average temperature of the summer day is 29-30 ° C, night 22 ° C, giving a daily difference of 7-8 ° C, which changes only by 2 ° C during the year. In winter, the average day temperature is 24-26 ° C, the night 17-19 ° C, with a small change in the daily difference.
Humidity:
The Brown Tea Tree Orchid needs a humidity level of 70-75% for most of the year. During the winter flowering period, the humidity drops to around 70%. Dendrobium canaliculatum does not grow best when the humidity is too high, but buds may fall at humidity below 50%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Dendrobium canaliculatum are best mounted on corkscrews, because they feel better when the roots are exposed. You can also grow these plants in pots filled with wine corks. You can change pads in spring when new roots are actively growing.
Watering:
Water is very abundant in summer and early autumn, but in winter it is drier. Cultivated plants should be kept moist in the growing season, but at the end of autumn the amount of water should be reduced.
Fertilizer:
Weekly 1/4-1/2 doses of fertilizer for orchids are recommended. From spring to mid-summer should be used fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, and then until the end of autumn fertilizer enriched with phosphorus.
Rest period:
It recommend to keep the winter night temperature above 15 ° C; temperature below 10 ° C even for a few hours causes the leaves to fall. The amount of water should be gradually reduced from autumn. During the period of 3-4 winter months, Dendrobium canaliculatum should be kept very dry, even more so than other Dendrobium species. When inflorescences begin to appear, the amount of water should be increased so that the plants are slightly damp. But they should be kept dry until new increments reach 5 cm in height, because they are very sensitive to infections. In winter, the fertilization should be eliminated.
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