Hang out your
Dens!
Dendrobium, with approximately 1000
species, is one of the largest genera in the
orchid family. This number can vary depending
on changes made by taxonomists. Partly for
convenience, Dendrobium is broken down into
sections. Two of the sections, Section
Dendrobium (nobile type) and Section
Callista are commonly called “cool growing
dens,” because they require a cool, dry rest
period in order to produce blooms in the spring.
This means leaving them outside in bright light
with no fertilizer and little or no water from
late fall through winter.
Below is a list of some of the “cool growing
den” species. If you have hybrids with any of
these species in their background, they will
probably require the same treatment.
Many dendrobiums in other sections also require
less frequent watering during their rest period,
if you are not sure which ones they are, check
out one of the books on dendrobiums at TOC’s
library.
Section Dendrobium
(nobile type)
Dendrobium albosanguineum
Dendrobium anosmum (syn. superbum)
Dendrobium aphyllum (syn. pierardii)
Dendrobium crystallinum
Dendrobium heterocarpum
Dendrobium loddigesii
Dendrobium nobile
Dendrobium parishii
Dendrobium regium
Dendrobium rhodopterygium
Section Callista
Dendrobium chrysotoxum
Dendrobium densiflorum
Dendrobium farmeri
Dendrobium jenkinsii
Dendrobium lindleyi (syn. aggregatum)
Dendrobium thyrsiflorum