PO Box 24425 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 US
Pedilonum section
Cultural Information
SPECIES:
So many sources will claim that miyakei is synonymous with goldschmidtianum. I will leave them separate for now. I have looked into many sources and talked to many others to try to differentiate between them and try to figure out just what the issue, or cause, may be. Older sources indicate that Den. miyakei - concave lip, fragrant, up to 20 flowers per inflorescence, blooming season Fall though Spring; while Den. goldschmidtianum - convex lip callus, not fragrant, up to 8 flowers per inflorescence, blooming season late winter through early summer. Many sources have stated that they simply cross the plants that they have in bloom to make more plants when they run low on stock. Could it be that at some point, a grower had plants with no tags, or simply just crossed what was in bloom some time and created hybrids of the two? I have seen plants from same batches of seedlings where some plants are fragrant and some are not. Some have concave lips while others have convex callus, while other plants have both. This kind of outcome is extremely untypical of a plant species, though I'm sure that it could happen, I mean, how many Den. anosmums have no fragrance? Perhaps one species is from Taiwan, while the other species is from the Philippines? Perhaps the plants started in one area and then through storms or some other force, became established elsewhere and adapted to either need the fragrance, or to lose it. Same with the change in the lip. So could one be a variety of the other?
While some could hotly debate over this, I will take my time, keep my mind open and see what I can find out. Maybe some genetic testing on wild species needs to be done? I will post when I get more information.
Potting or Mounting: This group, due to their long drooping canes are just right for my typical Plastic Vanda basket with sphagnum moss mounting/potting. In this way, I hang the Vanda basket on its side and let the canes simple start to droop as they mature. With many of these species, canes take about 3 to 4 years to mature. Once the canes mature, they start to loose their leaves and then bloom the following year. Mature canes can bloom for up to 4 years, then stop blooming. However, do not cut off old canes until brown and completely dry as they still provide water and nutrients for the plants like other Dendrobiums. Plants can be potted but must be staked due to the long length of the softer canes.
Light: Bright filtered light, dappled sun and part day full sun are all beneficial to these plants. More light/sun will equal more flowers and vibrant, deeper coloration.
Water: These plants like a lot of water during their active growing season. Unless way over potted, established plants are almost impossible to over water during active root growth. Summer is their active season as remember, many take more than 1 year to mature a growth. Only lessen the water, do not stop it completely.
Fertilizer: for most of the year slowing in thee winter months.
Section Descriptions
Pictured above - Dendrobium miyakei
'Other Worlds' CCE/AOS.
The Pedilonum section is characterized by small to medium sized epiphytes and occasional lithophytes with fleshy pseudobulbs, which carry 2 ranked, deciduous leaves which drop in one to 3 years, that are held all along the stem. Inflorescences are born from the leaf nodes mostly in the upper 2/3 of the canes and carrying elongate, brightly colored flowers. Flowers contain a long mentum or chin held close to the pedicel and ovary, the lip is relatively narrow, or the same size as the petals and sepals, and narrows gradually toward or at the base.
Commonly grown species from this section include: bullenianum (syn. topaziacum), goldschmidtianum, miyakei, secundum, obtusum