Dendrobium spectabile, a really twisted one

[Ricardo in PR]

One of the things I love about Dendrobium spectabile is that all the flowers in an inflorescence are slightly different. The flowers of this Dendrobium are unlike most of the other Dendrobium. Some people find them ugly, but I find them beautiful, maybe they are an acquired taste. Unfortunately this Dendrobium is not the easiest plant to bloom. In my experience whether you get a freely blooming or a shy blooming one seem to be a matter of luck and perhaps the lack or presence of some environmental clue in your locality. The last photo of the series is not from my plant but of a particularly fine flower of the species noteworthy for its large size and cardboard like texture that I saw at the Puerto Rican Orchid Society show in San Juan Puerto Rico in 2009.

[Marci in SoFL]

I've always thought them exotic but have not been successful in bringing one to bloom, even though I grew one to huge proportions. Your commentary leads me to consider that I may have had shy bloomers and perhaps I might have better luck if I find one in bloom or that has previously bloomed. Food for thought. Thanks, Ricardo.

[Ricardo in PR]

I have brought four plants of this species. The first one didn't grow well and eventually died. The second one grew like wildfire and bloomed when relatively small, it has kept blooming to this day. The third one grew poorly and died after lingering for many years. The fourth one grew reluctantly with canes hardly increasing anything in size two years and the started growing strongly and produced a much larger cane. So my experience with this species has been quite varied.