Dendrobium lituiflorum

Also known as: The Bent or Dendrobium hanburyanum Callista lituiflora In Thailand Ueang sai muang - Ueang khrang in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Assam - India China Manipur - India Thailand

General Information

The Bent is a medium sized sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic free-flowering orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to India, China and Thailand.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 30-60cm. Each new growth has numerous thick oblong shaped leaves that grow to 8-13cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 30-90cm. The plant forms pendant or arching growths

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear readily during Winter and Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Winter

Substrate(s)

• Coarse

Care Notes

These orchids like to be kept on the dry side, but may need to be watered daily during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered regularly.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 3mm to 224mm per day, heaviest in September and lightest in December. Humidity ranges from 59% to 82%, highest in September and lowest in March. Temperature ranges from 8C to 33C, highest in April (20C to 33C) and lowest in January (8C to 26C).

Watering

These orchids are sensitive to excessive watering and should only be watered when they look thirsty. Water infrequently and ensure that the roots are dry before watering. Keep an eye on them especially during hot weather as overwatering can lead to rot, whereas underwatering may result in wilting or shriveling, which while unattractive, will not kill the plant.

Fertiliser

These orchids do not need to be regularly fertilised and roots may be sensitive to salt build-up, dying back and therefore impairing the plants growth or even killing it.

If fertilising, use half to quarter of the recommended amount of fertiliser. If they receive fertiliser as part of a collection, be sure to flush out the pots regularly with fresh water and monitor the roots by checking how much resistance is given by the plant when nudged in its pot or mount. If the plant becomes wobbly or loose, repot in fresh mix or rinse the media/mount thoroughly and do not fertilise for at least 3 months.

Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. This plant is sensitive so apply fertiliser sparingly at one quarter recommended strength or less. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

These plants are quite forgiving and will do well repotted ever 2-3 years. The mix should be coarse, well draining, and allow space for air to move and for roots to grow. 

Alternatively, these plants will also do well mounted to tree fern or cork slabs, or mounted to trees.

Best time for repotting or mounting the orchids is the end of winter when new growths start to appear. Avoid repotting during hot weather,

Repotting is best done in a pot the same size or only slightly larger than the previous one.