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Dendrobium smillieae
Also called Bottlebrush Orchid
Dendrobium smillieae, commonly known as the bottlebrush orchid, is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with large, spongy pseudobulbs, thin, bright green leaves which are shed after their first year and crowded flowers in a bottlebrush-like arrangement. The flowers are white, to cream-coloured or pink and the labellum has a shiny, dark green tip. This orchid species is found in some of the Torres Strait Islands, and through Cape York Peninsula to Townsville, Queensland. It is also found in New Guinea and eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi and Maluku).
The bottlebrush orchid is widespread and common, growing on trees and sometimes on rocks, in woodland, forest and rainforest margins. It prefers trees which are exposed to sunlight and commonly grows on trees such as Lophostemon suaveolens (swamp turpentine or swamp box) which have loose papery bark. The roots of the orchid penetrate below the bark and form large mats which are well protected beneath the bark. It is found in New Guinea, including on the Bismarck Archipelago, on the Aru Islands, on some Torres Strait Islands and on the Cape York Peninsula as far south as Townsville.
Slender Cane Orchid · Dendrobium aduncum · Ironbark orchid · White butterfly orchid · Buttercup orchid · Dendrobium albosanguineum · Dendrobium amabile · Dendrobium amboinense · Amethyst-colored Dendrobium · Dendrobium amplum · Dendrobium angulatum · Unscented Dendrobium
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dendrobium smillieae by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
