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Dendrobium speciosum
Also called Rock Lily, Wood Lily
Rock orchid is a highly variable Australian orchid that grows as an epiphyte on tree trunks or as a lithophyte forming large colonies on rock faces. It is grown in full sun or very bright light in a coarse, free-draining medium, and is often grown outdoors in mild-winter climates.
Dendrobium speciosum, commonly known as rock orchid or cane orchid, is a species of highly variable Australian orchid. Its varieties can be found in a range of habitats as epiphytes (on branches or trunks of trees) or lithophytes. It has a continuous distribution along the east coast of Australia and in distinct populations along the Tropic of Capricorn. As a lithophyte, it forms gigantic spreading colonies on rocks and cliff faces, often exposed to full sun, with its roots forming dense, matted beds across the rock that anchor the plant. It can be found at altitudes from sea level to 900 metres (3,000 ft).
This orchid is popular in cultivation, growing into a large specimen that does well outdoors in climates with a mild winter. It may be grown in an open, coarse orchid growing medium, on a sturdy tree with an open canopy, or as a terrestrial in a well-drained position. It requires very bright light to full sun. Watering is year round in moderation. It is very temperature tolerant as long as it receives good warmth during the growing season. Frost, however, can cause extensive defoliation, an event the plant may require years to recover from. In cultivation D. speciosum can develop extremely large pseudobulbs, and benefits from regular fertilisation. Even in ideal cultivation conditions it may not flower every year, especially so in plants from more southern populations.
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 speciosum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
