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Dendrobium tetragonum
Tree spider orchid (Dendrobium tetragonum) is a variable epiphytic orchid from eastern Australia, with pendulous, four-sided pseudobulbs and up to five flowers per stem. Grow it mounted or in a loose orchid mix in bright, shaded conditions with regular water and good air movement.
Dendrobium tetragonum, commonly known as the tree spider orchid, is a variable species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid endemic to eastern Australia. Tree spider orchids are unusual in having pendulous pseudobulbs that are thin and wiry near the base then expand into a fleshy, four-sided upper section before tapering at the tip. There are only a few thin but leathery leaves at the end of the pseudobulbs and up to five flowers on relatively short flowering stems. To allow for the variations in the species there are five subspecies and a variety, some with a unique common name.
Tree spider orchids are usually epiphytes which grow on trees in rainforest or shady places beside streams, but also sometimes on paperbark trees, especially Melaleuca styphelioides and occasionally on rocks. Different forms of the species occur in different areas of coastal or near-coastal New South Wales and Queensland.
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 tetragonum 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.
