Coastal shaggy orchid

Description

Dendrobium litorale, commonly known as the coastal shaggy orchid,is an epiphytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has a very short rhizome with crowded, slender stems with most of the leaves in the lower half. The leaves are flattened and pointed, the flowers small and pale greenish cream-coloured. It occurs on islands in the Torres Strait and in New Guinea. Dendrobium litorale is an epiphytic herb with very short rhizomes and crowded stems 300–600 mm (10–20 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide at the widest point. The leaves are arranged in two rows, and are flattened, fleshy and pointed 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long and 30–80 mm (1–3 in) wide. The flowers are arranged along leafless parts of the stem and are pale greenish cream, 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is 4–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long, about 4 mm (0.16 in) wide and the lateral sepals are 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide. The petals are 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The labellum is 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long, 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide and has three lobes. The side lobes are blunt and the middle lobe has a central notch. Flowering occurs in April and July. Dendrobium litorale was first formally described in 1912 by Rudolf Schlechter and the description was published in Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis Beihefte.The specific epithet (litorale) is a Latin word meaning "of the seashore Dendrobium is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including China, Japan, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, Vietnam and many of the islands of the Pacific. Orchids in this genus have roots that creep over the surface of trees or rocks, rarely having their roots in soil. Up to six leaves develop in a tuft at the tip of a shoot and from one to a large number of flowers are arranged along an unbranched flowering stem. Several attempts have been made to separate Dendrobium into smaller genera, but most have not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Dendrobium species are mostly epiphytic, or lithophytic although a few species are terrestrial. They are sympodial herbs with cylindrical roots usually arising from the base of a pseudobulb.