Dendrobium hercoglossum
Dendrobium hercoglossum is not as widely grown as it deserves to be. I purchased my plant two years ago while in flower, and was very pleased with it. In the past, few Dendrobium species have thrived for me, but this one has. After the blooms had faded (after several weeks), I potted it into my trusted mix of medium bark chips and sphagnum moss, and the plant grew away very quickly. It produces several canes each season, with new ones appearing before the old ones have finished growing, and root growth seems to continue all year round. It’s possible that growth might be more seasonal if I were to grow it under less even conditions. It has increased in size quite rapidly and has produced a nice, bushy plant that is only about 30cm tall, but is still perfectly happy in a 12cm pot.
The plant routinely blooms in the spring, all in one flush, much like D. nobile. Flowers are produced from the nodes of leafy (and leafless) canes, two or three to an inflorescence. Each node only produces buds once, but not each node will bloom at the same time, with the result that even canes that are several years old can still bloom and should never be removed.
The leaves are a nice, bright green and quite narrow. It is a deciduous species, after a fashion, but the leaves only drop in the second year, so there are always some leaves on the plant. The canes are relatively thin, and this is a good indicator that it doesn’t like to dry out for any length of time. It blooms reliably without the need for any kind of rest.
The blooms are pink, and although they are only small. they are produced in profusion, so the overall effect is quite impressive. They have a faint, pleasant fragrance, but this is not strong enough for the human nose to detect from any great distance.
