Dendrobium nobilis (Orchidaceae)
Origin: Southeastern subtropical Asia
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has a long association with the Orchidaceae. We are home to the Orchid Research Center, and have discovered or described hundreds and hundreds of new species to science. One of our founding fathers, Dr. Carl Luer, literally wrote the book on the orchids of Florida. The orchid family is the largest families of flowering plants, and represent the largest group of epiphytic plants in the world.
We are blessed here in Florida to have epiphytes naturally occurring in our tree canopy. Native orchids and bromeliads make their homes high above the ground in our live oaks. Here at Selby Gardens we have native as well as exotic epiphytes in our trees, with the help of our Horticulture Department and a boom lift. This time of year, the plants stealing the show are the Dendrobium hybrids. Predominantly, D. nobile is responsible for providing the genes that give these plants their recognizable flower form, born in groups from a cane-like pseudobulb. Often found growing on mossy rocks in the wild, these orchids make great epiphytes and are bred to bloom profusely, beautifully, and reliably. Dendrobium orchids require high light (but not direct sun) and have very good water-storage capability, and so they make a great choice for an orchid to mount in a tree.
Many times visitors ask how we get the orchids in the trees, and the answer is relatively simple, and something anyone can do at home. The most important part is the orchid you choose to mount. Cattleyas work well, but nothing is as easy as the dendrobiums. Find a branch that you feel will receive adequate water and sun, bare-root the orchid, and find a way to secure the mashed root ball to the tree (pantyhose work great!) As long as the rootball stays moist and doesn’t move, the orchid will root to the tree in a matter of weeks.
Text by David Troxell