Thelychiton gracilicaulis

[Mahon]

Here's Dendrobium gracilicaule, now known as Thelychiton gracilicaulis... this is native to Eastern Australia and New Caledonia, at very low elevations.

The segregate genus Thelychiton includes Thely. kingianus (Den. kingianum) and Thely. speciosus (Den. speciosum), just to name a couple.

Dendrobium gracilicaule (click picture to enlarge)


-PM

[Toddybear]

Well I now have a Thelychiton! (aka kingianum)..will have to update my list! Will the taxonomists KNOCK IT OFF! I can't keep up!

Nice picture BTW!

[Eythan]

oooh nice

i got a thely spec today

i like how the aussie dens are being moved, it seems logical, they're a different shape, with 4 or so leathery leaves only at the top of the cane, instead of the classic den cane with short leaves up the whole thing. sometimes i wonder how some orchids even ended up in the same genus to begin with, like dockrillias! now that was just silly!

[Andrew]

Sex, politics, religion and Thelychiton should not be mentioned in polite company .

Toddybear,
There's no need for you to get worked up over the name changes just yet. Thelychiton has not yet been accepted by Kew so you can keep calling your kingies Dendrobium (just don't call them var. album or var. silcockii).

Much to the distress of Australian troglodytes , Thelychiton has been accepted by the Commonwealth Heads of Australian Herbaria. However, take this as meaning that you have a defendable position from which to use the name Thelychiton in a publication. Most of the plants in cultivation over here are still labelled Dendrobium and, given that societies like the AOC follow the RHS's and ergo Kew's taxonomic position, Dendrobium is no doubt still going to be used in Australian horticultural circles from many years to come.

Andrew

[RosieC]

It's really pretty whatever it's called