2 very different denrobiums

[Nach_]

Hello again guys. I wanted to post a few pictures of 2 dendrobiums that I adopted recently.

I'm amazed at how different they are, not especially in terms of the flowers itself, but the whole structure of the leaves and the size of the plant.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

[SouthPark]

Definitely! There is the classic dendrobium shape ....... and then there are some dendrobiums (apparently they are dendrobiums - I think) that have leaves that are so much different when compared with the classical sort of shape. This includes size. I think some dendrobiums are not only tiny, but leaf shapes and flower shapes are something very different.

[Roberta]

Dendrobium is very large genus, with several really distinct groups within it. Here is the AOS culture sheet Dendroibum Sections that looks at some major groups within the genus, with examples that you can look up for pictures. The ones that you show are still pretty closely related - difference in color, but not nearly as different as some of these others. The fact that the genus is so large, and also so varied in terms of habitats (from the very tropical to cold high elevations) makes it impossible to answer the question "How do I take care of a Dendrobium?" ... the answer starts with "Which one? Which type?".

Just in terms of plant size, compare Dendrobium speciosum var hillii (I saw a plant at a show some years back that was about 9 ft (3 m) across, with some 400 spikes each with several hundred flowers, received a very high FCC/AOS award) with Dendrobium cuthbertsonii, a very splendidly grown specimen with several hundred flowers on a plant perhaps 6 inches (15 cm across), maybe a little larger but not much, that was judged the best of the Tokyo Grand Prix show one year... won the owner about $50,000 and a Mercedes-Benz automobile. And some plants of the genus even much smaller.

[Bombotany]

The yellow one looks a LOT like Den Thongchai Gold - possibly 'Luxana'. I've had a few dozen of these in the past - the unusually short and rounded leaves + tight internodal length is characteristic for sure.