Foliage differences in Dendrobium cuthbertsonii
 

About a month ago, I got two Dendrobium cuthbertsonii - red flower, and purple flower.

I am wondering if it's normal for the foliage to be different between the different color forms of this species.

One has thicker and more stiff leaves with bright green coloration. The other has thinner and less robust leaves which have a slight grayish or more pale green coloration.

The main reason I ask is because the plant shipment was lost in the mail for over two weeks and the plants were extremely dehydrated. One seemed to be worse than the other (the grayish one with thinner leaves was worse). So I'm wondering if this foliage color and texture difference could be due to the dehydration. Or do you think this is a natural variation between the red vs purple forms?

Thanks

With that "insult" of dehydration, it is possible that one plant suffered more than the other. They're individuals, no way of knowing if there were differences in the vigor of each before shipping. At this point, just give them both the best culture that you can, and hope that they will respond. Patience...