Help!
 

I got this from a friend today and mounted it but have no idea what it is...

Sue,

This is just a Dendrobium hybrid... not sure which grex (impossible to tell at this time), but it is a Dendrobium...

Looks like it is a little water defficient... =)

-Pat

Thanks Pat, I kind of knew it was a den and I know it surely needs a little TLC...coming right up! ;) Thanks :)

What in that picture eliminates it from being possibly a species?

Jim,

It is not a species because the person who gave it to Sue would have said "it is some species" or "it was collected in ________"... but then, if you look closer at the plant, the way it looks does not suggest any Dendrobium species... maybe Den. phalaenopsis is one of the parents, but it looks like a hybrid...

-PM

It very well could be a species. Looks like it may be anosmum or something similar

I still don't see what precludes this from being a species plant...the source may simply not know its history or true name, and just because they didn't identify it as such doesn't make it any less a species.

Now in terms of likelihood, it is more likely a hybrid, as those are far more common, but again, hard to tell from a single photo of a non-blooming plant. :hmm

Todd & Scott
I concur with your summary it does appear from the growth habit that this is one a group (section Eugenanthe) of Den's including Den.primulinum, Den. anosmum, Den hercoglosum, etc. As a generalization they tend come from around the Himalayas, they are deciduous losing there leaves after one growing season and flower from the nodes opposite the old leaves on the bare canes. I don’t believe this is a Den phalaenopsis (sect Phalaenathe) species or hybrid as the growth habit is totally wrong. The real problem here is that no one can really tell if it’s a hybrid or a species until it flowers?
I for one am not going to be that specific!!
http://cosmos.cool.ne.jp/Orchid/img/...imulinum04.jpg
Den primulinum

This could either be a species or a hybrid. The only way to tell is to bloom the plant.....It is pretty clear that it is a dendrobium.

Could be D. peirardii, that looks a lot like your piece. Plus it keikis like crazy, so a lot of people give bits away.