Dendrobium laevifolium blooming
 

Cute small size Dendrobium from South West Asia, hot to warm growing species, but many grow them Intermediate. The blooms have amazing color and remind me those of cuthbertsonii which I really love! I have it inside for the summer, I was afraid our summer may be not good since we had really horrible fronts with temps over 100 for a weeks, but it is cooling slowly down so it will go back outside next month.

As usual, you have a lovely plant and flowers Tommy! I don't have this species. Is it fragrant?

Beautiful!

Thanks Matt I did try to "sniff" but no fragrance. I just love the shape and color, and the size is perfect :-)

---------- Post added at 09:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 PM ----------

Thanks you Sonya :-)

Very nice, Tommy! Most people don't think that this is hot to warm growing, do they? I think IOSPE says Hot-Warm, but this seems to be a slight stretch. My understanding is that it can handle warmer condition, but according to Baker & Baker's climatic data, it grows in 70-72F max and 56-58F min year-around in nature. But it grows in a wide range of elevation, so lower elevation plants may experience 6-8F above the listed range.

Agreed Naoki, I know people growing this outside in Florida most of the year, except when it gets really hot in the summer, than it goes to orchid houses or inside. So this is what I do too, it grows outside from fall till late spring, than inside the summer. However, it may happen, that this would somehow acclimatize to maybe even summer here with shady location and good ventilation, with some stress showing probably, but I do not want to test it so much :-)

Isope has been known to be wrong .

Based on over 15 years growing Den laevifolium (growing them poorly & growing them well), I believe that the best conditions are approximately intermediate & with bright light.

We don't have those conditions all year & the plants will tolerate, but not love, other conditions. In summer, with 85-90F & very bright light, plants do ok under double shade … maybe 2000-2500 ft candles (70-75% shade for us. Plants sulk & don't do much growing.

In other areas with cold winters & weak light, plants drop all their leaves & become little round bare bulbs, until they start regrowth & bloom cycles when it gets warmer & brighter.

Our "winters" are rainy & a bit higher in temp than intermediate. In our "winter", 82-83F days/62-66F nights (sometimes down to low 50's or rarely high 40's) & shorter but bright days (maybe 3500 to 4500 ft candles, available light in shade houses, the plants thrive. I think these are the best growth conditions: bright warm days, intermediate nights. Under these conditions, plants grow vigorously, with many larger fully leaved bulbs. The plants also bloom vigorously, while maintaining full leaves on their bulbs.

In their natural habitat, it's probably very bright year round. The plants probably survive during their drier period, then flourish during the wetter period.

Stunning colors ....even if the blooms are bigger than the canes, they still retain the form and it doesn't diminish from the way the flowers are presented by the plant.

Mmm ... that's a interesting little thing you have there.
I could do with one of those ... we've got the heat here in Africa ... but I'm sure I'll kill it though ... so I will leave laevifolium in your capable hands.

Cute!

I love this plant! The brightly colored cute flowers stay in bloom for months.

I bought a few last fall, but then I got lazy with watering these (there were right up against the window with curtain, so it was rather hidden behind other plants) and spidermites feasted on them. :(

A local vendor says he might have some this month, so I'm keeping my eyes out. :)