Slender cane orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender cane orchid |
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| Dendrobium adae growing on Cape York | |
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Dendrobium
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| Species: |
adae
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The slender cane orchid (also known as Dendrobium adae) is a special type of orchid. It often grows on other plants, like trees, without harming them. This is called being an epiphyte. Sometimes, it can also grow on rocks, which means it's a lithophyte. This beautiful plant has long, cylinder-shaped stems, dark green leaves, and pretty flowers that can be white, greenish, or even apricot-coloured. You can find it growing in the warm, tropical parts of North Queensland, Australia.
What Does the Slender Cane Orchid Look Like?
The slender cane orchid is a herb that grows on trees or rocks. It has thin, cylinder-shaped stems called pseudobulbs. These pseudobulbs can be from 200 to 600 mm (about 8 to 24 inches) long and 4 to 8 mm (about 0.16 to 0.31 inches) wide. Each plant usually has two to four dark green leaves. These leaves are about 40 to 80 mm (about 1.6 to 3.1 inches) long and 15 to 25 mm (about 0.59 to 0.98 inches) wide.
When it blooms, the orchid grows a flower stem that is 10 to 40 mm (about 0.39 to 1.6 inches) long. This stem can hold up to six flowers. The flowers are usually white, greenish, or apricot-coloured. They are about 20 to 35 mm (about 0.79 to 1.4 inches) long and 20 to 30 mm (about 0.79 to 1.2 inches) wide.
Each flower has different parts:
- The dorsal sepal (the top part) stands up straight. It is about 12 to 17 mm (about 0.47 to 0.67 inches) long.
- The lateral sepals (the side parts) are shaped like curved triangles. They are about 10 to 15 mm (about 0.39 to 0.59 inches) long.
- The petals are lance-shaped and curve inwards. They are a bit shorter and narrower than the side sepals.
- The labellum (the lip of the flower) is white with reddish marks. It is about 9 mm (about 0.35 inches) long and has three parts, called lobes. The side lobes curve upwards, and the middle lobe has a small ridge.
This orchid usually blooms between July and October.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The slender cane orchid was first officially described in 1884 by a scientist named Frederick Manson Bailey. He found a sample of the plant near a place called Herberton. He wrote about it in a scientific paper called the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.
The second part of its scientific name, adae, was chosen to honour Mrs. J. W. R. Stuart. She was the person who collected the very first sample of this orchid that scientists used to describe it. This first sample is called the type specimen.
Where Does It Live?
The slender cane orchid likes to grow in two main types of places. It can be found in lush, green rainforests. It also lives in more open forests that offer some shelter. You can find this orchid in a specific area of Queensland, Australia. This area stretches from the Mount Windsor National Park all the way down to the Paluma Range National Park.
