Straggly pencil orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Straggly pencil orchid |
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| Illustration by Lewis Roberts | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dendrobium
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| Species: |
bowmanii
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The Straggly Pencil Orchid, also known as Dendrobium bowmanii, is a special type of orchid. It can grow on other plants (called an epiphyte) or on rocks (called a lithophyte). This orchid has thin, wiry stems that spread out. It has a few small leaves and pretty flowers.
Its flowers are usually greenish or brownish. They have a noticeable white part called a labellum. You can find this orchid in dry rainforests and along the coast. It grows in New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia, and also in New Caledonia.
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What the Straggly Pencil Orchid Looks Like
The Straggly Pencil Orchid is a plant that grows on other plants or rocks. It has thin, wiry stems that can hang down. These stems can grow up to 600 millimeters (about 2 feet) long. They are about 4 millimeters wide.
The leaves of this orchid are dark green and shaped like cylinders. They are usually 50 to 150 millimeters long and about 4 millimeters wide.
Orchid Flowers
The orchid's flowering stems are 20 to 80 millimeters long. Each stem can have up to four flowers. These flowers are greenish-yellow to light brown. They might have a few reddish lines. Each flower is about 16 to 22 millimeters long and 20 to 25 millimeters wide.
The sepals and petals of the flower spread out. The sepals are about 9 to 12 millimeters long. The petals are similar in length but are narrower.
The most noticeable part is the white labellum. It is about 20 millimeters long and 6 millimeters wide. The labellum has three parts, called lobes. The two side lobes stand up straight. The middle lobe points down and has wavy edges. It also has three small ridges down its middle.
This orchid can bloom throughout the year. However, it flowers most often from August to November and from February to June.
How the Straggly Pencil Orchid Got Its Name
The Straggly Pencil Orchid was first officially described in 1873. This was done by a scientist named George Bentham. He wrote about it in a book called Flora Australiensis.
The name bowmanii likely honors Edward Macarthur Bowman. He was the person who collected the first samples of this plant. These samples helped scientists identify and name the species.
Where the Straggly Pencil Orchid Lives
The Straggly Pencil Orchid grows in drier rainforests. It also lives in coastal scrub areas. In Australia, you can find it from the Forty Mile Scrub National Park in Queensland down to the Clarence River in New South Wales.
This orchid is also very common in New Caledonia. Sometimes, this orchid can even mix with another type of orchid, the cucumber orchid (Dendrobium cucumerinum). This happens when they grow in the same places.
