Cucumber orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cucumber orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dendrobium
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| Species: |
cucumerinum
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The Dendrobium cucumerinum, often called the cucumber orchid or gherkin orchid, is a special type of orchid found only in eastern Australia. It's an epiphytic plant, which means it grows on other plants (like trees) but doesn't harm them. This orchid has unique, bumpy leaves that look just like tiny cucumbers or gherkins! It also produces pretty cream, yellow, or greenish-white flowers with purple stripes. You can often find it growing on big trees near streams, but it also lives in drier forests.
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What Does the Cucumber Orchid Look Like?
The cucumber orchid is a plant that grows on trees. It has stems about 3 to 4 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.15 inches) thick. Its leaves are quite special. They are 20 to 35 millimeters (about 0.8 to 1.4 inches) long and 9 to 12 millimeters (about 0.35 to 0.47 inches) wide. These leaves are thick and fleshy, with many irregular bumps on their surface. This makes them look a lot like small cucumbers or gherkins.
The orchid produces between two and eighteen flowers on a stem that is 30 to 50 millimeters (about 1.2 to 2 inches) long. These flowers are usually cream, yellowish, or greenish-white. Sometimes, they can even smell a bit strange! Each flower is 9 to 12 millimeters (about 0.35 to 0.47 inches) long and 12 to 20 millimeters (about 0.47 to 0.79 inches) wide.
Flower Details
The parts of the flower called sepals and petals are often twisted in an interesting way. They also have reddish-purple stripes near their bases. The sepals are 15 to 20 millimeters (about 0.6 to 0.79 inches) long. The petals are about the same length but only half as wide.
The orchid's labellum (which is a special lip-like petal) is white with purple marks. It's curved and measures 11 to 14 millimeters (about 0.43 to 0.55 inches) long and 4 to 5 millimeters (about 0.16 to 0.2 inches) wide. This labellum has three lobes. The side lobes stand upright, and the middle lobe is very wavy, with three wavy ridges down its center. You can usually see these orchids flowering from November to February.
How Did the Cucumber Orchid Get Its Name?
The cucumber orchid, Dendrobium cucumerinum, was first officially described in 1842. This was done by a person named William MacLeay. His description was then published by John Lindley in a famous plant book called Edwards's Botanical Register.
William MacLeay found this orchid growing on a type of tree called swamp oak near a place called Brownlow Hill in New South Wales. John Lindley, when writing about it, said it was one of the "very oddest" plants. He even suggested imagining "a handful of little stunted cucumbers lying in a heap" to picture the plant!
The scientific name cucumerinum comes from the Latin word cucumis, which means "cucumber". This name perfectly describes its unique leaves.
It's interesting to know that this orchid has sometimes grown together with another type of orchid called the straggly pencil orchid (Dendrobium bowmanii). When they grow close, they can sometimes create a new mixed type of orchid, which is called a hybrid.
Where Does the Cucumber Orchid Grow?
The cucumber orchid usually likes to grow on Casuarina cunninghamiana trees. However, it can also sometimes be found on other types of trees or even on rocks. You can find this orchid in a specific area of eastern Australia. It grows from Jimna in Queensland down to Picton in New South Wales. It also grows further inland in places like Armidale and the Blue Mountains.
