White Dendrobium ID

[Fabolusus]

I have been buying cheap cut orchids from my local florist and was wondering what type they were and if they are capable of being grown at home (under lights culture)? I am trying to come up with a "most wanted list"...

[Fabolusus]

Here they are...

[Fabolusus]

all that the sales person knows is that they're dendrobium

[Anton]

It looks similar to a Den hybrid named Emma White, which is specifically raised in SE Asia for the pot plant and cut flower trade.

But, I have been known to be wrong once or twice.

[mayres]

I agree with Anton. I have an Emma White that I got on clearance a year and a half ago and it has bloomed flowers that look EXACTLY like those. Most likely there are many similar dendrobium hybrids (?) which also produce look-alike blooms. mike

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Dendrobiums are high light plants and need to be very close to the lights or in a window with direct sun shaded by a filmy curtain or the like to about 50% of full sun. If you go for Phalaenopsis orchids instead, you can have them in bright indirect light, as 50% would be too much for them.

[Fabolusus]

Do they need as much light as catts?

[mayres]

Good point on the lighting. I actually put mine under the lights during the winter side of the year and then move them outside on the east side of my house in late spring until mid fall - all of them are blooming now. mike

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Yes, Dens need as much light as Catts.

[jerrymeola]

It is almost impossible to specifically id a plant from a photo. It is definitely a Dendrobium and probably a common Den-Phal type.

If the cut flower came from Hawaii it probably has Den Jacklyn Thomas in its parentage. This plant was developed by the University of Hawaii for the cut flower trade and produces smaller (still up to 2 feet) plants and long flower spikes that can last 10 -18 days cut.

If it came from Asia it can have a variety of parents.

Dens grown from seeds can have a variety of colors from the same seed pod. If the color is important to you buy it in flower. Whites are easy to find and usually flower true to color.

All will grow well for a hobbyist. Since you like the white (not my favorite color) you have an advantage in that you can buy one that has been developed for the cut flower trade and they will often bloom 2-4 times a year rather than once for the more colorful hybrids.

[Fabolusus]

Thanks Jerry! I thought that for a plant to be profitable it would have to put out flowers more than once a year.

[jerrymeola]

Certainly the Dens that flower more than once a year are more profitable. that is why the University of Hawaii has a whole department that hybridizes Dendrobiums. But you have to see 100,000s of plants growing in Asia to realize how they can make money selling them for as little as 8 cents a stem.