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Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

September 24, 2020 By A'na Sa'tara

Dendrobium speciosum is a commanding and unforgettable orchid species, especially if you have the fortune to see a specimen plant in bloom.  Our Dendrobium speciosum, rather fortunately at the moment, are easily managed plants in 1 and 2 gallon pots.  Suffice to say, when you comment that an orchid is still “small” in a 1-2 gallon pot, you are describing a special species.

 

Dendrobium speciosum 'Aussie Gold'
Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

 

Dendrobium speciosum 'Aussie Gold'
Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

 

Dendrobium speciosum 'Aussie Gold'
Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

 

Dendrobium speciosum 'Aussie Gold'
Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

 

Dendrobium speciosum 'Aussie Gold'
Dendrobium speciosum ‘Aussie Gold’

 

Dendrobium speciosum is native to most of the eastern seaboard of Australia, with several distinct geographic varieties.  We grow four different varieties, plus a few of uncertain or mixed variety.  Since we love yellow orchid flowers, Dendrobium speciosum var. grandiflorum is well-represented in our collection.

As you can see in these photographs, the flowers notably darken with age.  For the cultivar ‘Aussie Gold,’ upon opening, the flowers are a light yellow and become a much richer gold after about two weeks.  A very enjoyable late spring show in our house!

We grow all of our Dendrobium speciosum in pure granite, up to 2 gallon pots.  Then we begin mixing hydroton (expanded clay pellets), to maintain a fully inorganic mix, but reduce the weight of the pot.  The southern varieties of Dendrobium speciosum (that is, those other than var. capricornum and var. pedunculatum) live outdoors year-round in central California, and only take refuge in the garage when overnight lows are expected to be below 27F (-2.5C) for a few nights.  That being said, our plants are on covered shelves adjacent to our house in a highly sheltered area.

Dendrobium speciosum can tolerate quite high sun, but I don’t appreciate the look of “bleached” orchids, so at least 30% shade cloth is used year-round, with additional shading from a deciduous tree in the summer.  They grow and flower quite well in our area with 50% shade.

 

Interested in more unique and beautiful orchid images?

My vision to create orchid portraits emerged from my appreciation for the “whole orchid.”  So many photographs of orchids focus only on the flower.  But orchids are not flowers: they are entire plants and living beings.  Connect more deeply with the many dimensions of orchids …

more orchid images by A’na Sa’tara

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Filed Under: Australian Dendrobium Tagged With: Dendrobium, orchid images, orchid photo, orchid pictures, orchid portraits, orchid species

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