Of
my twenty or so Dendrochilum species, the selected species,
D. wenzelii is a standout. It is easy to grow,
reliable in flowering
and an attractive plant when not in
flower.
Jim
Cootes records that the species was named by the great
American orchidologist, Oakes Ames, after a
C. A. Wenzel in 1915. The type specimen was collected
on Mount Canayan on Luzon
(Philippines) in
1913.
The
species is characterized by its very leathery leaves, of
approximately 30cm in length by 7mm in width; small
pseudobulbs are about 25mm long. The semi-arching
inflorescences appear with the new growth and flowering occurs
in mid-winter. The only clone of the species that I have is
that pictured in the accompanying photograph, a
delightful deep red. However the species is variable in colour
and Jim Cootes (The Orchids of the Philippines) has two excellent
photographs
of a lovely yellow and brown form. The shape of the flower
is consistent.
Dendrochilum
wenzelii is
endemic to
the Philippines where it is found in limited distribution
on mountains in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindoro. It is an
epiphytic species
found at elevations above 1000m.
The
prolific flowers are best seen close-up and there is an
outstanding photograph of D. wenzelii in the
August 1977 edition of Orchids, the magazine of the
American Orchid Society (P803). The beautiful colour and
crystalline texture of the flowers clearly reveal this as a
'must-have'
species.
The
cultivation of this species is relatively easy (as is
the
case with most dendrochilums.) They are mountainous plants
that require good humidity, shady and moist conditions
and good air movement. In Port Macquarie my specimen
grows well in a shade house with two layers of 50% shade cloth
in summer and one layer of 50% shade cloth, plus a plastic house cover in
winter.
I
use plastic pots with excellent drainage and after
experimentation with various bark mixes, I have settled on
good quality sphagnum moss mixed with granulated
polystyrene (70% sphagnum: 30% polystyrene.) I also
'crock' pots around the drainage hole with polystyrene. I find
that this mix provides both stable moisture plus good drainage
for the roots.
Dendrochilum wenzelii and the related D.
javieri
are grown
suspended above the benches. I am also experimenting
with a division of D. wenzelii mounted on wet,
tight-fibre treefern. So far so good, but the mount has to be kept
moist.
Dendrochilum
wenzelii seems
to be cold tolerant and has
experienced temperatures this winter of 5°C with no ill effect.
Remember to keep the plants drier when the temperatures are
low. The heat of last summer caused some problems to
other species in my
collection but the dendrochilums, kept shady, moist and as cool as
possible, all survived.
Dendrochilum
species
are in general, and D.
wenzelii
in
particular are orchids that are space efficient,
of relatively easy culture and have most charming
flowers (admittedly, small woj like
D.
pulcherrimum need
to be viewed VERY close
up to be appreciated.) As Jim Cootes maintains, it is a 'lovely genus'
and you really should allow a few species to grace your
shade house.
