This extraordinary orchid can be admired in the Palm House.
Containing over 1600 species the orchid genus Dendrobium occurs in south, east and southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Species grow in low altitude rainforests, or in montane forests over 2000m in altitude. It is highly diverse in form and colour, with species being deciduous or evergreen, and epiphytic or terrestrial. and bearing single to many-flowered racemes or panicles. Dendrobium spectabile is an epiphytic species from rainforests, swamps and moss forests of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The flowers are held in racemes with several flowers up to 8cm in length on each stem. The blooms are frilled in appearance, and comprise three outer sepals, and three inner petals, the lower of which is modified into a lip. This species is highly variable in colour, and in this specimen the sepals are green with purple specks, and the petals have a white and green base with purple markings. In cultivation this species requires warm temperatures, humidity and indirect light.