Dendrobium glabrum, commonly known as the creeping star orchid,[2] is a species of epiphytic orchid native to New Guinea and Australia. It has shiny pseudobulbs with a single leathery leaf and white, star-shaped flowers with yellow tips. It forms large clumps on trees in humid forests.
| Creeping star orchid | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Dendrobium |
| Species: | D. glabrum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrobium glabrum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editDendrobium glabrum is an epiphytic herb that has shiny, yellowish green pseudobulbs 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) long and 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) wide. There is a single leathery leaf 60–75 mm (2.4–3.0 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide with a papery bract at its base. Short-lived, star-shaped white flowers with yellowish tips 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in) long and wide are produced in leaf axils on a thin stalk about 30 mm (1.2 in) long. The sepals are 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, the petals slightly longer but only half as wide. The labellum is about 8 mm (0.3 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide with wavy edges near its base and two ridges along its midline. Flowering occurs sporadically and the flowers only last a few hours.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
editDendrobium glabrum was first formally described in 1907 by Johannes Jacobus Smith and the description was published in Bulletin du Département de l'Agriculture aux Indes Néerlandaises.[5][6] The specific epithet (glabrum) is a Latin word meaning "smooth".[7]
Distribution and habitat
editThe creeping star orchid grows on trees in humid forest in New Guinea and on the Cape York Peninsula as far south as Cairns.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Dendrobium glabrum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 387–388. ISBN 1877069124.
- ^ a b D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Factsheet - Diplocaulobium glabrum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Dendrobium glabrum". Orchids of NeW Guinea. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Dendrobium glabrum". APNI. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ Smith, Johannes Jacobus (1907). "Neue orchideen des malaiischen Archipels". Bulletin du Departement de l'Agriculture aux Indes Neerlandaises. 5: 4–6. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 28.