Dendrobium Sw.
I. Dendrobium sect. Stachyobium (Lindl) Kraenzl. 1910
Pseudobulbs clustered, fleshy, variable in shape, sometimes hardly swollen and cane-like, leafy throughout or with leaves in apical part only, not branching, with limited apical growth.
Leaves with a tubular sheath at base, short-lived.
Inflorescences elongate usually with wiry peduncle and rachis, erect or patent, sometimes pendulous, few- to many-flowered, arising apically and laterally from leafy shoots of current growing season, often while shoot is not fully grown, or sometimes when shoot has barely developed; often with three or more inflorescences arising from the same shoot simultaneously.
Flowers often whitish with green or purplish markings on labellum; mentum well-developed, coni cal.
Labellum flexibly hinged with column foot, usually trilobed, with lamellate keels basally, or with a flattened, rod-shaped cal lus often lobed at apex, the midlobe often with undulate mar gins, sometimes with numerous clavate appendages.
This section is represented by two species in Sindhudurg district
Dendrobium crispum Dalzell
In Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 4: 111 (1852)
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Dendrobium humile Wight in Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: t. 1643 (1851), nom. Illeg;
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Callista pygmaea Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 655 (1891), nom. Superfl;
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Dendrobium fesselianum M.Wolff in Orchidee (Hamburg) 41: 97 (1990);
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Dendrobium peguanum Lindl. in J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3: 19 (1858), nom. superfl.
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Dendrobium pygmaeum Lindl. in Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 85 (1830), nom. illeg.
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Dendrobium wallichii A.D.Hawkes & A.H.Heller in Lloydia 20: 125 (1957), nom. illeg.
Ecology: Epiphytic on Terminalia billirica tree in evergreen forest
I have observed this specimen at Dhawadaki near Sawantwadi
Pseudobulbs 1-6 cm long, ovoid-conical to oblong-ovoid, stout, up to 2 cm in diameter, usually 2-4 noded, sheathed, pale green or yellowish green; sheaths membranous with prominent veins.
Leaves 2-4, coriaceous, 2.5-5 x 0.6-2 cm, sessile, broadly elliptic or elliptic-oblong, subacute or obtuse, 1-nerved.
Inflorescence Racemes 1-5, almost directly arising from the apical part of the pseudo bulb, with a few scarious, sheathing bracts at the base, 1-many-flowered, up to 7 cm long.
Flowers about 12 mm long, shortly pedicellate, bracteate, faintly perfumed.
Bracts 5 mm long, dry, membranous, persistent, narrowly linear-lanceolate, entire,1 nerved. Ovary with pedicel about 6-7 mm long, curved, pale green or purplish.
Sepals 8x 2-2.5 mm, pale green or faintly suffused with pink, oblong, slightly dilated in the middle, sharply acute, entire, 3 nerved; mentum 4-4.5 mm long, narrowly conical, curved, subacute.
Petals 8 mm long, white, faintly 3-nerved, subacute, obspathulate, 2 mm broad a little behind the apex, tapering to 4x 1 mm claw.
Labellum 8 mm long, pale green ; mid lobe suffused with amethyst or purplish, 3-lobed, with a. small, 1-2mm long-claw, obovate-deltoid in outline ; lateral lobes erect, more or less connivent over the column, 5x 1-1.5 mm, narrow, with a straight grooved disc in between continuing from the claw up to the midlobe, veins faint ; mid lobe 2-2.5 x 2 mm, slightly decurved, more or less orbicular or broadly triangular in outline, acute (often appearing retuse in pressed specimens), the margins crenulate, curving upwards.
Column 3x 2 mm, narrowly oblong, white; foot 3 mm· long, conical, the base. with a small pouch.
Anther 1.25x 1.25 mm, pale amethyst, its anterior lip minutely pectinate; pollinia 1mm long, golden-brown.
Capsules about 7x4-5 mm, deep chocolate brown, ribbed, on a very short pedicel.
Leaves: June to October.
Flowering: January.
Fruiting: February -March