Dendrobium Sw.
V. Dendrobium section Dendrobium Lindley 1844
Features:
Roots glabrous.
Stems or pseudobulbs usually cane-like, fleshy or rarely wiry, usually many-leaved, branching or not, less often with distinct, ovoid to fusiform, one- to few-leaved pseudobulbs.
Leaves usually short-lived, with or without a tubular sheath at the base.
Inflorescences usually short, pendulous when elongate, one- to many-flowered, appearing laterally or apically from leafy or leafless stems, most often from the leafless stem of the previous year.
Flowers often showy; mentum short, chin-like or less often narrowly conical.
Labellum usually rigidly attached to apex of column foot, not adnate to it, entire or weakly lobed, adaxially often darker coloured in the centre, often densely and finely pubescent, often with finely fringed margins often with a linear, basal claw, without multiple keels but sometimes with a single callus or with a single longitudinal keel.
This section is represented by 3 species in Sindhudurg district
Dendrobium lawianum Lindl.
In J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3: 10 (1858);
Callista lawiana (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 655 (1891);
Dendrochilum roseum Dalzell in Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 4: 291 (1852)
Pendulous epiphytes.
Ecology : This species is endemic to western ghats; very common Epiphytic orchid found growing on Careya arborea, Terminalia billirica , Terminalia paniculata, Diospyros sp., Syzygium sp .etc in ever green as well as semievergreen forest above 600m
This specimen is observed everywhere on Amoli - Belum road, Amboli - Ajara road & At Phonda – Radhanagari road
Pseudobulbs 5-25 cm long, leafless at the time of flowering, usually all curving in one direction, rarely straight, tapering at both ends; internodes 2 cm cong, 1.2 cm thick at the nodes, clavate, green; generally completely enclosed in a scarious, many nerved sheath which arises at a node and extends to about the middle of the next internode ; tip of the sheath about 1cm broad, broadly emarginate ; rarely the pseudo bulbs are completely without sheaths, yellowish green.
Leaves 4.5-10.5 x 0.5-1.7 cm, distichous, sessile, sheathing at the base. lanceolate or oblong-Ianceolate, acute, entire, with usually 5 prominent nerves and several faint ones.
Flowers subregular, shallowly cup shaped from the nodes in pairs or solitary ; mentum absent.
Pedicel with ovary 2.5-3.5 cm long, white flushed with pink purple near the flower, terete.
Bracts minute, 2-5 mm long, pale brownish. scarious.
Sepals and petals waxy, white flushed with rose-purple towards the apex
Sepals 12-15 x 6-8 mm. broadly oblong, subobtuse, mucronate the margins meeting a little above the apex, entire, faintly 5-nerved.
Petals 12-15 x 6.5-10 mm, broadly ovate-oblong, entire, obtuse or slightly retuse, faintly 5-nerved.
Labellum 12-17 x 8-10 mm, broadly ovate oblong, broader than the petals, obtuse or retuse, slightly clawed at base waxy, similar in coloration to the sepals and petals, the rose-purple flush somewhat deeper.
Column 2.25 X ~.5 mm, stout, white with 2 purple or white processes at the base, behind which there is a deep cavity (porbably a nectary); the sides with 2 minute purple or white horns; clinandrium broad-quadrate, the back margin wIth a central, 1mm long, apiculum to which the anther is attached. Stigmatic surface quadrate just below the clinandrium, glutinous, generally self-pollinated.
Anther 3X 2.5 mm, oblong, suborbicular, flat on top with a central transverse band, 2-celled, white flushed with rose-purple;
Pollinia 2 pairs, 1.5 mm long, waxy, golden-yellow, without caudicle or glandular viscid appandage.
Capsules 2 X 1cm, ovoid, pale-green, ribbed, surmounted by the hardened pale brown column, pedicellate; pedicels 2.5-3 cm long, clavate, green.
Leaves: May to October.
Flowering: March.
Fruiting: April onwards.