Few Orchids Blooming

These pictures were taken almost a month ago but I didn’t have time to upload it on my blog and now, you can see it. This time, it’s very few, only 3 orchids were blooming. Cymbidium finlaysonianum or Pandan orchid were the surprised present I got. This orchid was blooming without anyone knew it. As you can see from the picture below, the flowers were in full blossom totally. Fortunately, I still have time to picture it Enjoy.

Cymbidium finlaysonianum

Phalaenopsis Hybrid

Dendrobium Hybrid

Cymbidium finlaysonianum

Dendrobium kelamense – New Orchid from Kalimantan

Researcher from LIPI, Destario Metusala, found a new orchid species at Kalimantan, named Dendrobium Kelamense D.Metusala, P.O’Byrne and J.J.Wood.

The orchid is from genus Dendrobium section Calcarifera which have its center population in West Indonesia, especially in Sumatra island. And from 29 known species, 20 of them are endemic.

Rio stated that the place where him and his researcher colleagues found the orchid will be kept in secret for conservation purposes. He stated in his email to Media Indonesia: “Because when a new species came out, usually it will be followed by a big exploitation of the orchid in its natural habitat”. His researcher colleagues are P. O’Byrne, an orchid expert from Singapore, and the other one, J.J. Wood, comes from Kew Herbarium, United Kingdom.

Dendrobium kelamense (courtesy of Destario Metusala, usage with his permission)

This new species had been published in Malesian Orchid Journal, an international journal, in March 2010 edition. This orchid growed in cluster and epiphytic, and each mature stem have long vary between 60 cm to 110 cm.

The inflorescent grow from near-tip of the stem and each one have long vary between 5 cm to 8.5 cm with 12 buds of the flower. Each perfectly blossom flower have height around 2 cm and width 3 cm to 3.5 cm. Its petal and sepal have bright-and-glossy yellow colour with maroon colour parallel spot pattern.

Other orchid species which had similar morphology with this orchid is Dendrobium panduriferum. The difference between both can be seen from its labellum. Dendrobium kelamense‘s labellum have U-shaped calus in between side lobus and the edge of middle lobus is nearly jaggy.

According to Rio, this orchid, Dendrobium kelamense, have big potential for mass cultivation.

Dipodium brevilabium – New Orchid Species from Sorong, Papua

Researcher from LIPI, named Destario Metusala, announced today that he and his partner from Singapore, Peter O’Byrne, found new orchid species called Dipodium brevilabium, D. Metusala & P. O’Byrne.

According to his email to ANTARA on Tuesday, 8th September 2009, they have been researching since the beginning of 2008. This journal is a proof that Indonesia still have many unknown bio-diversity. The journal itself was published in International Orchid Review (page 117, fig. page 151-153, source here), United Kingdom, September 2009 edition.

Dipodium brevilabium (courtesy of ANTARA)

Dipodium sp have 25 species spread from Indo-China to Melanesia and Australia and West Pacific archipelago. This genus is hard to be identified by many taxonomist because it has same flower appearance with its labellum structure almost consistent. Like any other Dipodium sp in Indonesia, this orchid, Dipodium brevilabium, also have an appearance like Pandan plant (Pandanus amaryllifolius). That’s why people always called  it Pandan orchid.

The orchid can come with 35 buds inflorescence and lasted for 15-20 days. Its flower have diameter 3.3-3.7 cm and yellow as its base color with red-to-brown stripes. Dipodium brevilabium have unique morphology character which can be differentiated from other Dipodium orchids, that is, its short labellum with rounded middle lobus. The name “brevilabium” itself came from its labellum appearance.

This orchid is quite adaptive and can be cultivated from 200-700 m from sea level with 50%-70% brightness level. The humidity of its media and the air circulation are the most important things to be noted when we cultivated it, because when we lack of both criteria, fungi can come and kill the plant with rotted growing point.

Dipodium brevilabium orchid might have limited distribution to Indonesia only.