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ORCHID SPECIES CULTURE Charles and Margaret Baker Dendrobium crispilinguum Cribb AKA: N/A. ORIGIN/HABITAT: Papua New Guinea, including the Western Highlands, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, Enga, and Morobe Provinces. Plants commonly grow in mountain rainforests at 3600-5250 ft. (1100-1600 m), but in Enga Province, they are found as high as 5900 ft. (1800 m). CLIMATE: Station #94010, Goroka, Papua New Guinea, Lat. 6.1S, Long. 145.4E, at 5141 ft. (1567 m). Temperatures are calculated for an elevation of 4600 ft. (1400 m), resulting in probable extremes of 89F (32C) and 45F (7C). N/HEMISPHERE JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC F AVG MAX 78 79 80 81 81 80 81 80 80 80 81 79 F AVG MIN 58 59 59 59 60 61 61 61 62 61 61 59 DIURNAL RANGE 20 20 21 22 21 19 20 19 18 19 20 20 RAIN/INCHES 2.1 2.8 4.6 5.9 6.6 9.3 9.1 10.1 10.7 8.3 4.6 2.0 HUMIDITY/% 70 67 67 67 67 71 72 73 74 71 70 70 BLOOM SEASON * * * * DAYS CLR N/A RAIN/MM 53 71 117 150 168 236 231 257 272 211 117 51 C AVG MAX 25.4 26.0 26.5 27.1 27.1 26.5 27.1 26.5 26.5 26.5 27.1 26.0 C AVG MIN 14.3 14.9 14.9 14.9 15.4 16.0 16.0 16.0 16.5 16.0 16.0 14.9 DIURNAL RANGE 11.1 11.1 11.6 12.2 11.7 10.5 11.1 10.5 10.0 10.5 11.1 11.1 S/HEMISPHERE JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN Cultural Recommendations: LIGHT: 2500-3000 fc. TEMPERATURES: Throughout the year, days average 78-81F (25-27C), and nights average 58-62F (14-17C), with a diurnal range of 18-22F (10-12C). HUMIDITY: 70-75% from summer into autumn, dropping to 65-70% in winter and spring. Plants require excellent air movement. WATER: Rainfall is moderate to heavy most of the year with slightly drier conditions for 3 months in winter. Cultivated plants should be kept moist but not soggy. Occasional early morning mistings may be beneficial, especially on bright, sunny days. FERTILIZER: 1/4-1/2 recommended strength. A balanced fertilizer should be applied weekly to biweekly throughout the year. REST PERIOD: Growing temperatures should be maintained all year. In the habitat, rainfall is lowest in winter, but dew and mist from fog and low clouds are common. Water and fertilizer should be reduced somewhat for cultivated plants, especially those grown in the dark, short-day conditions common during temperate-latitude winters. Plants should be kept on the dry side, but they should never be allowed to dry out completely. In the habitat, light is higher in winter. GROWING MEDIA: Plants may be mounted on tree-fern or cork slabs if humidity is high and plants are watered at least once daily in summer. When plants are potted, any open, fast-draining medium may be used. Repotting is best done in early spring when new roots are growing. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: The bloom season shown in the climate table is based on reports from the habitat. Plants may rarely bloom in spring. Growers indicate that excellent air circulation around the roots is critically important to a healthy plant. Canadian growers report that their plants bloom in Feb.-Mar. (Aug.-Sept.). Plant and Flower Information: PLANT SIZE AND TYPE: An erect, 35-79 in. (90-200 cm) sympodial epiphyte. PSEUDOBULB: 35 in. (90 cm) long, rarely to 79 in. (200 cm). The slender, canelike pseudobulbs are swollen at the base. They turn orange when dry. LEAVES: 8-10 at the apex of each growth. The leaves are 3-5 in. (8-13 cm) long, ovate-lanceolate, leathery, and suberect. INFLORESCENCE: 16 in. (41 cm) long. Numerous suberect or spreading inflorescence emerge through the leaf bases at the upper leaf nodes. FLOWERS: 18-20 per inflorescence. The slender flowers are 1.6 in. (4 cm) across. Sepals and petals are cream, yellowish, or greenish white. The linear petals are twisted 1-3 times. The lip is white or greenish and heavily suffused with lilac or purple. The lip midlobe is wavy and ruffled along the margin with 5 ridges on the callus. The 3-lobed lip is not recurved. HYBRIDIZING NOTES: Chromosome count is 2n = 38 (ref. 152, 243). As a parent, D. crispilinguum imparts color, a high degree of cold tolerance, and attractive, erect flowers. Plants are known to hybridize with D. lineale Rolfe and D. tangerinum Cribb. REFERENCES: 80, 84, 95, 152, 179, 196, 233, 243, 345, 379, 526, 551, 554. PHOTOS/DRAWINGS: 80, 84, 345. Copyright 1997, Charles O. Baker and Margaret L. Baker Sheet version 547509 ......................................................................... Please remember that this sheet is for your use only, and though it was provided free of charge, it may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any way without permission. ......................................................................... __________________________________________________________________________ "Orchid Species Culture" Charles & Margaret Baker, Portland, Oregon USA Orchid Culture & Pollination site http://www.orchidculture.com email <firstname.lastname@example.org> __________________________________________________________________________ "Orchid Species Culture Vol. 1 - Pescatorea, Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Pholidota, Phragmipedium, Pleione" 250 pages of culture information. "Orchid Species Culture Vol. 2 - Dendrobium" 850 pages of culture information for more than 1230 Dendrobium species. "The genus Paphiopedilum--Natural History and Cultivation" - Part 1 Dr. Guido Braem, Charles and Margaret Baker ISBN 0-9665337-0-4 Full page color photograph of each species. "The genus Paphiopedilum--Natural History and Cultivation" - Part 2 Dr. Guido Braem, Charles and Margaret Baker ISBN 0-9665337-1-2 Full page color photograph of each species. "Orchid Species Culture Vol. 3 - The Laelia/Cattleya Alliance" coming in a few months. __________________________________________________________________________