"...my first thought is Den. adae as it is another with attractive flowers and perfume and it is also one I'm struggling to grow from seedling size."
follow up for D. adae...

"Stephen Kemp asked for everyone to list the dendrobe they would most like to add to their collection.
This is too easy: I would vote for my favorite of ALL the orchids-Den kingianum."

"...I recently purchased a den. pierardii and I am a bit unsure as to when the watering and fertilizing should resume after the rest period. I could not find much info on its culture apart that it need a good dry rest period to flower properly.

My plant is now showing buds on the stems.
Do I start watering now? and how often?
Do I start fertilizing the plant now or wait for new shoots to appear first..."
follow up for D. aphyllum...

"...So will someone please help me bloom my Dend. linguiforme? It grows like a weed, has beautiful long roots in the 90 % RH. Mounted on cork. It bloomed once, but now just sits there and sulks."
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"...Best thing to remember with most (not all...) of the 'terete-leaved' dendrobes (dockrillias) is that they love high light - lots of it! Especially during the winter months.

Mine are flowering now under 70% shadecloth in subtropical, winter-sunny Grafton."
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"I have several pieces of Den. linguiforme, it grows like a weed for me (with about 50-70% humidity) and I have several plants as a result. However, it has never bloomed for me, I would also like to know how to get it to bloom."
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"...They like good sunlight and grow on cliff faces near water courses so you may need to treat it a bit meaner. Like many Aussie dens, they don't get that much water but get good humidity. Make sure you don't feed it too much and rest it during winter. They need a bit of cold to initiate flowering so if you are growing it in a glasshouse it may need moving outside but should not expose it too much to freezing temperatures."
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"Due to my lack of success with this plant you are probably asking the wrong person about culture. It grows in the ranges of Northern Queensland so can tolerate low temperatures. Good light and good humidity is one key.
Apparently it likes good air movement as well."
follow up for D. adae...

"...Jim Brasch inquired re culture of Den linguiforme-now preferably called Dockrillia linguiforme.
I grow this in the cool house, with a min nite temp of 48F (it tolerates temps down to freezing), on a cork tube, hanging up near the glass in full sun without shade. It is watered nearly every day, except in winter when I dry it, and fed with 200ppm of N/wk in a formula of 9-30-25. I dry it out in the winter.
In Upton's book on Dendrobium Orchids of Australia, he advises watering every day in the evening in summer, and in the early morning in winter, and does not apparently dry it out. Mine usually blooms in Mar-April, and runs a close race with kingianum for my favorite orchid."
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"Dendrobium speciosum variety grandiflorum (Den rex) is my all time favorite Dendrobium with the variety hillii (Den. tarberi) running a very close second. It is hard to beat mature plants that are easy to grow, adaptable to a wide range of climates and will reward you with literally thousands of extremely fragrant flowers.
As a matter of fact, if one were to visit my web site http://www.kexplorers.com and click on the orchid flower, with some little navigation, you would discover my fascination with the entire D. speciosum complex.

For Michael Miles: A visit to my web site will give you some cultural information regarding Den. adae. BTW, what is the proper pronunciation for the species epithet of this orchid? Some choices, ada-eh or add-eye???"
follow up for D. adae...
follow up for D. speciosum...

"...Favourite Dendrobium?
There's so many hybrids but infundibulum is an eye-catcher and fimbriatum is gorgeous."

"...Here's my 2 cents. Den. unicum is the neatest little flower I've yet to bring to bloom. Looks like a little boiled shrimp with its long rolled lip, petals and sepals thrown back (recursive?), and pinkish-orange color. There were several HUGE displays in Vancouver last May at the WOC --- well, "huge" is a relative term, comparing them to the three tiny sprigs I was able to maintain for a couple of years. I want another."
follow up for D. unicum...

"...I too like the idea of an orchid genus of the month, and keeping with Dendrobiums, mine would have to be D. speciosum. Being Australian I'll admit my bias, but it is one of the most spectacular orchids that I've seen in its natural state.

Getting back to your problem with D. linguiforme, I have had this orchid for a number of years now and have had moderate success with flowering it.
One of the main factors that I have become aware of is the need for a good amount of light prior to flowering time. This year my plant received the full morning sun all through winter and has had its best show of flowers so far. Besides regular watering through summer and fertiliser aplications I am unsure of any further advice. Hope this helps!"
follow up for D. linguiforme...

"Since I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hopefully this information will help Jim to bloom his Den. linguiforme. I find that all of the Australian dendrobes really require a large diurnal range during the late fall to properly trigger them into blooming. Depending on the temps outside, in early November I allow the nights to dip to just under 10 C (50 F) and jump the day temps to 24 C (75 F). I keep this up for about 3 weeks. Of course I cut back on the water leading up to and during this period since it would wreak havoc with rot setting in ! Give as much brightness as you can provide, at least 4000 fc (strong cattleya light), and within a couple of months you should have a mass of flowers ! This treatment works with all of my other Aussie dendrobes as well, like speciosum, tetragonum, kingianum and all of their hybrids.

I know that Jim lives less than an hour away from here, so this should work for him. Unfortunately I don't know if this will help Michael in Vancouver. I would think your biggest challenge will be providing enough light during the winter to accompany the dryness and temperature dips. Good luck gentlemen, it is definitely worth the effort !!!"

"Now THAT is a real toughie ! How can you pick a favorite out of such a large and rewarding group ?!? I suppose if I had to pick one today (since my answer could be different next week), I would have to say Den. spectabile. The bizarre, showy, waxy and fragrant flowers mesmerize every visitor to the greenhouse. The fact that the flowers last a good 3 to 4 months for me, also makes the effort worthwhile !!! I'll sign off now since I know that if I continue typing, I'll add another twenty or so to this list."

"Hi George and list members
>From memory, 'add-ay' seems to be the favoured way of pronouncing it - correct or otherwise it certainly is cute, as is it's compatriot and fellow tree-sharer D. fleckeri.

Personally, I don't have a favourite dendrobe - and with that many to choose from who blames me!

I would nominate one in each section, but that would take up too much time (like this message is starting to), so I guess I will have to toss my hat in the ring and say D. miyakei, a ?Philippino (maybe Vietnamese - I can't remember) member of the ?Pedilonum section - with softcane-like growths, and axillary clusters of flowers of magnificent mauve, red-purple and reddish hues. One plant I have has canes 1 metre (39") long and is now flowering again for the seventh time on that cane - only a few clusters at once on each cane, but there are 12 clusters on the plant at the moment.
And best of all, I can grow it outside!"
follow up for D. miyakei...

"My favorite Den. is (are actually) canaliculatum and carronii. Very cute when mounted. Neat little flowers with a twist. Also cuthbersonii. I don't like the type of Dens. that are all long canes with leaves dropping off. My orchids live in the house in the winter so much of the time that I look at them, they aren't in flower. So I pick them as much for their form and foliage as I do for their flowers. This is one reason I like mounted orchids as I think they are much more aesthetic to look at."
follow up for D. cuthbertsonii...

"Just a quick note to let you know that Dendrobium goldschmidtianum is actually the correct name for this horticulturally attractive species from Section Pedilonum, formerly known as Dendrobium miyakei.

Dr. Fritz Kränzlin named this species in 1909 in Feddes Repertorium Speciarum Novarum Regnis Vegetabilis. The name honours a Mr. Goldschmidt - the first person to flower this beautiful species in Europe. Dendrobium goldschmidtianum is an earlier name of the better known Dendrobium miyakei (named by Schlechter in 1919). Interestingly, there was a time it was considered a variety of the superb Dendrobium victoriae-reginae.

Dendrobium goldschmidtianum is found in the mountains of southern Taiwan and Batan Island in the northern Philippines. It grows as an epiphyte at altitudes of over 1,000 metres. ..."
follow up for D. goldschmidtianum...

"Hands down my winner is Dendrobium quadrangulare. A miniature orchid with small white flowers dusted with silver sparkles. It is intensely fragrant and will perfume my entire greenhouse. It is very floriferous, but unfortunately the flowers don't last too long, however the perfume alone is worth the wait. It is so beautiful that I now own 5 plants. ..."
follow up for D. quadrangulare...

"My favorite dendrobium is Den. lasianthera and any hybrids made from this fabulous species. Living in a sub-tropical climate, I grow my lasiantheras in mostly full sun. The largest specimen is 9 feet tall (3 metres?). The intense colors, beguiling flower form, and robust nature of this species make it a very good choice as a landscape plant for tropical and subtropical gardens.

But dendrobium that I consider to be the most fun is Den. crumenatum, also known as the pigeon orchid. Exactly 9 days after a 10 degree (F) drop in temperature, the plant is in full bloom with the most intensely fragrant white blooms that resemble little doves in flight. Unfortunately, the blooms last only one day, but what a day! One time, the flowers buds on my plant were due to bloom during a vacation I had scheduled with my family - so I just carried it along on the long drive to the hotel, and the next morning the hotel room was filled with the most delicious aroma. It made the whole vacation that much more enjoyable!"

"...As to favorite Dendrobium: today that would be Den. finisterrae and Den. blumei (sp?). finisterrae is very hairy, very strange looking and seems to be an easy fellow to grow. blumei is very small (approx. 3 in. or 8 cm, but I better not go there...), bifoliate with small, nicely fragrant, though short-lived cream colored flowers.
Sadly, my blumei has succumed to my ignorance. I am saving up to buy the Bakers' book on Dendrobiums before I make another attempt at this one."
follow up for D. blumei...

"I guess my favorite Dendrobium would be Den cuthbertsonii- cool growing,lasts 6 mo, and comes in red, orange, yellow, and many variations. ..."
follow up for D. cuthbertsonii...

"... My favourite dendrobe ? Can't choose just one, so how about either D. bracteosum (short stems smothered in flowers year-round, with each flower lasting 4-6 months, and comes in several different bicolour forms eg white with an orange lip) or D. sanderae var. majus (for sheer elegance and magnificence plus huge bicoloured flowers). ..."

"My favourite Dendrobium would have to be anosmum (syn. superbum). I don't actually grow it at the moment, due to lack of room and heat. But that's going to change very soon. We are now heading into spring ('downunder') and I am purchasing several seedlings of different forms to raise over the savage summer. Then when winter returns I will have constructed a third growing area, dedicated to the heat-lovers. The Coryanthes will also move into here, and presumably grow much faster.
Anyway, back to anosmum. I saw a large specimen several years ago. What a species! Long pendulous canes with large, fragrant, vibrant flowers.
The whole thing anchored on a huge block of treefern, and obviously loving it. But if I thought this was a champion, there is an awarded clone (Doll's Delight CCM 92) that measured 153cm, and carried 310 flowers of 11cm width. The whole thing topped off with a raspberry fragrance. (all details from Wildcatt database)
So if you have hanging space in your glasshouse then you can have it all."
follow up for D. anosmum...

"we have a picture of the clone frank cited on our website ... may i please refer everyone to www.iosoc.com, or, for the impatient, directly to http://www.iosoc.com/awardsnatl.htm
i think everyone will enjoy the second picture of this dainty miniature (heheheheheh)"
follow up for D. anosmum...

"In OGD V1 #58, J.Hirt's hands-down winner of the favourite Dendrobium contest was D. quadrangulare, described as "A miniature orchid with small white flowers dusted with silver sparkles, intensely fragrant."

I think J. Hirt needs to change the label on his/her orchids, as the name D. quadrangulare has fallen into disuse. It was used by Ridley for a plant that had earlier been called D. pumilum by Parish & Reichenbach. D. quadrangulare was also used by Parish & Reichenbach for a species that had previously been described by Reichenbach as D. hymenanthum (yes, he often described a plant twice under different names). To add to the confusion, D. quadrangulare has also been used for plants that are actually D. pachyphyllum (Kuntze) Bakhuizen. From the description, I'd say J. Hirt's plants are probably D. hymenanthum Rchb.f.

In OGD V1 #59, Tom Bell-Games nominated Dendrobium blumei for the award: "Den. blumei is very small (approx. 3 in. or 8 cm), bifoliate with small, nicely fragrant, though short-lived cream colored flowers." This doesn't sound like D. blumei Lindley, which is in section Rhopalanthe and is a close relative of the pigeon orchid, D. crumenatum. D. blumei reaches 20-40 cm tall, has swollen internodes on the lower stem and up to 10 leaves on the upper stem. The flowers are solitary, white with red markings, and last only one day. Tom's plant sounds rather like D. hymenanthum (see above), which has short bifoliate stems. It could also possibly be an Epigenium species.... this genus used to be part of Dendrobium, but was split off by Gagnepain in 1932. Many Epigenium species have short bifoliate stems."

"One of my favorites, I had many years ago was D. pierdi. (If this is spelled wrong, its because of bad handwriting then). It was a plant that flowered every winter with pretty pink blossoms."
follow up for D. aphyllum...

"... Many a true word spoken in jest Deb. Many growers in warmer regions use cooling methods (not fridges) to grow cold growers such as Masdevallias.
While as mentioned, Aussie temperate dendrobes tolerate a wide range in temperature, many do rely on a cold winter to initiate flowering. There are the Australasian Native orchid Society pages at http://www.ozemail.com.au/~graemebr/ have photos and info about some Aussie species.

As for the pronunciation of Den. adae, I think you have it right Greg as "a-day" as it derives from a lady named Ada (Stuart). In Latin, female derivatives end in -e while masculine end in -i (such as fleckeri or stuartii). This ending should be pronounced as -ay but it is often mispronounced as "-eye". adae I have probably most often heard pronounced as aydee (rhyming with lady) which I am sure is not correct. But then I'm no student of Latin."

"...I would suggest that John Atwood did not have all the literature available to him, particularly the references to Dendrobium pumilum (what I also consider a synonym of D. quadrangulare.) Peter O'Byrne has seen more Dendrobium species than many do in a lifetime, and he also keeps up-to-date with orchid nomenclature. I find his orchid related comments valued on OGD.

Just because a plant has received an AOS award, it does not always reflect the correct botanical name. The American Orchid Society awards register (which I have a copy) is littered with "old" names, which are never updated.
This is certainly no reflection on the AOS judges, many of whom are friends of mine.

For example, here are just a few of the Dendrobium species which have been awarded by the AOS, followed with their correct botanical name (...);

Dendrobium aggregatum (D. lindleyi)
Dendrobium arachnites (D. unicum)
Dendrobium beckleri (Dockrillia schoenina)
Dendrobium dalhousieanum (D. pulchellum)
Dendrobium fusiforme (D. jonesii)
Dendrobium miyakei (D. goldschmidtianum)
Dendrobium munificum (Inobulbon munificum)
Dendrobium ophioglossum (D. capituliflorum)
Dendrobium pierardii (D. aphyllum)
Dendrobium ruppianum (D. jonesii)
Dendrobium sophronites (D. cuthbertsonii)
Dendrobium superbum (D. anosmum) {we should all know that one!) ;-)
Dendrobium topaziacum (D. bullenianum)
Dendrobium tosaense (D. stricklandianum)
Dendrobium undulatum (D. discolor) ..."