Hook.
Pendent epiphyte to 50 cm long and slender branched, bearing few linear-oblong leaves from bead-like.
Description
Dendrobium falconeri is a pendent epiphytic orchid native to the Himalayas, ranging from Nepal and northeast India through Bhutan to Myanmar, Thailand, and southwest China. It grows on mossy tree trunks and branches in humid montane forests at 800–2,000 m elevation.
The plant has slender, branching, wiry stems up to 50 cm long, bearing small, linear-oblong leaves at intervals along bead-like nodes. The flowers are among the most beautiful in the genus: 4–5 cm across, white to pale pink with bright purple tips on the petals and a large, trumpet-shaped lip marked with two conspicuous maroon-purple blotches and a yellow throat. Flowers appear singly or in pairs from leafless nodes, typically from March to May.
Dendrobium falconeri is prized in orchid cultivation for its striking colour pattern. In the wild, it is increasingly rare due to overcollection and deforestation. Listed under CITES Appendix II.
Author: Hook. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan, CITES Checklist, OrchidSpecies.com