Language: English
Dendrobium species are attractive, conspicuous and numerous along the entire eastern coast of Australia, and are popular plants for culture and breeding of colourful hybrids. In contrast to the other books in the series so far, where a selection of species was made, all Australian species and their variants (around 80) are included. There is a full spectrum of plant form from some of the smallest mat-forming dendrobiums to the largest in the genus, being over two metres tall and several metres across. The unusual and rarer species of Cape York Peninsula and central Queensland are uncommon in collections and seldom seen, requiring travel to remote places. Some of the most striking Dendrobium habitats are illustrated.
There have been a number of approaches to the classification of Dendrobium and related genera over the past 30 years. Classification and nomenclature are always evolving as new information becomes available. Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 6 (2014) included evidence from morphology, DNA and all other areas of study and provided an international consensus for Dendrobium, bringing a long-awaited degree of stability to the genus. A Guide to Dendrobium of Australia follows the Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 6 approach and the Kew Monocot Checklist, and considers all available published evidence on the genus. An identification key to the sections is provided, and species are arranged in a checklist according to sections.
Foreword vii
Message ix
Introduction
History of Discovery 1
The Variety of Australian Dendrobiums 2
Habitats 3
1. Tropical 3
2. Sub-Tropical 8
3. Temperate 11
4. Rocky Outcrops in Wet Sclerophyll Forest, Eastern Victoria and Eastern Tasmania 12
5. Pacific and Other Islands 12
Classification and Taxonomy of Dendrobium in Australia 14
Pollination 15
Key to the sections of Dendrobium in Australia 15
1. Section Aporum 17
2. Section Biloba 18
3. Section Brevisaccata 18
4. Section Cadetia 18
5. Section Calyptrochilus 18
6. Section Conostalix 19
7. Section Crinifera 19
8. Section Dendrobium 19
9. Section Dendrocoryne 19
10. Section Diplocaulobium 20
11. Section Eleutheroglossum 20
12. Section Grastidium 20
13. Section Latouria 20
14. Section Lichenastrum 21
15. Section Monophyllaea 21
16. Section Phalaenanthe 21
17. Section Rhizobium 21
18. Section Spatulata 22
The Species 23
Glossary 140
Further Reading 142
Acknowledgements 143
Photo Credits 143
Appendix 144
Index 146
Dr. Peter B. Adams (Ph.D. University of Melbourne) is a Research Associate at the School of Botany, University of Melbourne, and National Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. He has been involved in Dendrobium research for more than 30 years, including extensive field work with populations of Dendrobium species in all Australian states where they occur, and has written three books on orchids as well as numerous articles in the international research literature. He is a grower, breeder and photographer of Australian orchids, particularly section Dendrocoryne, and is Victorian State Judging Registrar for the Australasian Native Orchid Society and an Australian Orchid Council judge. He was a contributor to Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 6 which covers the genus Dendrobium.