About Dendrobium bowmanii Benth.
Dendrobium bowmanii Benth. is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb. It has thin, wiry, straggly, spreading or pendent stems that grow up to 600 mm (20 in) long and around 4 mm (0.2 in) wide, with a small number of branches. Its leaves are cylindrical, dark green, 50–150 mm (2–6 in) long, and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. Flowering stems are 20–80 mm (0.8–3 in) long, and bear up to four greenish yellow to pale brown flowers. Each flower is 16–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long and 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) wide, with a few reddish streaks. The sepals and petals spread apart from one another; sepals measure 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide, while petals are a similar length but narrower. The labellum is white, about 20 mm (0.8 in) long and 6 mm (0.2 in) wide, and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect, the middle lobe curves downward, has wavy edges, and bears three ridges along its midline. Flowering occurs year-round, with main flowering flushes from August to November and February to June. This species, commonly called the straggly pencil orchid, grows in drier rainforests and coastal scrub, ranging from Forty Mile Scrub National Park in Queensland to the Clarence River in New South Wales. It is also widespread across New Caledonia. Rarely, it has been recorded hybridizing with the cucumber orchid (Dendrobium cucumerinum) where the two species grow together.
