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Species library › Dendrobium › Dendrobium macfarlanei
Orchids Partly documented

Dendrobium macfarlanei

Coastal shaggy orchid

A lowland epiphytic Dendrobium from New Guinea and Dauan Island in the Torres Strait. It forms crowded stems 30–60 cm long with flattened, fleshy, pointed leaves, and has pale greenish-cream flowers whose middle lip lobe is notched. It grows in lowland rainforest and beach scrub, so it needs hot, humid, bright conditions all year.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte with a very short rhizome, growing in lowland rainforest and beach scrub. The coastal scrub habitat and its fleshy, flattened leaves suggest it takes fairly bright light and brief dry spells, in warm, humid, sea-influenced air.

Records rarely carry an elevation. The habitats described, lowland rainforest and beach scrub, and localities such as Dauan Island and the Baxter River point to near sea level up to a few hundred metres.

Papua New Guinea (south coast, Sepik and inland lowlands)Indonesia: western New GuineaAustralia: Queensland (Dauan Island, Torres Strait)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.