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Species library › Dendrobium › Dendrobium macropus
Orchids Partly documented

Dendrobium macropus

Norfolk Island cane orchid

A cane-type Dendrobium endemic to Norfolk Island, growing on trees and rocks in the island's remnant humid subtropical forest. It has slender yellow-green canes 15–35 cm long and short sprays of small, fragrant, cream-yellow, self-pollinating flowers that barely open, in late winter to spring. It needs mild, humid, maritime conditions with no real heat or cold.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets 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

Epiphytic or lithophytic in humid forest on Norfolk Island, now largely confined to the remnant subtropical rainforest of Norfolk Island National Park around Mount Pitt and Mount Bates. It grows on trunks and branches and on rocks, in the moist, sheltered, breezy conditions of a small oceanic island.

Recorded elevations are 170–240 m (median 194 m, 5 records). The island's highest point, Mount Bates, is only 319 m, so the whole range is lowland to low hill forest.

Norfolk Island

🔒 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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More Dendrobium

Dendrobium bigibbum Dendrobium nobile Dendrobium phalaenopsis Dendrobium kingianum Dendrobium canaliculatum Dendrobium moniliforme Dendrobium bracteosum Dendrobium unicum Dendrobium regium Dendrobium taurinum Dendrobium speciosum Dendrobium tetragonum All 1696 →

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