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Species library › Dendrobium › Dendrobium stratiotes
Orchids Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Dendrobium stratiotes

A large cane-forming epiphytic Dendrobium from the Moluccas and nearby islands east to New Guinea. It belongs to the 'antelope' group with twisted, upright petals. It is famous for extremely long-lasting flowers: blooms at Kew have been reported to stay fresh for up to nine months. It is a hot lowland plant that wants strong light, warmth all year and good drainage.

Dendrobium stratiotes
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Herbarium records put it in lowland forest in the northern Moluccas (Halmahera at about 100 m, and forest on Morotai) and on Manam, a volcanic island off Madang in Papua New Guinea. The sources consulted do not describe its microhabitat. Related antelope dendrobiums typically grow high in the canopy of hot lowland and coastal forest, in strong light.

The only dated elevation is about 100 m on Halmahera. The other collections are also from lowland islands, so it is best treated as a hot lowland species.

Maluku (Halmahera, Morotai)SulawesiLesser Sunda IslandsNew Guinea (including Manam 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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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.