Dendrobium teretifolium

Rat's tail orchid

An eastern Australian epiphyte with wiry, hanging, branched stems and long, pencil-like terete leaves 10–60 cm long. In late winter and spring it produces crowded sprays of spidery white, cream or yellow flowers marked with red or purple. Grow it mounted and hanging, in bright light with plenty of air, like the coastal tree-dweller it is.

Dendrobium teretifolium — Photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

In New South Wales it grows almost exclusively on swamp oak (Casuarina glauca) in coastal districts, near streams, estuaries and mangroves, and occasionally on rainforest trees. In Queensland it is often recorded on hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii). It sometimes grows on rocks in rainforest and humid open forest.

The GBIF records span 4–1,150 m with a median of 600 m (38 records); most plants on swamp oak are near sea level, and the higher records are from the ranges inland.

Coastal New South Wales, AustraliaQueensland, Australia

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.