Dendrobium epiphyticum

(Synomyn Thelychiton epiphyticus)

Illawarra Rock Orchid

The name Dendrobium is derived from the ancient Greek words dendron meaning "tree" and bios meaning "life", referring to the epiphytic habit of most species
The specific epithet (epiphyticum) is derived from the Ancient Greek words epi meaning "beside', "upon", "over" or "after", and phyton meaning "plant" referring to the epiphytic habit of this orchid

Flowers

Between twenty and fifty cream-coloured or pale yellow flowers 30–40 mm long and 40–50 mm wide are arranged on a flowering stem 250–450 mm long
The dorsal sepal is oblong, 25–35 mm long and 4–5 mm wide
The lateral sepals are 20–25 mm long, about 5 mm wide, strongly curved and spread widely apart from each other
The petals are linear to oblong, 22–30 mm long, 3–4 mm wide and curved
The labellum is cream-coloured with reddish purple markings, 11–15 mm long and 11–13 mm wide with three lobes
The sides lobes are erect and blunt and the middle lobe has a rounded tip
Flowering occurs between September and November

Fruit:

Leaves:

Each pseudobulb has between three and five thick, leathery, dark green leaves originating from its top
The leaves are 80–160 mm long and 30–60 mm wide

Stem & branches:

Roots:

Habit:

An epiphytic or lithophytic herb
With spreading roots and cylindrical or tapering, green to yellowish pseudobulbs 50–150 mm long and 25–40 mm wide

Habitat:

Grows on trees in moist forest and rainforest, sometimes on cliffs near waterfalls

Distribution:

Additional notes:

Taxonomy and naming
- First formally described in 2006 by David Jones and Mark Clements from a plant grown in the Australian National Botanic Gardens from a specimen collected on the Cambewarra Mountain
- It was given the name Thelychiton epiphyticus and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research
- In 2014, Julian Shaw changed the name to Dendrobium epiphyticum

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