Cooktown orchid

Taxobox | name = Cooktown Orchid

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status = VU
status_system = QLDNCA
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Asparagales
familia = Orchidaceae
subfamilia = Epidendroideae
tribus = Dendrobieae
subtribus = Dendrobiinae
genus = Dendrobium
genus_authority = Sw, 1799
species = "D. phalaenopsis"
binomial = "Dendrobium phalaenopsis"
binomial_authority = ClementsThe Cooktown Orchid has been the floral emblem of Queensland since November 19, 1959.cite web
url = http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/queensland-act-1959.pdf
title = Badge, Arms, Floral and Other Emblems of Queensland Act 1959: 2 Floral emblem
accessdate = 2006-09-11
date = Reprinted 1997-12-10.
format = PDF
publisher = Office of Queensland Parliamentary Counsel
pages = 5 Not an authorised copy.] Its scientific name is "Dendrobium phalaenopsis", a recently created species after Clements reorganised the "Dendrobium bigibbum" complex. However, the scientific name "Dendrobium bigibbum" Lindl., 1852 is still the accepted name, according to World Checklist of Monocotyledons, orchid database of Kew Botanical Gardens [ [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?accepted_id=57202&repSynonym_id=-9998&name_id=58687&status=false Dendrobium phalaenopsis] ] The old name, "Dendrobium bigibbum" var. "superbum" is also recognised as a synonym.

This beautiful but variable orchid occurs in several subspecies. It used to be prolific around Cooktown but is now rare in the wild, due to over-collecting by commercial collectors. The colour of the flowers varies from pinkish-mauve to lavender or purple and sometimes almost white, with the base of the labellum being a much darker purple. [Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. "National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia". Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association. ISBN 0646397265 (pbk); ISBN 0646397257 Limited Edition leather-bound] ] [ [http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s335249.htm Useful information on the Cooktown Orchid] ]

The plants can grow up to 80 cm in height. The flowers are on canes 10-40 cm long. Flowering time is usually in the dry season between March and July; but sometimes all year in commercial cultivation.

Cultivation and uses

Likes a dry, sunny position with a minimum of watering and a temperature not below 13° C. Needs a bush-house in cooler climates. [Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. "National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia". Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association. ISBN 0646397265 (pbk); ISBN 0646397257 Limited Edition leather-bound] ] Cultivated plants often have much larger flowers than those in the wild. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s335249.htm Useful information on the Cooktown Orchid] ]

Queensland State Floral Emblem

Queensland, in preparation for its 1959 Centenary, sought advice what native species would be a good floral emblem. Specifically, the government was looking for an easily grown species found only in Queensland, which was decorative, distinctive, and close to the State colour, maroon. The Cooktown Orchid, which meets these criteria, was one of the four initial suggestions, the others being the Red Silky Oak (Grevillea banksii), the Umbrella Tree (Brassaia (now Schefflera) actinophylla), and the Wheel-of-Fire (Stenocarpus sinuatus). The Courier-Mail, a Brisbane newspaper, sought additional suggestions from its readers, and compiled a list of 13 possibilities. In a public poll, the Cooktown Orchid came in first place, the Red Silky Oak in second, and poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), already the floral emblem of the capital city Brisbane, came in third.cite web
url = http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/qld.emblem.html
title = Cooktown Orchid (Dendrobium phalaenopsis) - Floral Emblem of Queensland
accessdate = 2006-09-08
last = Boden
first = Anne
year = 1995
work = Floral Emblems of Australia
publisher = Australian National Botanic Gardens. Originally published by AGPS]

References

External links

* [http://www.naturespowerhouse.info/vsj_gallery.htm Illustration of the Cooktown Orchid by Vera Scarth-Johnson]
* [http://www.orchidculture.com/COD/FREE/Den_Art.html Dendrobium Species Culture: Part 2 - Dendrobium phalaenopsis]