July 2018 Plant of the Evening

Dendrobium (Dockrilla)Tweetas 'Red Lips'.

It is a well-grown small specimen of Dockrillia. The plant had 16 inflorescences, each with 2 to 4 open well-shaped and attractively coloured flowers. Lateral spread of the flowers was 32 mm which is large for this type of orchid. The tepals are yellow-green with striated greyed purple markings towards the centre. The labella are also yellow-green but with purplish red edges, hence the clone name of ‘Red Lips’.

This is an Australasian hybrid belonging to the Rhizobium section of Dendrobium. It is a cross between D. Tweetie and D. striolatum, with the former being progeny of two Papua New Guinea species, namely D. fuliginosum and D. contextum. It is interesting to note that both the latter two species are highly coloured but have rather poor shape. The nice shape of D. Tweetas ‘Red Lips’ must have come from D. striolatum. This hybrid which flowers this time of the year (July) is earlier than the normal flowering time of D. striolatum, viz. September to November in Sydney. This is a cross that has produced quite a few good quality hybrids which have won quality and cultural awards, namely ‘Red Lips’, ‘Violet Lip’ and ‘Mustard’ in the last 10 years.

According to Reiner, he hangs his plant high up in the 50% shade house all year around to ensure good light and air movement which are important for healthy growth and flowering.

Note: Den. Tweetas 'Red Lips' - Photos by Sau-wan Chan