Dendrobium devonianum

Dendrobium devonianum is a species of orchid. It is native to southern China, the eastern Himalayas, and northern Indochina. It is an epiphyte that grows on tree trunks in mountain forests.

Description

Dendrobium devonianum is an orchid and its structure is based in three outer sepals, three inner petals, and a column formed by fused stamens and pistils. This species exhibits distinctive floral characteristics that includes a white labellum with a compound fringes margin and yellow spots on either side. The labellum's surface is densely populated with numerous conical and semicircular papillae, while the mesochile and epichile regions display jagged, branched epidermal cell structures and multicellular trichomes.

Taxonomy

From a study based on the construction of the phylogenomic tree using homologous genes from Dendrobium devonianum and 15 other plant species it was determined that Dendrobium devonianum clustered with Dendrobium catenatum, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, Dendrobium huoshanense and Dendrobium nobile. The divergence time between Dendrobium devonianum and Dendrobium nobile was estimated at approximately 18.79 million years ago.

Distribution and habitat

D. devonianum is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This orchid is valued as ornamental and medicinal plant in China from over a century.