The Shade Plant Garden is an elite living collection of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG). I t covers an area of one hectare. It serves as a resource for research, public education, and horticultural display. It is a place of relaxation and tranquility, and an ideal place of drawing and painting for artists as well.
In early April, the Dendrobium orchids in full bloom ornament the Shade Plant Garden an ideal place for refreshment and relaxation. Come and enjoy them.
Dendrobiums come from South East Asia in an area that stretches from Northern India to the islands off the East coast of New Guinea and Australia to Polynesia. There are over a thousand known species of Dendrobium. Dendrobium has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many centuries to treat thirst, fever, diabetes, infection, cancer, and eye problems and improve appetite and digestion.
Here are just a few examples of the Dendrobium orchids:
Dendrobium cariniferum: Found in the Chinese Himalayas, Assam, Myanamar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in humid, mossy, mixed and coniferous forests on mossy branches of old, dwarf, gnarled trees and primary montane forests at elevations of 450 to 1800 meters as a miniature.
Dendrobium cariniferum
Dendrobium chrysanthum Golden Flowered Dendrobium is a large sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte, lithophyte on limestone cliffs. Its is widespread through the Himalayan foothills of the western Himalayas, Assam India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanamar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in humid, mossy, mixed and coniferous forests and primary, broadleafed, evergreen, lowland forests at an elevation of 350-2200 meters. It blooms from April till November on an axillary, very short, opposite of leaves, few to several flowered, racemose inflorescence that arise on the nodes on the upper portion of an immature leafed psuedobulb. The inflorescence arises opposite of the leaves with 1 to 3 fragrant, fleshy flowers. This species is best placed in a wire basket with well draining media to accommodate their pendant growth habit.
Dendrobium chrysanthum
The golden-bow Dendrobium or fried-egg orchid (Dendrobium chrysotoxum) is native to Southeast Asia. It is a highly fragrant, epiphytic growing orchid species.
Dendrobium chrysotoxum
Dendrobium thyrsiflorum is a species of orchid, commonly called the Pinecone-like Raceme.
Dendrobium thyrsiflorum
(All images were taken at the Shade Plant Garden of XTBG)
