During the Orchid Show, Dendrobium thyrsiflorum is an attractive orchid adding flavor of the Shade Plant Garden.

Dendrobium thyrsiflorum is an epiphytic orchid grown for its fragrant clusters of large, white, yellow-lipped blooms. This evergreen perennial is native to mountain forests of southern Asia from the eastern Himalayas to Vietnam. It typically grows on tree trunks in the wild.

The leathery, lance-shaped leaves of this upright-growing orchid are held on narrowly conical, conspicuously ridged, 6- to 18-inch (15- to 45- cm) stems. The flowers occur in dense drooping clusters that develop at the stem tips and nodes from late winter into spring.

This high-altitude orchid requires bright partial shade, mild summers, and cool, relatively dry winters. Plant it in a hanging basket or cork plaque in a coarse bark mix, or anchor it to a log or tree limb. Water freely in summer and sparingly in the cool season. Increase water when new roots appear in spring. High humidity and good air movement are ideal both indoors and out. Use it as an accent in a small tree or as a specimen houseplant. It makes an excellent subject for a cool-tropical greenhouse habitat.