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You're now delving into taxonomy.

In order to get a better understanding of Dendrobium "types", you must absolutely grasp that the genus Dendrobium is a very, very large genus of orchids containing anywhere between 1,200 to 1,500 species described by science, spread all throughout the Asian continent, Australia and its territories, as well as certain Indo-Pacific islands. These different "types" of Dendrobium taxonomically break this super-genus down into subgroups. Taxonomically speaking, these subgroups of Dendrobium have been designated scientific section names by orchid taxonomists. Hobbyists also tend to have their own common names for these subgroups of Dendrobium in place of the actual scientifically designated section name, (which is what you're aware of and referring to).

Each section of Dendrobium can have different cultivational needs from one another, but not always. Certain sections of Dendrobium will share some similar cultivational needs as each other.

Dendrobium species within the same section tend to have more similar, (not same, don't confuse the words "similar" and "same" with one another, these two words are not interchangeable in meaning), cultural needs to each other.

"Den-phal types" are orchids that are in the genus Dendrobium and section Phalaenanthe; when people are talking about these orchids they are usually referring to the species or hybrids of this group of Dendrobium. The reason why Dendrobiums in this section are referred to taxonomically as "Phalaenanthe" is because of the flowers in this group of Dendrobium resembling the flowers on a Phalaenopsis. If you're wondering why the 2 names look very similar to one another, it's because of the word "Phalaena", which is in reference to an outdated taxonomical name of certain moths. An example of a species that belongs to this section would be Dendrobiium biggibum.

"Antelope types" are usually referring to Dendrobium species or hybrids that have been classified within the section Spatulata. If you're wondering why these Dendrobium are named "Spatulata", you will have to recognize that the English word "spatula" is derived from the word "spatulata". The thing that probably reminded the taxonomist of a spatula was most likely the petals of the flowers on the species where they are relatively straight. This group of Dendrobium are the ones with petals where in some species they form spirals and point upwards like the horns of some antelope, (hence, hobbyists commonly referring to this group of Dendrobiums as "Antelope types"). On many of the species, the petals do not form spirals or do not form quite as many spirals, they are relatively straight and point upwards, again, like certain other species of antelope do. An example of Dendrobiums with upward pointing petals that spiral would be Dendrobium helix. An example of Dendrobiums with upward pointing petals that are relatively straight would be Dendrobium tangerinum.

"Dendrobium nobile types" is actually a misnomer. By hobbyist standards anything that resembles the species Dendrobium nobile would fall under this "type", because this is what the vast majority of growers recognize as the mascot of Denrobiums within this section of Dendrobium. Taxonomically speaking, Dendrobiums in this subgroup belong to the section Dendrobium, (yeah, you read correctly, section Dendrobium, not "Nobile"). This section does include the species Dendrobium nobile, but it also includes lesser known species such as Dendrobium lituiflorum.

"Formosae types" is a subgroup of Dendrobiums that taxonomically belong to the section Formosae. The Latin name "Formosae" is actually referring to what is currently called Taiwan, (known in the past as Formosa), it is not referring to any kind of physical characteristic of the plants that have been clumped into this section. The section name was given in reference to the type species Dendrobium formosum, which was found in Taiwan. However, be aware that there are species within this section that are not only found in Taiwan, but they are also being found all throughout Asia, (such as India or Japan, for example). These orchids tend to have fine black hairs all over the canes. They usually don't have pseudobulbs. A couple examples of species that belongs to this section would be Dendrobium formosum and Dendrobium longicornu.

Btw, there are other sections of Dendrobium, here are some other ones you may more commonly encounter:

- Aporum
- Calcarifera
- Callista
- Dendrocoryne
- Densiflora
- Latouria
- Oxypetalum
- Stachyobium

---------- Post added at 08:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 AM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiester (Post 694712)

Agreed. Each plant has to be researched to determine what others think are the best cultural requirements, then the grower has the choice to try the reported methods or try something new. But isn't this the way with most every orchid we grow in domestic cultivation?

The quick answer to your rhetoric question is, yes.

For example:

If 2 different people were growing the species Dendrobium cinnabarinum, but they were in completely different parts of the US. One method of growing that works for one grower, will not necessarily work for the other grower.

Assuming grower #1 lives in Southern Florida where it is very tropical in climate, the person would probably be able to get away with growing Dendrobium cinnabarinum outdoors all year round.

Whereas grower #2 lives in Nebraska where it snows during the winter, the person cannot grow Dendrobium cinnabarinum outdoors all year round.

Grower #1 might also have an easier time growing this species than grower #2.

Both growers might also choose different potting media in accordance to what they feel comfortable using to get the job done.

The above is a rather simplistic example.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiester (Post 694712)

I guess I wonder why it is that Dendrobium is always the genus that gets a bad rap for being complicated and fussy. Of course, I know there are other genera for which the same statement might apply... :D

I never had the realization that growers in general thought that Dendrobiums were complicated to grow and were fussy.

There are orchids classified within certain genera that are more "complicated and fussier" than others to grow. Some examples are orchids in the genus Caladenia, Thelymitra, or Disa.

Btw, the reason why orchids in the genus Disa are more "complicated" to figure out is because you cannot treat the different species of Disa exactly the same as one another. There is a reason why there is a very large rate of endemism with Disa in the country of South Africa alone. Of course, there are also other Disa from other parts of Africa that have not been accounted for. Each region that each species comes from is sometimes slightly different in specific ways. But some people, (particularly beginners), have been conditioned to believe that as long as the plant has been clumped together taxonomically that it means that they will grow the same way as one another - that is far from true.

What I mentioned about Disa does apply to the genus Dendrobium to some degree as well, only because orchids in the genus Dendrobium span a very large territory throughout the globe, and each territory is very different from one another. It is not possible to just say, "It's a Dendrobium, just grow it like a Dendrobium." Instead, it is more like, "It's a Dendrobium. Which section of Dendrobium does it belong to? Where do they generally grow, and what is the climate like?"

There are more details involved. It's not necessarily "complicated".

With Dendrobium, the plant's environmental needs and cultivation methods should be considered by section, then by species. Just because 2 different species are grouped under the same section doesn't necessarily mean that they are from regions that have the same exact environmental factors.