Dendrobium crumenatum (Pigeon Orchid)

Finally!!! After a long long wait, the mass flowering of Dendrobium crumenatum is happening again today. 

This is one of the most common dendrobiums across S.E.Asia. The plants would burst into a frenzy of mass flowering all across Singapore after responding to specific environmental trigger/s. Some studies have documented it as about 9 days after a heavy rain storm.

Dendrobiums belong to a large group of orchids known as "epiphytes" which mean they attach themselves onto tree trunk/branches and derive nutrients from bird/animal droppings as well as decaying leaves trapped among its roots; which does not penetrate into the tree (as opposed to parasitic plants such as some species in the Ficus family).

The Chinese name of Dendrobium crumenatum is 木石斛  so yes it is closely related to the expensive TCM herb 石斛 sold in many TCM stores. However the type used in TCM is not D. crumenatum but D. officinale (铁皮石斛）or the extremely rare 霍山石斛 (D. catenatum). 

Ok. Now back to the beautiful D. crumenatum in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. FYI they bloom for only 1 day. 

The above pics were taken from various locations in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, including near block 1 as well as behind block 27.