Dendrobium friedericksianum

Native to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, it is an orchid that grows on trees in evergreen forests. Its pendulous, cane-like pseudobulbs develop longitudinal ridges and grooves. Lance-shaped leaves grow alternately in two rows and often fall before flowering. Small flower clusters emerge from nodes along the canes, usually blooming in February and March in Thailand. The glossy yellow blooms have a large lip that may be plain yellow or marked with reddish-purple spots or streaks near its base. It is the provincial flower of Chanthaburi, Thailand, where conservation programs propagate plants for reintroduction. The species has become much less common in the wild in Thailand. Photographed in Florida.