Dendrobium speciosum (Rock Orchid)

Native to eastern Australia, this orchid grows on rocks or on tree trunks and branches. Clumps of ribbed canes carry leaves near their tips. Long flowering stems bear numerous cream to yellow flowers, sometimes more than one hundred on a single stem. The lower petal, or lip, is marked with purple spots. Wild plants inhabit forests, including sandstone and granite outcrops. Established clumps can be divided. Some wild populations have been damaged by illegal collection. Photographed in Ecuador.