The Streaked Rock Orchid: A Tough Mini from Down Under
The Streaked Rock Orchid is a wonderful Australian native. Its strange flowers resemble elaborate birds in flight. Its little, pencil-like leaves turn purplish-red in the sun, making it look like a pointy, colorful hedgehog. In the wild, Dendrobium striolatum lives attached to rocky cliffs in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. Our orchid is happily growing outdoors on the Northern California coast.
This plant stubbornly refused to flower for the first six years I had it, but has since become a very reliable bloomer. It responds well to doses of compost or worm castings, and receives regular water, good humidity, and strong air movement. Full sun turns its thin leaves a deep purplish-red, ensuring that it’s always a colorful garden denizen, even when not in bloom. This species doesn’t seem to need repotting like most orchids. I rarely repot it unless its unruly mass overflows the flowerpot. In the wild, it’s a lithophyte, growing with its roots clinging to rocks. The species’ name was changed from Dockrillia striolata to Dendrobium striolatum. Fortunately, the common name, Streaked Rock Orchid, remains the same.
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