Common Name:

General Information

Dendrobium purpureum is a large epiphytic orchid with a pseudobulb and pendulous stems growing 60 - 150 cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use[]. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental in the tropics and in greenhouses in cooler zones[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia, New Guinea.

Habitat

Mixed forest, often on ridges, from sea-level up to elevations of 900 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant has a symbiotic relationship with a species of soil-dwelling fungus. It is important that spores of this fungus are present in any soil in which the plant is grown[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The crushed and heated leaves are poulticed on infected nails, for cooling and maturing[]..

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow, preferably as soon as it is ripe, in a container and do not allow the compost to dry out. The seed of this species is extremely simple, it has a minute embryo surrounded by a single layer of protective cells. It contains very little food reserves and depends upon a symbiotic relationship with a species of soil-dwelling fungus. The fungal hyphae invade the seed and enter the cells of the embryo. The orchid soon begins to digest the fungal tissue and this acts as a food supply for the plant until it is able to obtain nutrients from decaying material in the soil[]. It is best to use some of the soil that is growing around established plants in order to introduce the fungus, or to sow the seed around a plant of the same species and allow the seedlings to grow on until they are large enough to move.

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