Dendrobium bigibbum var. compactum

Dendrobium bigibbum var. compactum

Dendrobium bigibbum is a species of genus Dendrobium, it has been the floral emblem of Queensland since November 19, 1959.

This beautiful but variable orchid occurs in several subspecies. It used to be prolific around Cooktown but is now rare in the wild, due to over-collecting by commercial collectors. The colour of the flowers varies from pinkish-mauve to lavender or purple and sometimes almost white, with the base of the labellum being a much darker purple.

The plants can grow up to 80 cm in height. The flowers are on canes 10-40 cm long. Flowering time is usually in the dry season between March and July; but sometimes all year in commercial cultivation.

Queensland, in preparation for its 1959 Centenary, sought advice what native species would be a good floral emblem. Specifically, the government was looking for an easily grown species found only in Queensland, which was decorative, distinctive, and close to the State colour, maroon. The Cooktown Orchid, which meets these criteria, was one of the four initial suggestions, the others being the Red Silky Oak (Grevillea banksii), the Umbrella Tree (Brassaia (now Schefflera) actinophylla), and the Wheel-of-Fire (Stenocarpus sinuatus). The Courier-Mail, a Brisbane newspaper, sought additional suggestions from its readers, and compiled a list of 13 possibilities. In a public poll, the Cooktown Orchid came in first place, the Red Silky Oak in second, and poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), already the floral emblem of the capital city Brisbane, came in third.

http://orchids.wikia.com/wiki/Dendrobium_bigibbum