Dendrobium cyanocentrum var. blueWell… I did not get the actual flask to flower, that would have been quite a trick, but rather the orchid seedling in it and I am so excited! This is a very big day for me as an orchid grower. The very first flask baby that I have raised all the way from a flask to a flower is now blooming! It is a Dendrobium cyanocentrum that I bought as a very tiny seedling from Equatorial Plants in August of 2008. D. cyanocentrum is beautiful little miniature epiphyte from New Guinea where it grows in mountain forests at altitudes of 100 to 1300 meters. It was sold to me as the blue variety, but I am wondering if it is not the alba form I have since it is clearly not blue. I wrote Dick at Equatorial Plants and asked him, but have not heard back from him yet, but I will let you know what he says.

Dendrobium cyanocentrum var. blueDendrobium cyanocentrum var. blueIn either case, it is absolutely gorgeous little thing. I think the flowers look like some sort of a bird with a yellow beak and blue eyes. It has an amazing root system and it grows very vigorously and forms into a tight ball. The leaves have a red or purple tone to the edges and undersides. I got three flowers this first time and they measure about 1,5 cm across. The whole plant is no more than 8 cm. I grow mine mounted on cork in the warm vivarium so it really likes it nice and warm with high RH and fairly bright light. I grow mine about 20 cm from the lights and keep it evenly moist all year.

Equatorial Plants has a pretty good deal where they will deflask the seedlings for you and then send you a “hobby flask” of 5 freshly deflasked little seedlings. This way you you don’t have to order a whole flask at a time. Good for us with limited space who still want to give babies a try. This is what I did in 2008, and I have kept 2 of my 5 babies and sold or traded with  the rest. From what I read this plant is not very common in cultivation which is hard to believe. It is sooo beautiful and does not take up much space.