I found the discovery of this orchid quite intriguing. I have walked this track so many times and Terry from land care and I discovered this ‘spider orchid’ only recently. It was just above eyesight and I can’t believe how many times I’ve walked past it without noticing.
This Dendrobium tetragonum is found from the Illawarra region of NSW to Southeast Queensland generally grown on the southside of large trees. They prefer subtropical or temperate rain-forest and heavily shaded areas near creeks which is exactly where we discovered this one. This ‘spider orchid’ is epiphytic and quite delicate with long pendulous (hanging down) canes and exquisite flowers which attract tiny pollinating insects.
There are four varieties of native Dendrobium tetragonum’s and we will have to wait until this one flowers to accurately determine its variety. We have approximately 20 varieties of native orchids at Booyong and I can’t wait to see them flowering later in the year.