Dendrobiums in dark, gloomy, sunless, overshaded houses can never hope to grow 
fine, healthy plants, producing the mass of rich coloured blossom natural to most 
of the Dendrobium species. 
For the purposes of brevity and clarity, I intend to classify the genus into sections 
according to— 
(a) Nature of the plant. (d) Light. 
(b) Temperature requirements. (e) Potting and Compost. 
(c) Water. (£) Quality of the flower. 
(A) NATURE OF THE PLANT. 
The Dendrobiums vary more in the form of their plant species than any other of 
the orchid genera—and so great are these divergences that the genus has been 
divided into various sub-genera which have again been divided into sections, and 
occasionally into sub-sections, etc. For our purposes, however, it will not be 
necessary to follow this very careful classification other than to distinguish by 
a common symbol those species which are best treated in a particular manner. 
For cultural purposes we can divide the genus into the following classes: — 
(1) Those with stout, erect stems or pseudobulbs of strong vigorous growth. 
In the table, this class will be referred to as A.1. 
(2) Those with fine, erect stems of rather delicate growth—referred to as 
A.2. 
(3) Those of stout, drooping, or pendulous stems—referred to as A.3. 
(4) Those of slender, drooping, or pendulous stems—referred to as A.4. 
(5) Those of the Strongyle, Rhizobium, and Monophyllaean groups, having 
creeping rhizomes, elongated, branched, and generally slender stems— 
referred to as A.S. 
(B). TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS. 
From the very wide dispersal of the Dendrobium naturally, it can be understood 
quite easily that the species grow under very different climatic conditions. The 
custom of placing all Dendrobiuwms, irrespective of species, in a house where 
the conditions are practically similar for every plant can never yield satisfactory 
results—must, in fact, end disastrously for many species. 
Some of the Dendrobiums require great heat, others quite cool conditions, while 
many do best in a mild, warm temperature. 
Those plants which require a temperature which never falls below 60 degrees in 
the coldest night will be designated with the symbol B.1. This class will require 
to be grown in a heated glasshouse in Sydney, the cooler parts of Brisbane and the 
higher elevations, such as Toowoomba, Maleny, etc. 
The species which thrive best under warm conditions (i.e. a temperature range 
of not less than 50 degrees to 60 degrees in Winter) will do well enough in a 
glasshouse in the cooler parts of Sydney, Brisbane, and the elevated regions. In 
the warmer parts a suitable bushhouse will serve, but care should be taken to 
prevent cold draughts from striking the plants. In frosty weather it will be 
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