November, 1940 The Queensland Naturalist 
109 
other than pests. Two females reared by Mr. Noble from 
the flower-bud galls of Acacia florabunda caused by Trichi - 
logaster , Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Nov. 27, 1937. 
SOME NOTES ON DENDROBIUM P11ALAENOPSIS 
(Cooktown Orchid) 
By G. Bates, Cairns. 
(Paper read before the members of the Queensland Orchid 
Society by whose permission it is now reproduced). 
\ ou are all familiar with Dendrobium Phalaenopsis, 
which makes such a pretty picture with its raceme of 
mauve flowers, but how many of you have been privileged 
to see this fine Dendrobe in its native habitat during the 
flowering season. 
This was a pleasure experienced by me during a recent 
trip to the country west of Cooktown, and it was a sight 
never to be forgotten. Dendrobium Phalaenopsis is 
known throughout North Queensland as the “Cooktown 
Orchid,” because it is common in the Cooktown district, 
but it is, however, found in many other localities. My 
data is incomplete, but I have specimens from Leura, 67 
miles west of Cooktown, May town, which is 45 miles south- 
west of Leura, and from the Mitchell River district, 60 
miles north of Chillagoe. How far North on Cape York 
it extends is a matter for speculation. 
Leaving Cairns per launch one morning we arrived 
in Cooktown, nearly a hundred miles away, just before 
dark, after a trip rich in beauty. The course lies close 
to land and one cannot fail to cogitate on the desirability 
of exploring the almost uninhabited country along the 
coast, in search of orchids. But this must wait until 
another time, as it is Dendrobium Phalaenopsis we are out 
to see this trip — so on to Cooktown. 
Cooktown is a ghost town. The failure of the Palmer 
Goldfields reduced the district population from 60,000 to 
a few hundreds. The town itself, with its fine buildings, 
once a hive of industry, lias now only thirty per cent, of 
the remaining shops occupied. Nevertheless, it is a very 
beautiful place, with a superb climate and a reputation 
for the quality of its citrus fruits. 
The railway line, which extends west of Cooktown to 
Leura, a distance of sixty-seven miles, was built to serve 
