Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Dendrobium ruscifolium [Macarthur]

Unidentified species, no description.

Horticultural & Botanical History

No data.

History at Camden Park

The identity of this plant is unclear.  Macarthur wrote to Loddiges’ nursery on 16th April 1846 (the text is difficult to read): ‘I send you some plants of Dendrobium ruscifolium and of […] I have had them 7 or 8 months […] now showing  a number of flower stems.  I hope it may flower well, as about the time they will reach England […] I consider it to be the most beautiful of the New Holland Orchidaceae.’  [MP A2933-1, p.147].  The specific name ruscifolium refers to the genus Ruscus in which the small true leaves are replaced by flattened, leaf-like shoots called cladophylls and is presumably a reference to the foliage of the orchid.

Notes

Dendrobium ruscifolium Sw. (1799) = Pleurothallis ruscifolia (Jacq.) R.Br., synonym Epidendrum ruscifolium Jacq.  It is the type species of the genus Pleurothallis from tropical America, first described as an Epidendrum and clearly not Macarthur’s plant.

Published Jan 25, 2010 - 04:59 PM | Last updated Jul 28, 2010 - 03:55 PM

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Family Orchidaceae
Category
Region of origin

Australia, probably eastern Australia
Synonyms
Common Name
Name in the Camden Park Record

Dendrobium ruscifolium 
Confidence level low