Orchid of the Week: Dendrobium Spectabile

I’m back on track with Orchid of the Week today! This week, I’ve chosen the very unique-looking Dendrobium spectabile. You may be familiar with Dendrobiums that look like this:

Or like this:

But have you ever seen orchid flowers like this?

These are like the twisted but beautiful sisters of your more “typical” Dendrobium flower. According to National Geographic, this species was discovered just a few years ago in Papua New Guinea.

To me, they look like a mutation of some kind of sea creature, like maybe a jellyfish crossed with an alien fetus. Not that I really know what an alien fetus looks like—my only experience with those is from watching The X-Files. But obviously I know what jellyfish look like. For comparison with the orchid, take a look at this photo that I took at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego:

Or maybe it more closely resembles a sea dragon? Let’s compare:

Pretty crazy, right?? Apparently, the Dendrobium spectabile blooms have a honey-like fragrance, which I’m sure smells a whole lot better than a jellyfish, an alien fetus, or a sea dragon. I’m tempted to order one of these Dendrobiums online to see if I can get it to bloom.  **Adds this species to my orchid wish list!**