Dendrobium kingianum in bloom

I've mentioned on Twitter that my Dendrobium kingianum is currently in bloom. It has a lovely tulip-like scent during the day, which is quite strong, despite the small size of the flowers on this plant. I have two flower spikes, one with five flowers and the other with two.

Dendrobium kingianum is native to eastern Australia and is commonly known as Pink Rock Lily or Pink Rock Orchid. In my quick research for this post, I learned that this orchid has actually been reclassified as Thelychiton kingianus. Kingianus is named for Captain Phillip Parker King (1793-1856) an early Australian explorer.

I acquired my plant at the Victoria Orchid Society show and sale back in the spring of 2007 before we moved out to Toronto. It was and still is potted in a tiny little bonsai clay pot, and while I know it should be repotted, I also know that it likes to be crowded and I have no idea how I'm going to get it out of its pot without shattering it!

While I was in Washington, DC last month I had a chance to visit the orchid room of the United States Botanic Garden. The orchid collection is fairly small but I did spot an impressive specimen of Dendrobium kingianum / Thelychiton kingianus in bloom!