Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo

Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo, J. Shanghai Sci. Inst. Sect. 3. iii. 122 (1936).

Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo, Photos by Mathew Jose Mathew

its native range is S. China, S. Japan to E. Central Taiwan.

Latinh Name: 

Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo

Synonym:

Callista stricklandiana (Rchb.f.) Kuntze

Dendrobium funiushanense T.B.Chao, Z.X.Chen & Z.K.Chen

Dendrobium huoshanense Z.Z.Tang & S.J.Cheng

Dendrobium pere-fauriei Hayata

Dendrobium stricklandianum Rchb.f.

Dendrobium tosaense Makino

Dendrobium tosaense var. chingshuishanianum S.S.Ying

Common Name:

Tie Pi Shi Hu

Chinese name:

Shi Hu 石斛

Description: 

With erect, terete, slender many noded stems carrying 3 to 5, on the upper 1/3 of the stem, distichous, oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous, obtuse apically leaves that blooms in the spring, 2 to 4 cm long, 2 to 3 flowered inflorescence arising from the upper nodes of an old leafless cane.

Distribution:

China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan.

Ecological:

Found on trees in sparse woods or moss covered limestone, at elevations of 1200 to 1600 m as a miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte or lithophte.

Flowering times:

Blooms in the spring.

Flower size:

2.5 cm.

Cultivation:

Light: Moderate

Temperature: Intermediate

Water: Allow to dry a bit between waterings, water a little less in the winter

Potting: Grow in a well draining medium or mounted.

Type:

Phytochemistry:

From Dendrobium officinale, at least 190 compounds by far were isolated, mainly including polysaccharides, phenanthrenes, bibenzyls, saccharides and glycosides, essential oils, alkaloids, and other compounds.

Pharmacological:

Its wide modern pharmacological actions in hepatoprotective effect, anticancer effect, hypoglycemic effect, antifatigue effect, gastric ulcer protective effect, and so on were reported. This may mainly attribute to the major and bioactive components: polysaccharides.

Uses:

SHI hu (herba dendrobii) was one of the first members of the orchid family to be recorded by the ancient Chinese. The plant is not only renowned for its beautiful flowers - loved by Chinese for their elegance - but also as a medicinal herb used to nourish yin, dispel inner heat, improve stomach functions and promote the secretion of saliva. Its dried stalk is made into a sweet-tasting medicine.

In Chinese cuisine, shi hu is often made into dishes as it can aid digestion and secrete stomach juice. It is added to soups, made into tea and cooked with traditional desserts.