Dendrobium bigibbum

{{short description|Species of orchid}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2024}} {{Speciesbox |name = Cooktown orchid |image = Cooktown orchids and bud.jpg |status_system = EPBC |status = VU | status2 = CITES_A2 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml |title=Appendices I, II and III |publisher=Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna |date=2010-10-14 |accessdate=2019-12-20}}</ref> |genus = Dendrobium |species = bigibbum |authority = Lindl.<ref name="APC">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/84946|publisher=Australian Plant Census |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref> |synonyms_ref = <ref name="APC" /> |synonyms = {{Collapsible list| * ''Callista bigibba'' (Lindl. & Paxton) Kuntze * ''Callista phalaenopsis'' Fitzg.) Kuntze * ''Callista sumneri'' (F.Muell.) Kuntze * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' Lindl. & Paxton f. ''bigibbum'' * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''compactum'' Dockrill nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''compactum'' G.Piper nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''compactum'' St.Cloud nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''compactum'' D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''compactum'' Upton nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''phalaenopsis'' (Fitzg.) St.Cloud * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''superbium'' A.D.Chapm. nom. inval., nom. nud. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' f. ''superbum'' G.Piper nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' Lindl. & Paxton subsp. ''bigibbum'' * ''Dendrobium bigibbum''subsp. ''compactum'' D.L.Jones nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' subsp. ''phalaenopsis'' D.L.Jones nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' Lindl. & Paxton subvar. ''bigibbum'' * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' subvar. ''candidum'' J.H.Veitch * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' subvar. ''compactum'' (C.T.White) Dockrill * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' subvar. ''compactum'' St.Cloud nom. inval., nom. nud. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' subvar. ''superbum'' (Rchb.f.) J.H.Veitch * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''album'' F.M.Bailey * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' Lindl. & Paxton var. ''bigibbum'' * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''candidum'' Rchb.f. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''compactum'' G.Piper nom. inval. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''compactum'' (C.T.White) Upton * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''compactum'' (C.T.White) Peter B.Adams isonym * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''macranthum'' F.M.Bailey * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''phalaenopsis'' (Fitzg.) F.M.Bailey * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''schroderianum'' (Sander) Peter B.Adams * ? ''Dendrobium bigibbum var. schroederianum'' Peter B.Adams orth. var. * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''sumneri'' (F.Muell.) F.M.Bailey * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''superbum'' Rchb.f. * ''Dendrobium lithocola'' D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' Fitzg. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' Fitzg. isonym * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' [unranked] ''statterianum'' Anon. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis''f. ''phalaenopsis'' Chapm. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' var. ''compactum'' C.T.White * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' Fitzg. var. ''phalaenopsis'' ? ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' var. ''schroderianum'' Sander ? ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' var. ''schroederanum'' Clemesha orth. var. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' var. ''schroederianum'' W.Watson orth. var. * ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis'' var. ''statterianum'' Sander * ''Dendrobium schroederanum'' S.T.Blake nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium schroederanum'' Clemesha nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium schroederianum'' L.Gentil nom. inval., pro syn. * ''Dendrobium statterianum'' O'Brien nom. inval., nom. nud. * ''Dendrobium statterianum'' O'Brien nom. inval., nom. nud. * ''Dendrobium sumneri'' F.Muell. * ''Dendrobium statteranum'' S.T.Blake * ''Dendrobium statterianum'' (Sander) Rolfe * ''Vappodes bigibba'' Lindl. & Paxton) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones * ''Vappodes lithocola'' (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones * ''Vappodes phalaenopsis'' (Fitzg.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones }} }}

'''''Dendrobium bigibbum''''', commonly known as '''Cooktown orchid''' or '''mauve butterfly orchid''',<ref name="Jones">{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories|date=2006|publisher=New Holland|location=Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.|isbn=978-1877069123|pages=417–418}}</ref> is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has cylindrical pseudobulbs, each with between three and five green or purplish leaves and arching flowering stems with up to twenty, usually lilac-purple flowers. It occurs in tropical North Queensland, Australia and New Guinea.[[File:LR030 72dpi Dendrobium phalaenopsis (Wiki).jpg|thumb|225px|Illustration by Lewis Roberts]] thumb|225px|Flower detail

==Description== ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with green or purplish pseudobulbs {{convert|200-1200|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|15-20|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide, often with purplish edges. Each pseudobulb has between three and five egg-shaped leaves {{convert|100-150|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|30-35|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. The arching flowering stems are {{convert|200-400|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long with between two and twenty lilac-purple, rarely bluish or pinkish flowers. The flowers are resupinate, {{convert|20-30|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|30-70|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide, the size depending on the variety. The sepals are oblong to egg-shaped, {{convert|20-30|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|9-11|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. The dorsal sepal is upright or turned back and the lateral sepals spread widely apart from each other. The petals are broadly egg-shaped, {{convert|25-30|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and wide. The labellum is {{convert|20-26|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|20-28|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and has three lobes. The side lobes are upright and the middle lobe has four or five ridges along its midline and a hairy patch in the middle. Flowering occurs from February to July.<ref name="Jones" /><ref name="ATROK1">{{cite web |author1=D.L.Jones |author2=T.Hopley |author3=S.M.Duffy |author1-link=David L. Jones (botanist) |year=2010 |access-date=27 May 2021 |url=http://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFKOrchids/key/rfkorchids/Media/Html/Vappodes_bigibba.htm |title=Factsheet - Vappodes bigibba |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government}}</ref><ref name="ATROK2">{{cite web |author1=D.L.Jones |author2=T.Hopley |author3=S.M.Duffy |author1-link=David L. Jones (botanist) |year=2010 |access-date=27 May 2021 |url=http://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFKOrchids/key/rfkorchids/Media/Html/Vappodes_phalaenopsis.htm |title=Factsheet - Vappodes phalaenopsis |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government}}</ref><ref name="WetlandInfo">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' |url=https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/species/?dendrobium-bigibbum |publisher=Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="ONG">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' |url=http://www.orchidsnewguinea.com/orchid-information/species/speciescode/2301 |publisher=Orchids of New Guinea |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and naming== ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' was first formally described in 1852 by John Lindley and the description was published in ''Paxton's Flower Garden''.<ref name=APNI>{{cite web|title=''Dendrobium bigibbum''|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/503430|publisher=APNI|accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Lindl.">{{cite book |last1=Lindley |first1=John |last2=Paxton |first2=Joseph |title=Gleanings and original memoranda (Volume 3) |date=1853 |publisher=Bradbury and Evans |location=London |pages=25–26 |url=https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753000573078#page/24/mode/2up |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref>

Four varieties of this species are recognised by the Plants of the World Online, but not by the Australian Plant Census, which lists them as synonyms of ''D. bigibbum'':<ref name="APC" /> * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''bigibbum'',<ref name="POWO1">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''bigibbum'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77172916-1 |publisher=Plants of the World Online |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref> the '''mauve butterfly orchid''', that has a white spot in the centre of the labellum and occurs at low altitudes on Cape York Peninsula, some Torres Strait Islands and southern New Guinea;<ref name="Brydie" /> * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''compactum'', (C.T.White) Peter B.Adams<ref name="POWO2">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''compactum'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77145562-1 |publisher=Plants of the World Online |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref> a lithophyte with a narrow distribution at an elevation of {{convert|250|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} in the wet tropics;<ref name="Brydie" /> * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''schoederianum'' (Rchb.f. ex W.Watson) Peter B.Adams<ref name="POWO3">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''schroederianum'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77154980-1 |publisher=Plants of the World Online |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref> that has variably coloured flowers and only grows on Larat Island in the Tanimbar group;<ref name="Brydie" /> * ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''superbum'', Rchb.f.<ref name="POWO4">{{cite web |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''superbum'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:108368-3 |publisher=Plants of the World Online |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref> the '''Cooktown orchid''', that has the largest flowers in the group but which lack the white spot in the centre of the labellum and occurs between Cooktown and Mount Molloy.<ref name="Jones" /><ref name="Brydie" />

The taxonomy of this species and of its varieties is confused, especially with respect to the scientific name of the Cooktown orchid.<ref name="Brydie">{{cite web |last1=Brydie |first1=Jim |title=The ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' complex |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/Dendrobium%20bigibbum%20Complex.htm |publisher=Species Orchid Society of Western Australia (Inc.) |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref> On 19 November 1959, the Cooktown Orchid (''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''phalaenopsis'') was proclaimed as the floral emblem of Queensland.<ref name="ANBG">{{cite web |title=Badges, arms, floral and other emblems of Queensland Act 1959 |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/queensland-act-1959.pdf |publisher=Australian National Botanic Garden |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref> (''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''phalaenopsis'' had been originally named in 1883 by Frederick Manson Bailey, based on Robert D. FitzGerald's ''Dendrobium phalaenopsis''.)<ref name=APNI1>{{cite web|title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' var. ''phalaenopsis''|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/503643|publisher=APNI|accessdate=15 November 2018}}</ref> In 2015 Peter Adams suggested that the evidence supports a single species - ''D. bigibbum'' with three intergrading varieties.<ref name="Adams">{{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Peter B. |title=''Dendrobium bigibbum'' (sect. Phalaenanthe) in Australia — analysis of diagnostic characters, review of taxa and a new classification |journal=Kew Bulletin |date=2 April 2015 |volume=70 |issue=2 |page=16 |doi=10.1007/s12225-015-9565-x |bibcode=2015KewBu..70...16A |s2cid=1855648 }}</ref>

===Queensland State Floral Emblem=== {{See also|Symbols of Queensland}} The Queensland government, in preparation for its 1959 Centenary, sought advice as to what native species would be a good floral emblem. Specifically, the government was looking for an easily grown species found only in Queensland, which was decorative, distinctive, and close to the State colour, maroon. The Cooktown orchid, which meets these criteria, was one of the four initial suggestions, the others being the red silky oak (''Grevillea banksii''), the umbrella tree (''Brassaia actinophylla'' (now ''Heptapleurum actinophyllum''), and the wheel-of-fire (''Stenocarpus sinuatus''). ''The Courier-Mail'', a Brisbane newspaper, sought additional suggestions from its readers, and compiled a list of 13 possibilities. In a public poll, the Cooktown orchid came in first place, the red silky oak in second, and poinsettia (''Euphorbia pulcherrima''), already the floral emblem of the capital city Brisbane, came in third.<ref name="Cooktown">{{cite web |title=Floral emblems of Australia - Cooktown Orchid |url=https://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/qld.emblem.html |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref>

In 1968 the Cooktown orchid was featured on an Australian postage stamp.<ref name="stamp">{{cite web |title=Australian Plants on Stamps |url=https://www.anbg.gov.au/stamps/stamp.458.html |publisher=Australian National Botanic Garden |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat== This orchid species grows on trees and rocks in rainforest, coastal scrub, near rivers, in swamps and open forest in tropical Queensland.<ref name="POWO1" /><ref name="POWO2" /><ref name="POWO3" /><ref name="POWO4" /> The variety ''bigibbum'' also occurs in southern New Guinea<ref name="POWO1" /> and var. ''schroederianum'' is found in the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia.<ref name="POWO3" />

==Conservation== ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999''. The main threats to the species are "settlement and visitor pressures", inappropriate fire regimes and illegal collection.<ref name="environment">{{cite web |title=Approved Conservation Advice for ''Dendrobium bigibbum'' |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/78705-conservation-advice.pdf |publisher=Australian Government Department of the Environment |accessdate=16 November 2018}}</ref>

==Use in horticulture== It is illegal to collect the Cooktown orchid from its natural environment without a licence.<ref name= "environment" /> Commercially cultivated plants like a dry, sunny position with a minimum of watering and a temperature that does not fall below {{convert|13|°C|°F|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. Specimens need a bush-house in cooler climates.<ref>Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. ''National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia'', p. 153. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association. {{ISBN|0-646-39726-5}} (pbk); {{ISBN|0-646-39725-7}} Limited Edition leather-bound]</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dendrobium Bigibbum}} bigibbum Category:Orchids of Queensland Category:Plants described in 1852 Category:Symbols of Queensland Category:Epiphytic orchids Category:Lithophytic orchids