This afternoon the Mendip R and D team have been working with our precious seedlings of Dendrobium pendulum.

 (Dendrobium pendulum flowering)

Dendrobium pendulum is a species we have seen in the forests of Southern Laos where it is easily distinguished from other species by the lumpy nodes on the pseudobulbs. In Laos and other areas of its range, in the Himalayas and South East Asia, it is unsustainably collected for the Chinese medicine trade and horticulture making it increasingly threatened.

Our seedlings are linked to the Myanmar conservation project lead by Thant Sin Aye and Dino Zelenika and hopefully will help protect populations in the area.

Today Luca and his team have transplanted the one mother flask (where the seed was sown) into twenty five fresh jars to give the seedlings room and fresh nutrients.

We will let you know how the plants get on.