Dendrobium malbrownii, commonly known as the McIlwraith hermit orchid,[1] is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae and is endemic to tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has thin, wiry, crowded stems each with narrow, dark green leaves and a single shiny, cream-coloured flower with a purple labellum. It grows on trees, fallen logs and rocks in rainforest on the McIlwraith Range.
Dendrobium malbrownii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb with crowded, wiry stems NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The leaves are linear, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 4sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide and arranged in two rows along the stems. Each stem has a single cream-coloured flower NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide. The dorsal sepal is about 3.5sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and 2sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide, the lateral sepals are a similar length but twice as wide and the petals a similar length but only about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The labellum is purple and yellow, about 4sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and 2.5sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide with small, rounded side lobes and a middle lobe with two faint ridges. Flowering occurs between December and April.[2]
Dendrobium malbrownii was first formally described in 1967 by Alick Dockrill in Australian Plants.[3] The specific epithet (malbrownii) honours Malcolm Brown, the collector of the type specimen.[4]
The McIlwraith hermit orchid grows on small rocks, logs and trees in rainforest in the McIlwraith Range in tropical North Queensland.