Butterfly Dendrobium
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Cooktown orchid and Mauve Butterfly Orchid.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- The plant needs a rest in winter, when it needs no fertilizer and less water.NC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026Water about once a week, letting the roots dry between waterings, particularly in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While the plant is actively growing, keep the potting mix moist and feed every 4 to 6 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer (for example 10-10-10) or an orchid fertilizer. It needs a rest in winter, when no fertilizer is needed and watering should be cut back.NC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division.NC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026Seed propagation works only in a controlled laboratory. Divide mature plants once they outgrow the pot. Older canes can form sideshoots (keiki); detach these and pot them in sphagnum moss once their new roots reach at least 2cm.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed. Remove spent flowers when required, but leave whole canes unless they are fully shrivelled. The oldest canes can be taken out provided the plant keeps three or more younger, thick canes that carry leaves.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Red spider mite, mealybugs, aphids and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
Photographs
About the plant
Dendrobium bigibbum, commonly known as Cooktown orchid or mauve butterfly orchid, 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Lesser Sunda Is. (Tanimbar Is.), S. New Guinea to Queensland (N. & W. Cape York Pen.)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026tropical Australia.NC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026New Guinea, Indonesia (Lesser Sunda Islands), Australia (Queensland)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- pseudobulbous epiphyte or lithophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial; habit erectNC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026Clump forming, Columnar upright (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–48 inNC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, purple/lavender, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension, filed as Dendrobium bigibbum var. superbum · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in summer and autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Dendrobium
More of the Orchidaceae family
Moth orchidCrisp margins that appear in winter
Christmas OrchidSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Cocktail OrchidSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Crimson CattleyaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Crucifix OrchidSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Curled OdontoglossumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
- No photograph yetAir PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetAir PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Amazonian Zebra PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
AnanasSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetAutumn Rain-lilySourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetAztec LilySourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.