Dendrobium hosei Ridl., Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 3 (1893) 363.
Type: Ridley s.n. (Malay Peninsula, Tahan R.) (SING); Hose s.n. (Sarawak).
Rhizome very short, roots elongated, filiform, flexuose, glabrous. Stems crowded, erect or patent, slender, rather fleshy, slightly flexuose, up to 50 cm by 3-4.5 mm, many-leaved. Leaf sheaths entirely covering the stem. Leaves erect-patent, linear-lanceolate, 6-10 by 0.5-0.8 cm, apex subacute, strongly unequally and obliquely bilobulate, subcoriaceous. Inflorescences 1-flowered; peduncle 0.7-1 cm long, scales few, very small. Floral bract elliptic, much shorter than the pedicel and ovary, apex obtuse, glabrous. Pedicel and ovary 0.7 cm long, subclavate, glabrous. Flower resupinated, c. 1.5 cm across. Dorsal sepal ovate, 0.7 cm long, apex apiculate. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate, widened at the base, 0.7 cm long, apex apiculate; mentum conical, 0.4 cm long, obtuse. Petals obliquely ligulate-oblong, 0.6 cm long, apex obtuse. Lip 3-lobed in the middle, 1.1 by 1 cm, with a short narrow claw at the base, sparsely subverrucose in basal half, lateral lobes falcate-triangular, short, acute; midlobe with a very short claw, reniform, 0.35 by 0.65 cm, with 15 crests which become lower and shorter towards the lateral margins, apex retuse, apiculate. Column short, clinandrium 3-lobulate; lateral lobules rounded, short, the median triangular, denticulate; column-foot 0.4 cm long, gradually narrowing towards the apex.
(largely after Schlechter, 1912 - as Dendrobium pluricostatum).
Colours: Sepals and petals pale yellow, lip in front golden yellow with brown veins and crests.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland and hill forest. Altitude 250-1000 m.
Flowering time in the wild: April, June, September.
Distribution: Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, New Guinea.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Puncak Jaya Regency); Papua New Guinea (Sandaun and Morobe Provinces).
Notes: Dendrobium hosei is easily recognised by the many parallel crests on the lip.
Cultivation: Intermediate growing epiphyte.