Ah, the term is "spikes" for orchids (scapes for daylilies, etc.)! And it's the foliage that truly differentiate them. Cymbidiums look grassy (see flowerbear's pics) and dendrobiums are typically leafy (typically since there are sooo many types in this alliance-another orchid term for family). See my pic of Den. princess x unicum. I use foliage a lot to figure out what kind of orchid I'm seeing. The more you watch here the better you will get at seeing these aspects. Also it's good to go to orchid shows where you can see the labels and get the schemas in your memory. Also college greenhouses and seller's greenhouses where you can visit over time, say, once a month, help with orchid self-education. Do you have these places to visit? Here's a list I found for the Portland area.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe...
