Tribe: | Cymbidieae |
Subtribe: | Oncidiniiae |
Etymology: | From
Greek = Onkos. Olof Swartz, in 1800, gave this name due to the small callus situated at the base of the lip which seams to be a wart, tumor, swelling, which in Greek is Onkos |
It was
considered as one of the biggest orchid genera and some authors indicated
750 species and some situated it at about 600. Due to the studies realized,
part of sections of the genus has been elevated to generic rank under
different nomenclature, so nowadays, the number of species has decreased.
|
Some
species are known by the size of the inflorescences adn by the great number
of flowers. O. altissimum (Central America species) and O.
baueri (Brazilian species) with ascendant panicles of 5m. longer
or O. sarcodes (relativity small plant) with 3m. longer. Some species
are known by the size of the inflorescences adn by the great number of
flowers. O. altissimum (Central America species) and O. baueri (Brazilian species) with ascendant panicles of 5m. longer
or O. sarcodes (relativity small plant) with 3m. longer. In some species such as Oncidium papilio Lindl e O. kramerianum Rchb. f. (nowadays Psychopsis), the flowers arise from the same spike for years so it should not be cut when a flower fades. The size of the flowers varies from millimeter to 10cm across. The size of the plants also from the small species of Plurituberculata Section (nowadays Lophiaris) with pseudobulbs with less than 0,50cm tall such as O. pumilum and the O. morenoi, |
O. pumilum |
O. morenoi |
or O. schwambachii (nowadays Lophiaris schwambachiae ) which
pseudobulbs hardly reach 1cm, Walueva Section (O. pubes or
O. truncatum, 5 a 7cm tall), Paucituberculata Section (O.
loefgrenii, 5cm tall), Concoloria Section (O. concolor with
6cm and O. longipes with 3cm.) until Oncidium orgyale (nowadays
Cyrtochilum orgyale) or O. macranthum (nowadays C. macranthum)
which can reach 6m tall. |