Oncidium Alliance

This small orchid species is from Ecuador and is recently described. The plant is 5 inches tall and the flowers less than an inch. It is related to Oncidium and has the same growth habit, a fan of leaves with a small pseudobulb in the center. The link below gives pictures of the plant and more pictures of the flowers.

Unfortunately I did not get the name on this flower either, though it is quite a common hybrid. These are often referred to as Pansy Orchids because their flowers resemble those of the Pansy. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/12/northwest-orchid-...

This was photographed on the sale table of one of the vendors at the Northwest Orchid Society show, but unfortunately I did not get the name, but several have suggested that this is a clone of Colmanara Wildcat. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/12/northwest-orchid-...

In Explore January 3, 2012, #278. There are four species in the genus Psychopsis and they are often referred to as "butterfly orchids," though from this perspective the flower looks more to me like a maid with a huge, frilly skirt. This is a hybrid of two of the species, Psychopsis krameriana and Psychopsis papilio. The flowers are very large, 15-20 cm tall, with long narrow segments that look a lot like the antennae of a butterfly, just visible at the top of this flower. They bloom successively on flower spikes that are many feet in length. The plant is far too large for me and this flower was photographed at the Mount Baker Orchid Society show in 2011. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2011/03/mount-baker-orchi...

In Explore May 20, 2010, #326.

This orchid is a hybrid of Burrageara Stefan Isler and Miltonia Kennsington. It was photographed at the Northwest Orchid Society Show.

The flower is Miltonia Maui Mist 'Red Beauty' on of the pansy orchids. It beautifully illustrates two distincitive features of orchids. They are the calluses, or thickened structures that are often found on the lips of orchids and appear to be the source of their fragrances if they have any, and the columns which contain the sexual organs of the orchid flower. Orchids do not have separate stamens and pistil but one unit called a column. In this picture it is the white structure that looks like a bird head. It is topped by a cap under which the pollinia, hard masses of pollen are found, and has a sticky opening on the underside which receives the pollen.

This is a hybrid of Tolumnia Good Show and Tolumnia pulchella. The photograph was taken when it was awarded by the American Orchid Society.

Photographed at the Northwest Orchid Society Show.