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Orchidaceae
Dancing Lady Orchid
Oncidium altissimum
Joy, dance, feminine energy.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Oncidium
- Native to
- Tropical Americas, Caribbean
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter
- Type
- Epiphytic orchid
- Height
- 30–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Bright indirect light
- Soil
- Bark or moss mix
- Water
- Allow to dry slightly between waterings
- Hardiness
- 10–12
- Lifespan
- Long-lived
Did you know
- Oncidium flowers really do look like little dancers in ruffled yellow skirts — the lower lip flares out like a ballroom gown beneath a tiny 'head' and 'arms'.
- A single mature plant can throw up an arching flower spike with 50 to 200 individual flowers in a cascading spray.
- One species, Oncidium 'Sharry Baby', has flowers that smell distinctly of chocolate.
- Oncidiums grow as epiphytes on tree trunks, with thick pseudobulbs that store water through dry seasons.
- They're pollinated mainly by male bees that mistake the flowers for rival males and try to fight them — a strategy called pseudo-antagonism.
Color meanings
Yellow
Happy spirit