Oncidium gracile Lindley 1837 SECTION Concoloria
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Plant in situ - Morro Do Chappel, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil at elevations of 500 meters
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © E Schnurr
Common Name The Graceful Oncidium
Flower Size 2/3" [1.5 cm]
Found in Belo Horizonte area of Minas Gerais, and Bahia states of Brazil at elevations of 950 to 1400 meters in dry savannahs or on dry iron ore hillsides under scrub as a small to medium sized, cool growing, semi-terrestrial among grasses in sandy soil or lithophyte in rock crevasses under scrub trees or as an epiphyte in woodlands at elevations of 500 to 1000 meters with tightly clustered pseudobulbs carrying 2 apical leaves that blooms in the summer on a erect, 12" to 40" [30 cm to 1 meters] long, few to several [6 to 12] flowered inflorescence with longlasting, well spaced flowers.
This ground dwelling orchid needs to be potted in coarse treefern chunks with broken sandstone or other rock and given cool to hot temperatures with moderate light and plenty of water while growing and a lessening when not. Keikis are produced occasionally at the apex of older pseudobulbs and can be removed and potted on their own after the roots reach 3" to 4".
CAUTION!Not to be confused with the Ecuadorian - Cyrtochilum/odontoglossum gracile which was Oncidium gracile ( Lindl. ) Beer 1854 this species has a large lip and is also endemic to Brazil.
Synonyms Carenidium gracile (Lindl.) Baptista 2006; Concocidium gracile (Lindl.) Romowicz & Szlach. 2006; Gomesa gracilis (Lindl.) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams 2009; Nitidocidium gracile Barros & Rodrigues 2010;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922; Orchidaceae Brasilenses Band 2 Pabst & Dungs 1977 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 4 1980 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 33 - 36 2057 - 2308 Brieger 1997; Oncidium Vol 3 Koniger 2007 photo/drawing fide; Orchids of Brazil Vol 1 Oncidinae Baptista, Harding & Neto 2011 as Nitidocidium gracile photo fide; Orquideas de Zamora Chinchipe Tomo 1 Epidendroideae I Jimenenz 2014 photo fide;
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