Oncidium ornithorhynchum H.B.K. 1815 SECTION Rostrata
Inflorescence in situ Colombia
Photos by Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Ecuagenera and the Ecuagenera Website
MOSTLY 
Common Name The Bird's Beak Oncidium [refers to the shape of the column]
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
A small sized, cold growing epiphytic species from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru found at altitudes of 2000 to 3300 meters in the western slopes of the Cordillera Oriental and blooms in the summer in Bogata' and has ovoid to cylindrical, compressed, unifoliateto trifoliate pseudobulbs with oblanceolate to elliptic-oblong acute or acuminate leaves that blooms mostly in the summer on a erect to pendant, to 20" [50 cm] long, shortly paniculate inflorescence carrying many fragrant, canary yellow flowers.
CAUTION!!!!CAUTION!!!! This name until recently was thought to describe a Central American, pink flowered, highly fragrant orchid, but in 2010 it was realized that HBK acutally was describing a yellow flowered species from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru that has been commonly known as O pyramidale, hence the photos above. If you have the pink flowered, Central American species then the true current name is Oncidum sotoanum, please go to that species for the information on it.
CAUTION This species and O lancifolium are quite similar and have been synonyms of each other in the past, if this turns out to be so then O ornithorhychum takes precedence.
Synonyms Oncidium chrysopyramis Rchb. f. & Warsz. 1854; Oncidium maderoi Schltr 1920; Oncidium ornithorhynchum var. album J.Fraser 1894; Oncidium pyramidiale Lindley 1854;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as Oncidium chrysopyramis; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 Oncidium chrysopyramis; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten II Colombia Schlechter 1920 as O maderoi; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922 drawing good; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922 as Oncidium chrysopyramis drawing ok; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922 as O octhodes drawing ok; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922 as O chrysopyramis; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as O chrysopyramis; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 2 Hamer 1974 not seee O sotoanum; Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s., 7[3]: 1979 not = O sotoanum; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 3 1986 photo not = O sotoanum ; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 33 - 36 2057 - 2308 Brieger 1997 as O ornithorhynchum; Fieldiana Biology, Flora Costa Ricensis Family # 39 Orchidaceae, subtribes Maxillariinae and Oncidiinae Atwood & Mora 1999 as O ornithorrhynchum as excluded taxa = O sotoanum; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 as O pyramidialis photo fide; Orquideologia Vol. 23 No 2 2004 as O pyramidiale photo fide; Oncidium Vol 1 Koniger 2004 as syn of O lancifolium; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo not = O sotoanum; LANKESTERIANA 13(3): 2014 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #3 2016 drawing fide;
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