!Baptistonia echinata Barb. Rodr. 1877 Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding

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Common Name The Hedge Hog Baptistonia

Flower Size to .8" [2 cm]

This is a small sized, cool to hot growing epiphyte, native to Brazil in montane rainforests at elevations of 50 to 1200 meters has narrowly ellipsoidal or subcylindric, compressed pseudobulbs partially enveloped basally by several distichous, imbricating, leafless sheaths carrying 1 to 2 apical, oblong-lanceolate, narrowly elliptic or obovate, acute leaves that blooms in the winter on a 1 1/2' [45 cm] long, pendulous, mottled with dull crimson, paniculate [2 to 6 flowers per branch]or racemose, densly many flowered inflorescence with papery, elliptic, obtuse floral bracts and has numerous small flowers. They do best mounted on tree fern or cork and like to be kept humid, with moderate shade and have frequent waterings year round with lesss after the psuedobulbs fully mature.

Synonyms Epidendrum tetrapetalum Vell. 1831; Oncidium brunleesianum Rchb.f. 1878; Oncidium echinatum Cogn. 1902; Oncidium vellozoanum Pabst 1957

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchds Pridgeon 1992; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Vol 2 Pabst - Dungs 1977; Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses II Castro 2006