Oncidium cebolleta (Jacq.) Sw. 1800 SECTION Cebolletae Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl

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Common Name The Onion Leaf Oncidium

Flower Size to 1 1/2" [to 4 cm]

This medium sized, hot to cool growing, caespitose, epiphytic species with terete, sulcate, erect or suberect, fleshy leaves and very small, tubular pseudobulbs that are subtended by large white sheaths and is found in the American tropics in seasonally dry or moist forests and is the most widespread Oncicium, is found at elevations of 150 to 1700 meters in elevation in xerophytic conditions where it blooms in the late winter and spring with a basal, arcuate, 2 1/2' [75 cm] long, simple or short branched, multi-flowered raceme arising on a newly matured pseudobulb. This pendulous to lateral growing orchid needs to be mounted on tree fern or wood and likes high light and humidity and water while growing and less to none when mature. This plant was used by the precolumbian indians in central America as a type of hallucinogen, as to how I am not sure.

Synonyms Cohniella cebolleta (Jacq.) Christenson 1999; Cymbidium juncifolium Willd. 1805; Dendrobium cebolleta Jacq. 1760 [erroneous]; *Epidendrum cebolleta Jacq. 1760; Epidendrum juncifolium L. 1763; Oncidium brachyphyllum Lindl. 1842; Oncidium cebolleta var. purum L.C.Menezes 1991; Oncidium cepula Hoffmanns. 1843; Oncidium glaziovii Cogn. 1906; Oncidium longifolium Lindl. 1841; Oncidium sepula Hoffmanns. 1843; Oncidium sprucei Lindley 1855; Oncidium ultrajectinum Pulle 1907; Stilifolium cebolleta (Jacq.) Koniger & Pongr. 1997; Trichocentrum cebolleta (Jacq.) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams 2001; Trichocentrum sprucei (Lindl.) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams 2001;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; Native Orchids of Trinidad Schultes 1960; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 9 1961; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 6 1969; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 5 1970; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 899 Dodson 1983; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985 as Oncidium cebolleta; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 no; Schlechteriana Vol 1 No 4 1991 as O cebolleta var purum; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1467 Atwood 1992; Fieldiana Biology, Flora Costa Ricensis Family # 39 Orchidaceae, subtribes Maxillariinae and Oncidiinae Atwood & Mora 1997; Lindleyana Vol 16 No 2 2001 as Trichocentrum cebolleta; Lindleyana Vol 16 No 3 2001 as Trichocentrum sprucei; Orquideologia Vol. 23 No 2 2004; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006 as Cohniella cebolleta ; The Pictoral Encyclopedia of Oncidium Zelenko 2002 as Trichocentrum cebolleta ; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 as Cohniella cebolleta; Orquideas Da Chapada Diamantina Brito & Cribb 2005; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 3 2007 photo as Cohniella cebolleta;

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