Oncidium crista-galli Rchb. f. 1852 SECTION Disticha Photo courtesy of Lourens Grobler.

Plant in situ in Mexico Photo by Weyman Bussey

Part shade Hot to Cool SummerandFall

Common Name The Cock's Comb Oncidium

Flower Size 1 1/2" [3.5 cm]

Found from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Pananma, referances have been made for Colombia to Peru but nothing solid, in mountain rain forest and coffee plantations from 650 to 1850 meters in elevation as a miniature sized, cool to hot growing epiphyte with an elliptic-ovoid pseudobulb subtended by several foliaceous bracts and has an aborted apical leaf and several linear-lanceolate leaves arising from the bracts and blooms with one to few flowers on a axillary, erect or arching, to 3" [7 cm] long, 1 to 4 successive, opening flowers per racemose inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb that can have 3 to 4 to a psuedobulb and blooms in the summer and fall but can bloom a second time later if kept happy. This species needs to be mounted on branches, cork or treefern and kept consistently moist year round.

Synonyms Erycina crista-galli ( Rchb.f. ) N.H.Williams & M.W.Chase 2001; Odontoglossum crista-galli (Rchb. f.) Kraenzl. ex O. Wederb. 1910; Oncidium decipiens Lindl. 1855; Oncidium iridifolium Lindl. non HBK 1836; Psygmorchis cristagalli (Rchb. f.) Dressler & N.H. Williams 2003

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; *Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 10: 697. 1852; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 150. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 259. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 5 1970 says none found; ASO Bulletin Vol 51 No 2 1982 photo; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1054 Dodson 1984; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 69 Hagsater & Salazar 1990; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1571 Atwood 1983; Fieldiana Biology, Flora Costa Ricensis Family # 39 Orchidaceae, subtribes Maxillariinae and Oncidiinae Atwood & Mora 1997; Lindleyana Vol 16 No 2 2001 as Erycina cristagallii; The Pictoral Encyclopedia of Oncidium Zelenko 2002 as Erycina crista-galli; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003; Orquideologia Vol. 23 No 2 2004; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 as Eryccina crista galli Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006 as Psygmorchis cristagalli

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------