Oncidium hookeri Rolfe 1887 SECTION Concoloria

Flower Closesup Photo courtesy of Luiz Filipe Varella

Common Name Hooker's Oncidium [English Botanist 1800's]

Flower Size 1.2 to 1.8" [1. 5 to 2 cm]

Found in eastern & southern Brazil at elevations of 1100 to 1300 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte, or terrestrial beneath trees in loose leaf litter with light green,conical, 2" [5 cm] tall, slightly compressed, purple furrowed pseudobulbs enveloped basally by 1 to 2 l;eaf bearing sheaths and carrying 2 apical, erect, narrow, light green, rounded apically leaves that blooms in the spring summer and fall on a basal, 6 to 8" [15 to 20cm to 40cm] long, erect to suberect, branched, many flowered inflorescence.

This species, Onc lofgreni and O hookeri are all very similar and according to Brazilians sources are only separated if the area of collection is known as differences are very small and are mostly vegatative. Newer reeernces refer them all as synonyms of Oncidium raniferum but I have left them and their synonyms separate for now.

SynonymsCarenidium hookeri (Rolfe) Baptista 2006; Gomesa hookeri (Rolfe) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams 2009; Menezesiella hookeri (Rolfe) V.P. Castro & Chiron 2006; Oncidium hookeri f. albescens (Pabst) F.Barros & J.A.N.Bat. 2004; Oncidium hookeri var. albescens Pabst 1976; Oncidium raniferum var. majus Hook

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of the High Mountain Atlantic Rainforest in SE Brazil Warren & Miller 1994 Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006; The Pictoral Encyclopedia of Oncidium Zelenko 2002

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