Oncidium waluewa Rolfe 1904 SECTION Waluewa Photo by © John Varigos and His Orchid webpage

Inflorescence Photo courtesy of Christer Carlson

to EARLY

Common Name The Beautiful Leochilus

Flower Size 3/8" [1 cm]

This odd, miniature, cool growing epiphytic species with conical, slightly compressed, sulcate psuedobulbs with a single, apical, erect or erect-spreading, coriaceous, lanceolate, acute, petiolate leaf is found in Rio de Janiero state of Brazil and Paraguay in montane rainforests at elevations of 900 to 1200 meters and has a tangled history but I will leave it here for now. It blooms on a pendulous, slender, densely several to many [6 to 20] flowered, 4" [10 cm] long, racemose inflorescence with ovate-triangular, acute, greenish white floral bracts and nodding, strongly concave, scentless flowers that occur in the fall through early winter.

Synonyms Baptistonia pulchella (Regel) Chiron & V.P.Castro 2004; Gomesa pulchella (Regel) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams 2009; Leochilus pulchellus (Regel) Cogn. 1906; *Waluewa pulchella Regel 1890;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Pictoral Encyclopedia of Oncidium Zelenko 2002; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006 as Baptistonia pulchella; Icones Orchidacearum Brasilenses Vol II Plate 115 Castro Neto 2006 as Baptistonia pulchella drawing/photo fide; Oncidium Vol 3 Koniger photo/drawing fide; Orchids of Brazil Vol 1 Oncidinae Baptista, Harding & Neto 2011 as Baptistonia pulchella photo fide

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