My New Orchid Is a Better Dancer Than I Am

Thus far, I’ve only featured orchids that I’ve had for a while and have successfully coaxed into reblooming on this blog. Reflowering is key to a proper orchid flex, given that anyone can buy a beautiful orchid in bloom. But this time, I can’t resist posting about my newest orchid purchase and obsession: an oncidium (or oncidesa, a newer term for the species) sweet sugar orchid, otherwise known as the “dancing lady” orchid. 

My newest obsession.

Like all orchids, the dancing lady has six petals. The most pronounced is the labellum, which is bigger than the other petals combined and fans out like a flamenco skirt mid-dance. If you look closely, you can see a tiny gap in the middle, and if you use your imagination, you might picture a dancer swishing a full skirt around their legs. These orchids have become increasing popular given their beauty, as well as the sheer number of blooms that sprout from a spindly stem. 

I’ve only had this orchid for a month, so I can’t talk about its care from experience other than to say that it was just starting to bloom when I received it and it didn’t skip a beat. All of the buds that were forming when I got it have bloomed, and it didn’t seem difficult for this orchid to acclimate to the prized position in the center of my kitchen table. That’s probably because my table gets light all day from a big, south-facing window. 

For most orchids, a south-facing window would provide too much direct sun. I keep all of my orchids in either east or west-facing windows. Some oncidiums prefer slightly colder temperatures and are native to the cloud forests of Central and South America. Other species, like the dancing lady, are native to the tropics and sub-tropics and prefer slightly warmer temperatures and can tolerate more direct sun than other orchids (like other orchids, if their leaves turn reddish, they’re getting sunburned). Warm-temperature oncidium can withstand even 95 or 100-degree heat provided the humidity and air flow are maintained. 

Oncidium naevium; credit to Motohiro Sunouchi and attribution to Creative Commons.

Oncidiums are epiphytes, so like most other orchids, they don’t grow in the ground, but instead attach themselves to trees and to other large plants. Like cattleya orchids, oncidium have pseudobulbs that store water, so they’re more susceptible to root rot than phalaenopsis orchids. Making sure they drain fully after watering is key, as is avoiding overwatering. On the flip side, wrinkled or shrunken pseudobulbs is a typical indication of underwatering. Like all other orchids, oncidiums enjoy humidity, a nice breeze, and some food/fertilizer during the growing season. 

Oncidium Golden Anniversary; credit to Arne and Bent Larsen via Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond its incredible blooms, I bought an oncidium sweet sugar because unlike most other orchids, it’s said to have a fragrance. I’ve spent some time up close and personal with this orchid, my nose buried in blooms, but I can’t detect much. Fortunately, I don’t mind. Inhaling the scent of plants, even if that scent is mostly the musk of bark or soil, is like inhaling the scent of books—I’m never disappointed and no matter what, I always go back for more.