Oncidium

Oncidium is a genus of about 370 species of orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It is distributed across tropical and subtropical America from Mexico, Central America and the West Indies to northern Argentina, with one species (O. ensatum) extending into Florida.^{[2] [3]} Common names for plants in this genus include dancing-lady orchid.^[4]

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2009 labeled the Oncidium alliance "grossly polyphyletic."^[5] In the same year, the American Orchid Society labeled the genus a "dumping ground".^[6] A consensus announced in April 2013 resulted in major taxonomic changes to Oncidium, Gomesa , Odontoglossum , Miltonia , and others.^[7] Much of this debate and subsequent housekeeping was initiated by significant research for the scientific publication Genera Orchidacearum Volume 5.^[8] One significant change is the move of most Brazilian Oncidium with a fused lateral sepal to the genus Gomesa .^{[6] [5]}

Orchids in the genus Oncidium are tufted, epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial herbs with clustered pseudobulbs each with up to four blunt-tipped, strap-like leaves.^{[9] [10]} The inflorescences are borne in panicles, usually appear from the axils of recently matured growth and flower only once from the pseudobulb. The flowers are resupinate, the sepals and petals free from each other, egg-shaped to nearly circular, with a fiddle-shaped lip with a prominent warty fringe. The fruit is a capsule.^{[9] [10]}

The genus Oncidium was first described in 1800 by Olof Swartz in Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar (Proceedings of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)^{[11] [12]} The genus name Oncidium is derived from the Greek word ὀγκος, onkos, meaning 'swelling' and the diminutive -idium in reference to the prominent lip callus.^[9]

Selected species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of December 2023^[update] :

• Oncidium altissimum  : "Wydler's dancing-lady orchid" (Jamaica)
• Oncidium baueri (Trop. America)
• Oncidium cheirophorum (Mexico - Chiapas to Colombia)
• Oncidium citrinum (Trinidad to Venezuela)
• Oncidium deltoideum (N. Peru)
• Oncidium dichromaticum (Costa Rica to Colombia)
• Oncidium ensatum  : (S. Mexico, Belize, Cuba, Florida, Bahamas, NW. Venezuela)
• Oncidium fuscatum (Ecuador to Peru)
• Oncidium geertianum (C. & SW. Mexico)
• Oncidium graminifolium (Mexico to C. America)
• Oncidium harryanum (Colombia)
• Oncidium hastatum (Mexico)
• Oncidium hastilabium (W. South America)
• Oncidium incurvum (Mexico - Veracruz to Chiapas)
• Oncidium lentiginosum (Colombia to N. Venezuela)
• Oncidium leucochilum (SE. Mexico to Guatemala)
• Oncidium lineoligerum (N. Peru)
• Oncidium maculatum (Mexico to C. America)
• Oncidium naevium (Colombia to Guyana)
• Oncidium noezlianum (N. Peru to Bolivia)
• Oncidium ornithorhynchum (Mexico to C. America)
• Oncidium reflexum (SW. Mexico)
• Oncidium sphacelatum (Mexico to C. America, SE. Venezuela)
• Oncidium strictum (Cogn.) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams (Ecuador, Peru)
• Oncidium wentworthianum (Mexico – Chiapas to El Salvador)

Many hybrids have been created artificially involving species of Oncidium, often with species of other genera. Named hybrid genera (nothogenera) are listed in the table below, together with their parent genera. As of December 2023^[update] , Cochlioda and Odontoglossum are included within Oncidium.^[1] and Baptistonia within Gomesa,^[13]

• Harry Zelenko :The Pictorial Encyclopaedia of Oncidium (1997)
• Koniger, W. 2003. New species of the genera Masdevallia, Oncidium and Sigmatostalix. Arcula no. 12: 298–311.
• Chase, Mark W.; Norris H.Williams; Aparacida Donisete de Faria; Kurt M. Neubig; Maria do Carmo E. Amaral; W. Mark Whitten (2009). "Floral convergence in Oncidiinae (Cymbidieae; Orchidaceae): an expanded concept of Gomesa and a new genus Nohawilliamsia". Annals of Botany. 104 (3): 387–402. doi:10.1093/aob/mcp067. PMC 2720657 . PMID 19346522.

• Media related to Oncidium at Wikimedia Commons

• Oncidium
• Oncidiinae genera
• Epiphytic orchids
• Taxa named by Olof Swartz

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with 'species' microformats
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2023
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Commons link from Wikidata
• Taxonbars with 20–24 taxon IDs