Orchid Identification

[swcheng15]

Hi all. I saw this lovely orchid at TJ's today and almost bought it. Given I only have phals at home, I didn't want to try my luck on a different type. There's no label other than "exotic orchid" on the packaging. I thought it might be epidendrum radican from the pictures, but the leaves don't look the same as I remember. Unfortunately, I only took one picture. Thanks!

[Roberta]

I think that it is an Oncidium tribe intergeneric hybrid. Those yellow keels in the throat of the flower are from Odontoglossum, which is certainly in the parentage. Beautiful color. These grow a little cooler than Phals, and like to be more moist, but could certainly be happy in the house by a window with filtered sun.

[MrHappyRotter]

It is an Oncidium alliance hybrid for sure. The red coloration strongly suggests this has Cochlioda (or species that were formerly Cochlioda) in the background. Many of the Odontoglossum species that are commonly used for this type of breeding are now considered to be Oncidiums as well, so even if you had the tag, the actual genus of this plant is likely to be up for dispute.

It's possibly a hybrid that is (or was formerly) a Wilsonara, but without a tag it's anybody's guess. For instance, it looks similar to Oncidium (Wilsonara) Space Mine but it is definitely not a positive ID.

In warmer climates, even growing indoors, these can be more challenging than a Phalaenopsis. Although a lot of breeding has gone into making these frilly reds more heat tolerant, they still tend to be a little finicky about temperature. High humidity and even moisture go a long way towards helping them cope, however, you may still find the plants show signs of stress (accordion leaves, ragged foliage, poor blooming, pale blooms, etc). As far as light, it's probably best to grow them on the shady side of their preference, which is towards the mid to high end of what you'd give a Phalaenopsis, but less than you might offer other Oncidium alliance plants. A bright window that Phals enjoy should be good for something like this, and then if the plant is healthy and blooming size but hasn't flowered in a year or two, it's a good indication you should increase the light levels.

[aliceinwl]

Most of the “exotic” orchids sold at Trader Joe’s are in ProMix (a mixed peat and perlite based mix). This can be a difficult substrate to keep plants alive in under household conditions. If it’s a plant you want to keep alive long term, plan on re-potting it as soon as possible. Those that I’ve held off on repotting so that I could enjoy the flowers have ended up taking much more time to recover than those that I repotted immediately after purchase: I just cannot keep the roots alive in ProMix.

[Roberta]

These flowers don't last all that long (relative to a Phalaenopsis, 6 weeks or less vs 4 months...) so I would think that it would be OK to wait until the flowers fade to repot, or it's also OK to repot while it is blooming.