Hello, I’m a complete orchid newbie. Does anyone know what kind of orchid this is? The flowers were a mottled yellow with purple—very pretty. Planta keeps saying it’s some kind of moth orchid, but it doesn’t look like any I’ve seen. Also, does anyone know what those ‘nubs’ at the bottom of the plant are? Thank you!
This is definitely not a moth orchid. The oval-shaped growth at the bottom of the leaves are called pseudobulbs. They act as sort of storage devices for your plant. They are a great help to determine when your plant needs more water. If the plant starts to become dehydrated, you’ll notice the pseudobulbs get sort of wrinkly like a raisin. You don’t want that. You want plump healthy ones. Each new growth that comes out will come from the base of one of these pseudobulbs, and will grow into another structure. It’s an oncidium type, possibly specifically an odontoglossum. It’s very hard to tell without pictures of the flower. They tend to like a little more water than phalaenopsis (moth orchids) but as with all epiphytic orchids- they need their roots to dry between waterings. So an airy mix of bark and sphagnum is a solid choice for potting media. They need air around their roots as much as they need water. They can do very well in bright indirect sun.
4 likes Thank you so much for all this great information! I really appreciate it!
1 like
I second everything Jen said. The only thing I can add is accordion pleated leaves. Ugh. This is my bane and something I wish I knew about when I got my first one. If you see it, and trust me you will know it if/when you see it, it means your plant has been chronically dehydrated. It’s not a dangerous issue just an irritating one. Fortunately it’s an easy issue to address, although the pleated leaves remain. Good luck! The oncidium alliance is great fun!
1 likeAh yes… shouldn’t forget to mention those! Example of pleated leaf for clarity. It happens to the best of us.
