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Species library › Oncidium › Oncidium altissimum
Orchids Partly documented

Oncidium altissimum

Wydler's dancing-lady orchid

A Caribbean dancing-lady orchid from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles. It sends up a branched flower spike up to about 180 cm long, carrying many small, glossy yellow and brown flowers in spring. It is a hot-growing epiphyte of warm, bright, seasonally dry island forest. It wants strong light, warmth all year and a drier rest in the winter and early spring.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

A medium-sized epiphyte with clustered, flattened, rough-surfaced pseudobulbs, each carrying two strap-shaped leaves. It is reported from low elevations in the Lesser Antilles and is often found together with ants, which may benefit it. It was one of the earliest orchids grown at Kew, introduced by Captain Bligh.

IOSPE gives sea level to 200 m. The 5 GBIF records with an elevation span 48–600 m, median 482 m, so it also reaches the lower hills.

CubaPuerto RicoLeeward IslandsWindward Islands

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.