Oncidium (genus, "Onshijiumu")

Japanese name: オンシジウム
Scientific name: Oncidium

[Overview]
An evergreen perennial.
An orchid of varied habit and form, epiphytic, lithophytic, and sometimes terrestrial.
It has a creeping rhizome.
The fleshy pseudobulbs are ovoid or cylindrical and bear 1–3 leaves at the tip.
The flower stalk emerges from the base of the pseudobulb and forms a raceme or panicle.
In the flower, the dorsal sepal, lateral sepals and lateral petals are almost identical in shape and color.
The lip is 3-lobed, and in some the middle lobe is further divided into two.
There is usually a fleshy ridge (callus) at the base of the lip.
The column is attached at a right angle to the base of the lip.
It has extrafloral nectaries.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
It varies by line, but it is desirable to keep it at 10°C or higher in winter.
Grow it in an airy place.
Strong summer sun causes leaf scorch, so provide light shade, and in winter bring it indoors to a sunny spot.
Without enough sun, flowering is poor.
Plant it in sphagnum moss, fine bark, osmunda fiber or pumice.
From spring to summer, water thoroughly when the surface of the potting material dries, and keep it somewhat on the dry side when temperatures drop.
Apply slow-release fertilizer in spring, and give liquid fertilizer once a week from spring to autumn.
Pests and diseases include viral disease, spider mites, scale insects, aphids and slugs.

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