Oncidium Sw.

Overview

Oncidium belongs to the orchid family; Kew gives its native range as tropical and subtropical America. WCVP records it from Florida, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Classification: a shifting genus

Swartz published the genus in 1800. The AOS notes that the limits of Oncidium have vexed taxonomists and remain unstable. WCVP now includes Odontoglossum, Cochlioda, Sigmatostalix and others (see the table below), so many orchids grown as “odontoglossums” now have their accepted names under Oncidium. The plate above is an example: the first plate of Reichenbachia (1888) is printed Odontoglossum crispum, which WCVP treats as a synonym of Oncidium alexandrae.

The AOS genus card also notes the range of forms: some species have pseudobulbs reduced to a disc and extremely rigid leaves (“mule-ears”), others conspicuous pseudobulbs and thin leaves.

Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 36 TDWG botanical regions.

Argentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBahamasBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaEcuadorEl SalvadorFloridaFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasLeeward Is.Mexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruPuerto RicoSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuelaWindward Is.

Accepted species

WCVP accepts 373 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24.

Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

• 

  Oncidium altissimum

  Edwards's Botanical Register · 1651 · 1833
  Sarah Anne Drake, J. Watts
• 

  Oncidium pelicanum

  Edwards's Botanical Register · 70 · 1847
  Sarah Anne Drake, G. Barclay
• 

  Oncidium Barkerii

  L'Illustration horticole · 002 · 1854
  J. Vandamme, C. Severeyns
• 

  Oncidium strictum

  A Second Century of Orchidaceous Plants · 196 · 1867
  Walter Hood Fitch
  name from Commons, unverified
• 

  Odontoglossum crispum

  Reichenbachia: Orchids Illustrated and Described · Tab. 1 · 1888
  Henry George Moon, Joseph Mansell

Cultivation

The AOS culture sheet advises light ranging from bright to nearly direct sun depending on the species; intermediate to warm temperatures, 13–16 °C at night and 27–29 °C by day; thorough watering, letting the medium dry at least halfway through the pot before watering again; and 30–60% humidity. Repot when new growth starts, usually in spring.

Further reading

• Reference library

References

1. WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232) · accessed 2026-10-24
2. Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Oncidium native range
3. American Orchid Society · Oncidium
4. American Orchid Society · Oncidium Culture Sheet