365 days of orchids – day 685 – Rodreguezia decora
Some of our orchids are compact and convenient to grow others are not. These very attractive flowers belong to one of our more challenging Brazilian species.
This relative of Oncidium grows 3cm pseudobulbs separated by 15cm of vertical rhizome and so rapidly climb up from any basket or support they are given. I am sure this is a useful habit when you grow as an epiphyte in the coastal cloud forests of Brazil where plants presumably clamber their way up through the canopy to get access to more light and attract pollinators. However, in a greenhouse we are always playing catch up and keep up with the plant.
We have recently done lots of dividing to bring our large plant back down to a manageable size and so if anyone wants to try something a little different we will have plants for sale.
Discussion