Our third Brazilian orchid this week is this rather unusual member of the Oncidium family.

Rodreguezia decora 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.

To cope with the scrambling habit we grow the plant in a large basket and wrap new growths around it to keep the plant pretty much in one place. It flourishes in our Cool Americas section (min 12C)