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Equitant Oncidiums or Tolumnia

© Linda Fortner

As promised last month, I am going to start telling you about some of the other fun orchids you can grow rather than the same old things you always see in every store. Yes, there really are a lot of different orchids other than Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Cymbidiums, and Cattleyas. For example, if you are cramped for space but want blooming orchids, I have just the one for you!

You might want to try an Equitant. Because the flowers look like little ladies with the big full skirts just like the Oncidiums, these little jewels were, of course, included in the genus Oncidiums for many years. The species has recently been moved to their own genera called Tolumnia because it has much smaller blossoms than the other Oncidiums and for other reasons. Of course, like everything with orchids, just moving the orchid from one genus to another may not be that simple. The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) currently does not accept the name Tolumnia so they continue to list them under Oncidiums --despite the differences. Interestingly, all hybrids are still labeled as Oncidiums rather than Tolumnia. Will the new genus be eventually accepted? Who knows? No matter what you call them, however, these little dolls are a delight to own. To keep the confusion to a low level, in this article I will refer to our little ladies as Equitants.

These miniature orchids originally make their homes in the Caribbean islands. They are warm growers and love high humidity. The local climate of the particular island where they live determines the amount of water they need. For example, T. guianese is from the very dry area of Hispaniola while other species are found in the Bahamas where it rains almost every day.

In the early 1950's W.W. Goodale Moir began crossing the species he collected in the West Indies. His little orchids were often referred to as "Moir's Weeds." For over 25 years he bred his little orchids making many exotic crosses. Finally in 1970 other breeders joined him and the large scale hybridization of these little ladies began.

Equitants are very robust growers and will bloom in showers of bright colorful blossoms ranging from bright sunshine yellows and golden browns, to vibrant reds and oranges. The little "skirts" are decorated with many patterns of stripes or polka dots. In a breeze, the blossoms look like a group of swinging square dancers all in a row along the inflorescence. One of my favorites is the hybrid

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