Plants
Dancing Lady Orchid
Oncidium · Orchidaceae
The oncidium, affectionately called the dancing lady or tiger orchid, is the most playful orchid in the range: instead of a few large blooms it carries dozens, sometimes hundreds of small flowers on branching sprays that dance in every draught. Most varieties glow in warm yellow with brown markings, and the famous „Twinkle“ series has an intense vanilla scent. We buy our oncidiums with sprays half open at the Veiling Rhein-Maas — so the flowers dance for weeks at your home instead of in the shop.
- Light
- Bright to very bright; gentle direct sun in the morning and evening is fine.
- Watering
- Soak weekly and let it dry off well in between — better slightly too dry than too wet.
- Care level
- Medium
- Botanical
- Oncidium
The genus is huge and diverse; the trade is dominated by yellow-flowering hybrids like „Sweet Sugar“ with golden-yellow, red-marked blooms, and the compact, strongly scented Twinkle varieties in white, cream and red. The hallmark is the large, spreading lip of each flower — the dancing lady's „skirt“.
Like the related cambria, oncidiums have prominent pseudobulbs as water stores. From this follows the most important care rule: soak thoroughly and let dry rather than keeping constantly moist. Permanent wetness is by far the most common reason oncidiums fail — their fine roots rot faster than a Phalaenopsis's.
For light the oncidium sits between Phalaenopsis and vanda: bright to very bright, happily with gentle morning or evening sun. A slight reddish tinge on the leaves is normal for many varieties and signals good light; only harsh midday sun behind glass scorches the foliage.
Normal room temperatures of 18 to 24 degrees Celsius suit it all year, and commercial hybrids need no pronounced rest period. What it does appreciate is a summer outdoors in semi-shade — the day-night temperature difference noticeably encourages new flower sprays.
After flowering the spray is removed at the base, as it will not reshoot. New flowers form on the fresh growth beside the youngest bulb, usually after eight to twelve months. As with the cambria, wrinkling bulbs are the honest warning sign of underwatering or damaged roots.
In floristry we also love oncidium sprays as a cut flower: a single branched stem fills a vase like half a bouquet and brings a lightness otherwise only found in gypsophila — just in golden yellow.
Is Dancing Lady Orchid toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Non-toxic
- Dogs
- Non-toxic
Like most orchids, the oncidium is considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and people and suits homes with pets well.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Place bright to very bright; gentle morning and evening sun is welcome, shade against midday sun.
- 02Soak weekly and let the fine substrate dry off well in between.
- 03Strictly avoid waterlogging — the fine roots rot faster than those of other orchids.
- 04Normal room temperature (18–24 °C) is fine; in summer it enjoys a semi-shaded spot outdoors.
- 05Cut spent sprays off at the base; they will not reshoot.
- 06Feed weakly dosed orchid fertiliser every two weeks during active growth.
Frequently asked
- Why is the oncidium called the dancing lady orchid?
- Because of its many small blooms with a large, spreading lip that flutter in the slightest draught — like a swarm of little dancers in yellow skirts, hence „dancing ladies“. Note the potential mix-up: the Phalaenopsis is sometimes called the butterfly orchid, but is an entirely different genus.
- Is the oncidium toxic to cats?
- No, like almost all orchids the oncidium is considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and people. Nibbling may at most cause a mild upset stomach.
- How often does an oncidium flower?
- As a rule once a year, with very good care more often — every newly matured bulb can produce a spray. The bloom itself lasts four to eight weeks. A bright spot, regular soaking and a summer outdoors clearly raise the chance of several sprays per year.
- Which oncidium smells of vanilla?
- The compact varieties of the Twinkle series (Oncidium Twinkle) have a strikingly sweet vanilla scent with a honeyed note, especially in the morning hours. „Sharry Baby“ is also famous for its chocolate-vanilla fragrance. The large yellow standard hybrids, by contrast, have little scent.