Tolumnia Cardinal Bird
Equitant Oncidiums
Tolumnia Cardinal Bird is Equitant Oncidiums that originate in the Caribbean. The foliage seldom exceeds 6 to 8 inches in height. The leaves are arranged in pairs overlapping or straddling one another at the base. The flowers are produced primarily in the spring on 12 to 18 inches inflorescences that are often branched on older plants. Some species have much shorter, bouquet-like displays.
Tolumnia orchids produce growths at short intervals along the rhizomes, resulting in a compact, clumping growth habit. A few, however, possess elongated rhizomes that create rambling tangles of growth. They come in many shades of colors and have flowers that can be solid in colour, spotted or barred. Their petite size and ability to adapt to a fairly wide range of conditions make them suitable for growing spaces under lights or on windowsills.
The key to growing Tolumnias is understanding their natural habitat. The species are endemic to the Caribbean Basin with many confined to a single island. Most of the species involved in modern hybrids are found in intermediate to warm conditions growing on twigs where they are exposed to bright light and air movement. The moisture is provided by high humidity and by daily rain showers or heavy dew. Due to constant air movement by the trade winds, plants never remain wet for long.
