Species · genus Oncidium · Orchidaceae

Kandyan Dancer Orchid

Oncidium sphacelatum Lindl.

Growth habit

pseudobulbous epiphyte

Native range

Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Venezuela

Reference · O. sphacelatum

Cultivars of O. sphacelatum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under O. sphacelatum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A pseudobulbous epiphyte from the seasonally humid forests of Mexico and Central America, it grips bark in fast-draining conditions rather than sitting in soil. Grow it in an open, airy orchid mix or mount, and water when the medium has nearly dried and the pseudobulbs are firm but the roots show no green. It wants warmth, bright indirect light, and steady air movement; standing moisture rots it quickly.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

15–29 °C

Soil mix

Coarse, fast-draining orchid bark; never ordinary potting soil

Propagation

Division of pseudobulbs once clumps are large

Fertilizing

Weak orchid feed every couple of weeks while in growth

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Sprays of small yellow-and-brown blooms in winter to spring

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Kandyan Dancer Orchid yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.