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Floral delight
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Onicidium or `dancing doll orchid' is a blooming choice
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The evergreen, terrestrial, epiphytic orchids or Onicidium are found in Mexico, South Africa and West Indies, belonging to the family Orchidaceae. Some Onicidium are complete with fan-like foliage; others have oblong ovoid pseudo bulbs that bear either large rigid leaf or two smaller 10-20 cms long flexible leaves. Flowers are typically yellow with prominent tips and are produced in short or tall racemes or panicles from the base of the plant.
Onicidium Flexuosum (Dancing doll orchid) has one or two linear, leathery leaves 10-20 cms long. Rich canary yellow flowers 2 cms across, with red brown markings on the sepals and petals are clustered towards the tip of panicles 60 cms long. Flower several times during the year.
Grow Onicidium in baskets. During the flowering season mist spray daily and water freely, applying mild liquid fertilizer every third watering. Letting water stand around bulbs and roots may cause fungal disease. Provide full light. Divide when the plants overflow their containers or remove side bulbs and pot up separately. Blooms are produced from June to January. Divide mature 3 to 4 year old plants; split them into well-rooted portion, each with a fat fleshy, oval shaped pseudo-bulb that develops at the base. The plant appreciates plenty of air. Useful as cut flowers, dancing doll orchids do last for many days.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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