need ID help

[tarev]

Hello everyone! I got this new orchid from a local farmers market. From my very limited knowledge it looks like a member of the Oncidium family, but I maybe wrong. Would gladly appreciate any help, many thanks!

[ronaldhanko]

It very definitely is an Oncidium intergeneric hybrid with Brassia and Miltonia and possibly other genera in it. If you look up Miltassia you'll get a good idea of the culture it needs.

[WhiteRabbit]

I agree - looks like a Miltassia - possibly Mtssa Shelob.

[silken]

I agree too, a Miltassia.

[sii]

How do you guys/gals know how to id a plant this way? Is it from reading, purchasing...? I'm just in awe of everyone's knowledge.

I pick up little bits from all the posts I read. Hopefully I'll catch up. ;-)

[ronaldhanko]

The shape of the flowers can only come from Brassia and the spotting on the lip is clearly from a Miltonia parent. After you've grown orchids for a while you'll see some of these things too.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by ronaldhanko

The shape of the flowers can only come from Brassia and the spotting on the lip is clearly from a Miltonia parent. After you've grown orchids for a while you'll be just as good at identifying them.

some of the Oncidium intergenerics can be hard to tell which exactly they may be, and some, like Wilsonara, one Wilsonara can look quite different from another - but Miltassia is fairly distinct for the reasons Ron stated.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by sii

How do you guys/gals know how to id a plant this way? Is it from reading, purchasing...? I'm just in awe of everyone's knowledge.

I pick up little bits from all the posts I read. Hopefully I'll catch up. ;-)

The above statements are true sii. In most genera, the species look very similar, so when you have a intergeneric hybrid, it can be relatively easy to tell what it is. In this case, the thin, dark tepals (a word used when the petals and sepals are similar in look) are a characteristic of Brassias, and the spotted, wide lip is a characteristic of Miltonias. BUT, like was stated, when you have a multigeneric hybrid, like the Wilsonaras, you have the influence of multiple generas in varying amounts, thus increasing the difficulty of identifying it. Hope this helps!

[sii]

Blazing August thanks for that.

I've never purchased one of these orchids, nor have I ever seen one at the nursery. But reading on this site will help with the learning curve. ;-)

[tarev]

Thank you so much for helping me ID this lovely orchid. So I searched a bit more, starting with the Miltassia portion you all have graciously given and I got a name Miltassia Shelob "Tolkien" I am also on a learning curve a lot heheh! So glad that members of this forum are so very helpful!!