Oncidium back bulb propagation

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I wrote about receiving an intergeneric Oncidium with an incomplete name tag in this thread:
Oncidium makai

When I repotted it, two back bulbs looked as though they were attached only by dead rhizomes. I cut through the rhizomes, and where I made the cuts, the rhizome was indeed dead. The rhizomes at the bases of the pseudobulbs also looked like they might be dead, but I know this is not always the case.

I potted the two separated pseudobulbs, plus the one pseudobulb with a matured but dwarfed new growth, into large-particle perlite. This has fairly sharp, irregular edges, so it tends to stay put in a pot. It holds water but has large air spaces around it. I buy it at a local hyrdoponics shop. I am also trying it in S/H, so far with good results. It is very much lighter than LECA.

The two back bulbs went into a single 4" / 10cm round plastic pot. One of them was completely blackened and shriveled at the base. I knew from past experience this did not mean the inside was dead, and the bulb still had a chance of making new growth. I set them in the sunroom and sprayed with water every day. A week ago I gave a good dousing with KelpMax, Inocucor and fertilizer.

Three days ago I noticed a little green shoot at the base of the bulb that was green all the way to the base. Here is how it looks today, triple the size:



Three days ago there was nothing visible on the other back bulb in the same pot, the one black all around its base. Yesterday I saw two tiny green bumps at the very top of that pseudobulb, one above each old leaf scar. Here they are today:



This happens sometimes with old Oncidium back bulbs. With care these growths can form new plants. Some people take old back bulbs and lay them on top of barely-moist sphagnum moss, hoping such growths will root and grow.

I gently pulled the perlite from around the base of that pseudobulb and saw the beginnings of a new growth from the rhizome:



I am going to wrap some sphagnum around the growths at the top of this pseudobulb when they begin forming roots. When well-rooted I will cut them off and pot up separately. I will let the growth from the base develop normally. I will continue spraying these pseudobulbs frequently to encourage those growths to develop.

[billc]

Orchids are tenacious plants. Good luck!

Bill

[fishmom]

That is SO satisfying! Great persistence on your part, ES.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Splendid!!
Awesome saves!

And #4perlite is an orchid growers best friend. I use that a LOT

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Tonight I was watering and I had yet another surprise from this plant. Above I showed the two back bulbs beginning to grow. Here is the plant from which I removed those:



Also note I previously thought the tag said Oncidium Makai. In the other thread papayj wrote this:

Originally Posted by papayj

Actually, there's a hybrid named Oncidesa Makalii (Onc. maculatum x Gomesa sarcodes)
And Gom. sarcodes is known to have spindle shaped pseudobulb.

Now that I look at the tag that came with my plant again, it is "Onc. Makaii" and not "Makai", which is only slightly removed from "Makalii."

What some now call Gomesa sarcodes was called Oncidium sarcodes in 1945 when Onc. Makalii was named. It was moved to Gomesa in 2009, based on the way the lip connects to the column. So Makalii would have been abbreviated Onc. Makalii in 1945.

If Gomesa be accepted as a good genus, other plants formerly called Oncidium would be included there. Gower Ramsey would no longer be an Oncidium, but an Oncidesa (Oncsa.) It is composed of Onc. sphacelatum, Gom. flexuosa and Gom. varicosa. The last two were once called Oncidium.

However... later DNA work suggests Gomesa is not different from Oncidiums, and many small genera that have been separated from Oncidium should be included in the larger genus. Jay Pfahl at IOSPE shows Gomesa as a valid genus, but he places many of the species once moved from Oncidium into Gomesa back into Oncidium. So Makalii and Gower Ramsey are Oncidiums after all.

But... does Makalii flower from the apex of the pseudobulb? Or is my plant doing this because it's had a very rough couple of years? I could only find photos of flowers and spikes from a Japanese orchid show.

I'm going to see if my club members can help me track down where this came from.

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Coloring up. There are 7 buds on this spike.

[Dollythehun]

Nice save!

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Flowers began opening about 10 days ago, and the last opened this week.





I'm not sure whether snails or lizards caused the damage. I know lizards wander into my growing room.

The old back bulb with a new sprout from the base rotted and died, taking the new growth with it. I don't know why. The two sprouts from the apex of the other old back bulb still look healthy, and are forming plenty of roots.

[rbarata]

Those are beautiful flowers, ES.

Here's a photo I took from OW for Oncsa Makalii. Altough the spots pattern looks like your flower, the shape is different. It looks something with Brassia in it.

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Originally Posted by rbarata

Here's a photo I took from OW for Oncsa Makalii. Although the spots pattern looks like your flower, the shape is different. It looks something with Brassia in it.

Thank you. I found these photos of Oncidesa Makalii 'Gotoh' online:
Onc makali`gotoh` 22
ヒョウ柄のラン「オンシジウム・マカリイ・ゴトー」(蘭シリーズ　20-45) - 野の花　庭の花
https://www.qos.org.au/uploads/4/1/4...letin_2018.pdf (page through or use the search)
�L“‡Œ§—m‚ç‚ñ‹¦‰ï�@—á‰ï (look down into the page or use the search)
Oncidesa Makalii 'Gotoh' – ex Oncidium Makalii | Orchids.it
http://hybridorchid.la.coocan.jp/Onc...%20Makalii.htm

None of these has the narrower segments my flower has.

I also found Brassidomesa Tzeng-Wen Spot, which is Oncidesa Makalii × Brassia Rex:
https://bluenanta.com/detail/informa...9411/?role=pub

which looks a lot like the flower I have.