Oncostele Eye Candy 'Pinkie'

[Diane56Victor]

I've seen this named Oncostele and Wilsonara.
This is its first blooming and it has been taking its time about doing too!
The spike started in August and the first bud has just opened. I'm really happy to find out the actual colour of mine as I've seen loads of photos and they seem to vary from pink to burgundy. I haven't got any local growers who have this one so I'm not sure if its the photo not capturing the colour correctly.

[WaterWitchin]

That's super nice! Love those distinct colors. Please take another pic when it gets to full bloom!

I'm far from being an expert, but I think Oncostele is the "new" name for Wilsonara. I have an "Orange Kiss" that had the label Wilsonara Catatante 'Orange Kiss'; I got it a long time ago when first getting into orchids in a more serious way. But I've seen several for sale over the years usually listed as Odontocidium Catatante 'Orange Kiss'. One of the things I learned when first starting to buy different orchids was that I had no patience for the naming process and constant changes. Drives me crazy... my apologies for jumping down that rabbit hole.

More on topic... Orange Kiss is blooming. I'll try to remember and take a picture.

---------- Post added at 08:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------

PS and kudos for those nice leaves. Mine always look really ratty and I'm fond of snipping off the ends of them because can't stand the ratty look it tends to get.

[Diane56Victor]

I definitely will post more pictures when it's in full bloom.
I'm really liking the way the bloom is colouring up.

No need to apologise, I feel your pain with the all name changes. I have seen others naming it Oncostele and Wilsonara and some as just plain Oncidium. I just add all the alternate names to my records but leave the plant label as I bought it

I think I just struck lucky with the way the leaves look in the photo, they aren't quite as pristine in real life! I do have some Oncidiums with far from perfect leaves but this Eye Candy seems to have better leaves than my average Oncidium type.

I look forward to seeing your Orange Kiss.

[estación seca]

Wilsonara was described as an artificial genus consisting of crosses including genera Cochlioda, Odontoglossum and Oncidium. Almost all Cochlioda and Odontoglossum species were moved into Oncidium, and so almost all former Wilsonaras are now Oncidium.

Oncostele is an artificial genus of crosses including genera Oncidium and Rhyncostele. Species in the latter genus were never included in Cochlioda but some used to be in Odontoglossum. Thus some former Wilsonaras might now be Oncostele if the former Odontoglossum ancestors are now considered Rhynchostele.

The Oncidium species once included in Cochlioda and Odontoglossum were mostly cool growers. Most Wilsonaras don't tolerate as much heat as do many Oncidium hybrids composed of species that were always considered Oncidium in the past. It is more work for gardeners who now must look up ancestry for each cross. I preserve the old names on tags because this information is useful for a gardener.

[WaterWitchin]

And that just makes my head hurt Estación Seca!

[Diane56Victor]

Only one bloom left to to open. 15 blooms in total.

[Waterdog111]

That is one striking plant, thanks for sharing

[FranningtonBear]

Absolutely gorgeous! What eye-catching blooms

[Diane56Victor]

I have some interesting news about my plant.

I have been told by a very well known hybridiser that my plant may not be Oncostele Eye Candy 'Pinkie'
He believes it is Burrageara Eye Candy 'Penny Candy'

My immediate reaction was to check out the other name. As in my first post I had already noticed all the different colours that were named Oncostele Eye Candy 'Pinkie' but thought it could be the colour not representing correctly in photos.
Also my plant was a definite brown and yellow, not a hint of pink.

The more websites I checked the more I thought he was correct. As an example take a look at the photo on
nattorchids.com
It's the 27th photo

In my searching I found not only was the plant wrongly identified but the parents of both had also been used interchangeably!
So the heritage of this plant has definitely been muddled over time. No doubt the similar name has added to the confusion.

I have altered my database notes to reflect this possibility as I now also believe I have Burrageara Eye Candy 'Penny Candy'

I would be interested in hearing what other members think.

[WaterWitchin]

I think my head's starting to hurt again.