BTCM.[Oncidesa/Bapticidium] Hwuluduen Chameleon

[voyager]

I was in H.D. a couple - 3 weeks ago and saw this little cutie, BTCM. Hwuluduen Chameleon. Try to say that three times real quick, or even once really slow for that matter. It looks most like the 'Golden Oriole' variation.
I'm not familiar with its parent plants, Oncidium Pupukea Sunset (Onc. fuscatum [Milt. warscewiczii] x cheirophorum) and Gomesa [Baptistonia] echinata. It had a spike with flowers just beginning to open and another just beginning to grow.

The first spike has bloomed out and the second is about to begin opening flowers. I have been leaving it out where it has been getting direct sun for about 2 to 3 hours a day late morning to early afternoon. Yeah, the beginning of the most intense sun period. It seems to be doing OK with that. All the parent plants seem to have rather low light preferences.

I'm finally starting to think about getting it mounted somewhere in the yard. I'm thinking of putting it in a lower light area. But, it seems to like higher light conditions.
Anyone familiar with this plant or its family and what they like for living conditions and how forgiving they are?

Once I've got a home for it, and it has bloomed again, I'll get pics and post them.

[PaphMadMan]

I have Oncidesa (Btcm) Little Dragon (Gomesa echinata x Onc. cheirophorum) and Gomesa echinata. They haven't been the most vigorous growers for me, but certainly not among my problem 'chids. There's nothing about the ancestry of these that would suggest they won't thrive in typical Oncid hybrid conditions, like Onc. Twinkle (partly related through cheirophorum and pretty much the definition of generic Oncid care). It might like a bit more heat and tolerate a bit more shade than some.

[voyager]

Thanks PaphMadMan.
Something I saw while looking around to learn about this one, lead me to think that it may be a lot like an Equitant type.
I have been told that Equitants don't do very well around here because, while they need frequent watering, their roots do not tolerate being wet all the time. They need to dry out.
Our local climate is supposed to be too wet for them. My experience so far with hybrid Equitants [Toluminias] seems to bear that out. I almost killed my first one by mounting it on a handful of moss. I unmounted it, removed the moss, and then remounted it bare root on an Alexander palm trunk. It seems to be doing much better. It has a couple of new spikes that should flower soon.
I'm thinking that the the NE to East side of a palm trunk might be a good place for this one, give it early morning sun, then shield it from sun during the heat of the day, and give the roots a chance to dry out after the morning dew and rains.
Reading your post kind of crystallized this in my mind.

Edit:
Someone seems to be unloading a bunch of these around here right now. I went to a farmers market today to pick up some fruit and veggies. There were several of these for sale there. They weren't as good as the one I got from H.D. I decided not to get any of them to put with this one when I mount it.

[Tindomul]

Looks great, wish you could update this one.

[H.L]

I just got one of those today. It will be great if u share your experience with it. Thanks!

[voyager]

I had mounted this one, with no moss used, on the NNE side of an Alexander palm trunk about 7' off the ground, one of the ones along our driveway.
Keep in mind that the sun goes overhead 2X per year here. Once as it mover North approaching summer solstice. Then again as it begins moving South towards the autumn equinox. For a short period in June/July, the sun is actually shining from the North.

Anyway, I've been watching this plant.
As paphmadman said: it is not the most vigorous grower.
But, it looks to be healthy.
Yesterday I noticed a shadow coming through one of the side leaves of a new growth.
Sure enough, a new inflorescence has begun to grow.
Baring anything unforeseen, it'll be blooming in the not too distant future.
I just did a search thinking that I had posted a photo of this with blossoms open.
Apparently I hadn't because I can't find one here.
I will get pics when they open.

I always get so excited when one begins blooming that I take the pic before the flowers maximize. I get worried that they'll begin to fade if I wait too long. The Epi. porpax is a good example.
It has opened quite a few more flowers since I posted the pics of it.
Plus, I have been doing a lot of re-posting of new pics when they bloom again later in the season, year or for the next season. I'm going to be slowing that down a bit and only posting each one a couple of times for subsequent seasonal blooming, or after a few seasons. It's getting a little too repetitive to keep posting pics of the same plants every time they bloom.

Got a few Oncid and Catt types coming up soon. The photo cut back will start after them. Kinda sounds like a New Years Resolution to me.

Then, I'm watching my species and hybrid Dends leaves wither, turn yellow ,and drop off the plants.
At first I was beginning to worry.
But, it's November.
It's winter.
I've even been wearing the fleece pants, jackets and vests I brought with me from Alaska for a couple of hours in the mornings to ward off the chill.
Night temps are hovering down around 65 deg. F.
The last week or so has been clear and sunny, just what most of those cool-dry-rest types like. My spring Dendrobium bloom is being set up right now.

If you haven't guessed by now, the Dendrobium section Dendrobiums are my favorite orchids. If it weren't for them I probably wouldn't have ever progressed beyond just photographing the Alaskan wild orchids.

[voyager]

It has been quite cool here.
Although, not as cool as it's been for you Northerners.
This has finally bloomed.

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