Cambria Care
 

Hi

A few years a go I saw an orchid drastically reduced, so on a whim I brought it :biggrin: (as you do). The label said "Cambria" which at the time I couldn't find much out about it. It was in flower and smelled beautiful up close, I just assumed I had come across a less popular type of orchid.

There is nothing inherently wrong with it several years on, but I don't really know if I should be dividing it? Each year a new pseudobulb grows, then many months later when it reaches a good size it flowers. Few weeks after this and a new pseudobulb starts to form, while the old one remains in place.

I read somewhere that the old "back" bulbs are supporting the plant and must never be divided, but these seemed to relate to other types or Orchid alliances rather than this "Cambria".

If anyone has any information or guidance I'm all ears. :bowing

Not familiar with "cambria". Any pics? I love pics.

Hi

Sorry that was silly, should have posted a few. :D

To me I thought it looked like one a couple of the well known alliances and had been mislabled. But just had a look in one of my books and Dr Hessayon wrote back in 2005 that "It is a plant which does not occur in nature - it is a hybrid of other orchid genera and is more correctly known as Vuylstekeara"

A google Search of that name comes up with little too. Although Wikipedia says - "Vuylstekeara, abbreviated as Vuyl in horticultural trade, is an intergeneric hybrid between three orchid genera, Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossum (Cda x Milt x Odm)".

Doesn't give me any care tips but I hadn't been researching Vuylstekeara, so that's somewhere for me to start.

I've attached some pictures anyway.

All I can say is wow that is absolutely beautiful! I can't give you any help but it is very pretty.

Cambria is a name used for several different Genera in horticulture. It's not a real genus, it generally represents an oncidium alliance intergeneric of some sort.

Vuylstekeara is one such oncidium alliance intergeneric but there are others that also get covered by the name Cambria. Vuylstekeara is Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossum genuses combined.

I bought a Cambria which is now currently classed as Oncostele, another intergeneric in the oncidium alliance.

Basically Cambria makes it easier for horticulturalists because they just group them all together and don't worry about the actual genus :(

As for care, treat it very like the Oncidium alliance plants, the advice about back bulbs pretty much goes for all symbodial orchids. Not a case of never divide, a big clump can be divided if all divisions have a mixture of back bulbs and new lead growths, but don't just remove back bulbs because they look old, they are storing energy for the plant.

Thank you Rosie, that is really really helpful :bowing . I'll watch how it grows and if several new bulbs appear at once will consider dividing.

That is so beautiful!