Oncidium Irish Mist 'Big Hot Sun'

Oncidium Irish Mist 'Big Hot Sun'

This oncidium really captured my attention at the New York Orchid show this year.  It is an understated and elegant kind of orchid.  Something about the delicate apple-green hue of these flowers makes them stand out among other brighter and showier orchids. The judges at the American Orchid Society must have agreed, when they awarded the clone 'Big Hot Sun' with the Award of Merit (AM) distinction.

Oncidium Irish Mist 'Big Hot Sun' zoomed out view

Oncidium Irish Mist is a primary hybrid between two South American orchid species: Oncidium multistellare and Oncidium fuscatum. It was registered by Mauna Kea Orchids in 2009. In addition to 'Big Hot Sun', there is another clone named 'Wintergreen'.  The two clones seem to have identical looking flowers.

Oncidium Irish Mist parentage: a primary cross between Oncidium multistellare and Oncidium fuscatum

Photo credits:

Oncidium multistellare, by Association Aboise d'Orchidophilie Exotique

Oncidium fuscatum by Eduardo A. Pacheco (Flickr gallery)

Oncidium Irish Mist is highly fragrant, due to its parent Oncidium fuscatum. The color of the flowers appears to be primarily inherited from Oncidium multistellare, and the flower shape is a mixture of both parents.

If Oncidium fuscatum looks familiar, that is because it was also a progenitor for Oncostele Wildcat. This orchid species is frequently used in oncidium hybridizing, and I expect I'll be coming across it again in future posts.

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