Oncidium Alliance (Orchids)

This group of perennial orchids has wild members ranging from southern Florida and Mexico through the Caribbean and Central America to Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Many produce branching sprays of flowers and develop clumps of swollen stems called pseudobulbs. One of the three petals forms a distinctive lip, while the reproductive structures join into a central column. Numerous hybrids are grown for their varied flower colors and patterns. Photographed in Floridablanca, Colombia.