{"id":39052,"date":"2021-10-27T17:16:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T01:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/?p=39052"},"modified":"2021-11-01T15:07:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T23:07:06","slug":"a-sweet-little-caucaea-orchid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/27\/a-sweet-little-caucaea-orchid\/","title":{"rendered":"A Sweet Little Caucaea Orchid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_3_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39061 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_3_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flower, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_3_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_3_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_3_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39063 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flowers, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, flowers with water drops, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_5_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_4_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39062 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_4_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flowers, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_4_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_4_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_4_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This Caucaea was a great find at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orchidsanfrancisco.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco Orchid Society<\/a> sale last year. It&#8217;s a cool-growing miniature with a strong, sweet fragrance. Caucaeas are in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/identify\/orchids\/oncidium.html\">Oncidium<\/a> family, and they&#8217;re named after the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cauca_River\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cauca region<\/a> of the northern Andes. Caucaea is pronounced &#8220;kaw-KAY-uh.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39064 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px-128x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flower, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px-128x128.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_6_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_8_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39066 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_8_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, close up photo of orchid species flower, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_8_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_8_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_8_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39067 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, close up photo of flower column and lip, orchid species flower, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This species is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orchidspecies.com\/cauceaphalaenopsis.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Caucaea phalaenopsis<\/em><\/a>, named for its resemblance to moths. It shouldn&#8217;t be confused with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/identify\/orchids\/phalaenopsis.html\">Phals, or Moth Orchids<\/a>, which belong to a different genus. <em>Caucaea phalaenopsis<\/em> is native to cloud forests in Ecuador, at elevations above 2700 feet (823 m.) My plant seems to have settled into our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/outdoor.html\">back garden<\/a> quite happily, enjoying the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/let-the-sunshine-in\/\">morning sun<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/temperature.html\">cool temps<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/humidity.html\">regular fog<\/a>. The blooms on its first flower spike survived several weeks, and swelling flower buds on a second spike promise more to come. It even emerged unscathed from last weekend&#8217;s powerful rainstorm, when we had over 6 inches (15 cm) of rain in a single day, and wind gusts exceeding 65 miles per hour (105 km\/h.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_1_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39059 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_1_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flower, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_1_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_1_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_1_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39065 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flower with water drops, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_7_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39060 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px-128x77.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea phalaenopsis, orchid species flowers, Phalaenopsis-Like Oncidium, fragrant miniature orchid, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"77\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px-128x77.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px-300x180.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px-768x461.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_phalaenopsis_2_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The flowers aren&#8217;t very large, but they pump out a lot of fragrance. Their scent is pleasant and floral, like a rose. These plants should be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/water.html\">watered regularly<\/a>, and never allowed to dry out completely. They don&#8217;t enjoy warm weather, but seem to tolerate short periods of heat, as long as there is high humidity. The last row of photos below shows three other charming Caucaea species. For growers with cool temps and good humidity, Caucaeas are sweet little orchids.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39057 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea nubigena, orchid species flowers, Pacific Orchid Expo 2019, San Francisco, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_nubigena_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39058 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px-128x85.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea olivacea, orchid species flowers, Pacific Orchid Expo 2016, San Francisco, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"85\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px-128x85.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_olivacea_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-39068 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Caucaea sanguinolenta, orchid species flowers, Asuka Orchids, San Bruno, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Caucaea_sanguinolenta_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Caucaea was a great find at a San Francisco Orchid Society sale last year. It&#8217;s a cool-growing miniature with a strong, sweet fragrance. Caucaeas are in the Oncidium family, and they&#8217;re named after the Cauca region of the northern Andes. Caucaea is pronounced &#8220;kaw-KAY-uh.&#8221; This species is Caucaea phalaenopsis, named for its resemblance to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12,3,19,6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cool-growers","category-fragrant-orchids","category-growing","category-mini-orchids","category-photos","category-watering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39052"}],"version-history":[{"count":54,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39119,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39052\/revisions\/39119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}