This fascinating looking species hail, as the name suggests, from Costa Rica. It produces a remarkable display of flowers with an uncanny resemblance to a flock of birds resting on a wire. A fairly forgiving species, a strong grower both in the shade and in brighter conditions. Apparently it can produce multiple inflorescences per pseudobulb, but mine has produced but one with twelve flowers this year. That is still about double the output from last year, so I am rather pleased. According to both Kew and the folks at Lankester Botanical Gardens in Costa Rica this name is a synonym, and they mean it should answer to either Oncidium poikilostalix, or Sigmatostalix guatemalensis. But there is so much going on with genetic research these days so I will keep the name on my tag as it is, at least for the moment.
I grow this mounted in the cool vivarium, medium bright and slightly on the drier side alongside my Maxillaria and Restrepia collection.
Sigmatostalix costaricensis Rolfe, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1916: 78 (1916).
Sigmatostalix guatemalensis Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10 (248-250): 253. 1911. (Lankester Botanical Gardens)
Oncidium poikilostalix (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase & N.H.Williams, Lindleyana 21(3): 26 (2008). (Kew)
