Tolumnia lucayana

Tolumnia lucayana (Nash) Braem

Synonym: Oncidium lucayanum

Family: Orchidaceae

Habit: Tolumnia lucayana grows as a rhizomatous epiphyte.  There is a shortened primary stem that is incased by imbricating sheaths.  There is a secondary stem forming a pseudobulb that is short, to 5 mm, and enclosed by distichously arranged leaf bases.  The leaves are arranged 2-ranked, plicate, recurved linear, to 12 cm in length (usually smaller) and 1 cm wide, typically yellow green with red spots and a crenate leaf margin and acute leaf apex.

The complete, perfect, zygomorphic flowers are arranged in terminal racemes (with occasional branching) up to 60 cm in height (usually shorter) with up to 60 flowers (usually less). A small bract subtends each flower.  The calyx has 3 yellow with red- brown sepals spots. The corolla has 3 petals with one forming the labellum. The labellum is 3 lobed and yellow.  The lateral lobes white, yellow and pink with spots, entire or crenate reflexed margins and the mid lobe is entire or crenate with brown and pink spots The column has white, pink, yellow lateral wings at the apex and is crenate.  The fruit is a capsule at maturity.

Habitat: Tolumnia lucayana grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Forests as well as near Mangrove areas.

Distribution: Tolumnia lucayana occurs in the Lucayan Archipelago on Great Inagua, Abaco, and Andros as well as in Cuba and Hispaniola.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Tolumnia lucayana is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.