Decipher our collections,
discover hidden archives
and contribute to knowledge

Join our community of volunteers

Image by John Tann from Flickr

Join a virtual expedition of…

Collection labels

Capture data from specimen and object labels to make it accessible for scientific and cultural research.

See all labels

Historical documents

Transcribe text and capture data from historical documents to make them digitally accessible.

See all field journals

Wildlife Spotter

Identify and tag images of animals and collection objects to support information discovery and research.

See all camera traps

Feature Expedition

Dancing Lady Orchids of Central and South America at the Kew Herbarium

SpecimensRoyal Botanic Gardens - Kew

 

Join the party and help us transcribe the Dancing Lady Orchid specimens at the Kew Herbarium! The Oncidium genus has earned the common name Dancing Lady because of the arrangement of their petals, with a dominant petal (the lip) that looks like the skirts of a dress. This dominant lower lip is where the name for the genus derives from: ὀγκος, onkos, the Greek word meaning "swelling”. The flowers form in clusters and gives the appearance of a group of ladies dancing.

Oncidium species are mostly epiphytic (grow on other plants) but can be lithophytic (grow on rocks) or terrestrial (grow in soil). There are around 300 species in the genus, with many growing golden yellow flowers with reddish-brown barring which gives the genus their other common name ‘Tiger orchids’. The flowers can also come in brown, yellow, pink, white and red. The species are native to tropical and subtropical America and usually in seasonally dry areas.

Read about Kew's 2025 Orchid festival, celebrating Peruvian flora and fauna and book tickets to visit! 

Read this blog about the wonderful world of orchids!

 

0% Complete (success)
86% Transcribed
0% Validated
86% Transcribed
943 Tasks

More Expeditions

Wakka IV

0% Complete (success)
5% Transcribed
0% Validated
5% Transcribed
114 Tasks

Euphorbiaceae (North America)

0% Complete (success)
5% Transcribed
0% Validated
5% Transcribed
1220 Tasks

Euphorbiaceae of Central and South America at the Kew Herbarium - Part I

0% Complete (success)
30% Transcribed
0% Validated
30% Transcribed
1261 Tasks

New to the Collections - Part 9

29% Complete (success)
19% Transcribed
29% Validated
48% Transcribed
358 Tasks

Index to Land Deeds (AF955/1/16) E-Ey

0% Complete (success)
49% Transcribed
0% Validated
49% Transcribed
479 Tasks

Megadiverse: The Flora of Indonesia (Part 3)

11% Complete (success)
54% Transcribed
11% Validated
65% Transcribed
1049 Tasks

SA Herbarium - Fungi Transcriptions 1

44% Complete (success)
22% Transcribed
44% Validated
66% Transcribed
253 Tasks

Collector Cards - The "M"'s

0% Complete (success)
76% Transcribed
0% Validated
76% Transcribed
905 Tasks

Dancing Lady Orchids of Central and South America at the Kew Herbarium

0% Complete (success)
86% Transcribed
0% Validated
86% Transcribed
943 Tasks

Warrego Burdekin VII

56% Complete (success)
31% Transcribed
56% Validated
87% Transcribed
16 Tasks

Tarcutta_Array_2024_12_retrieved (13 of 19)

65% Complete (success)
26% Transcribed
65% Validated
91% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

Australian Museum Mixed Beetles 1

0% Complete (success)
92% Transcribed
0% Validated
92% Transcribed
557 Tasks

Bureau of Mineral Resources Sample Submission Forms 29

0% Complete (success)
96% Transcribed
0% Validated
96% Transcribed
2240 Tasks

Tarcutta_Array_2023_06_to_2023_11 (4 of 11)

100% Complete (success)
-1% Transcribed
100% Validated
99% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

Tarcutta_Array_2023_06_to_2023_11 (9 of 11)

100% Complete (success)
-1% Transcribed
100% Validated
99% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

Tarcutta_Array_2023_06_to_2023_11 (2 of 11)

100% Complete (success)
-1% Transcribed
100% Validated
99% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

DigiVol Stats

{{transcriberCount | number}} Volunteers

{{completedTasks | number}} tasks of {{totalTasks | number}} completed

Honour Board

Day Tripper View Top 20
{{daily.name}} {{daily.score | number}}
Weekly Wonder View Top 20
{{weekly.name}} {{weekly.score | number}}
Monthly Maestro View Top 20
{{monthly.name}} {{monthly.score | number}}
DigiVol Legend View Top 20
{{alltime.name}} {{alltime.score | number}}

Latest Contributions

Why you should get involved?

Contribute to knowledge

Help researchers better understand the diversity of plant and animal life.

Be an online volunteer

Be part of an active community that supports and contributes to science and culture.

Make data accessible

Unlock collections and extend the reach of information around the world.

Institutions using DigiVol