Effusiella amparoana

One of my favorite orchids has recently come into bloom. Effusiella amparoana belongs to a group of Central and South American orchids known as Pleurothallids. This miniature plant is about six inches tall with narrow upright leaves and six inch nodding spikes of flowers. The flowers, up to 15 per flower spike, are the interesting part of the plant. Each flower is about 3/8-1/2 inch in size and looks like a translucent hairy green toilet bowl with the lid up. The bowl-shaped, joined lower sepals and the upper sepal are lined with white hairs that are revealed when the flower opens. The plant has also been classified as Specklinia amparoana and Pleurothallis amparoana, is native to Costa Rica and Panama and is named after a Costa Rican orchidist, Dona Amparo de Celedon.