Effusiella amparoana

Once classified as Pleurothallis amparoana, this is a charming species by any name and one of my favorite orchids.  It blooms profusely in autumn but continues to produce occasional flower spikes throughout the year.  I missed the opportunity to take pictures this past autumn but did take a few recently when it had several new flower spikes and have included an older photo, the last, that shows the plant in full flower.  The species from Costa Rica and the plant is 12cm tall with 1 cm flowers.  It seems to be very temperature tolerant and easy to grow.

Masdevallia Maui Lollipop 'Hannah' HCC/AOS

I don't grow many orchid hybrids but this is one of the few, a charming hybrid of Masdevallia mendozae and Madevallia Angel Frost.  It is most like the Masdevallia mendozae parent with a very tubular flower, but has more erect flower spikes and a paler though brighter orange color, with the flowers slightly more open.  It has a double dose of "hairy" parents,  and so the flowers are lined with glandular hairs.

Masdevallia eurynogaster

Masdevallia eurynogaster is a small species from Ecuador and Peru.  It is another of the Saltatrices group, with a belly-like bulge at the base of the flower and glandular hairs lining the inside of the sepaline tube.  The name "eurynogaster" means "big-bellied."  The plant is 8 cm and the flowers very nearly that size.  I have two plants, one with darker flowers than this.

Mediocalcar decoratum

This little orchid is one of my favorites for its brightly colored, candy-corn-like flowers.  The individual growths are only 2cm but grow on top of each other, so the plant tends to ramble.  The growths have little cylindrical pseudobulbs with three or four fat little leaves at the top of each like a little propeller.  It prefers cool temperatures and good humidity but is easy to grow.  It is from New Guinea and belong to a small genus of plants that have similar brightly colored flowers, but plant that are in some cases much larger than this.

Buccella dynastes

Buccella dynastes, also known as Masdevallia dynastes, is a small species from Ecuador.  The plant is 10cm tall and the flowers 2cm.  The plant tends to have a climbing habit, but I grow it in a small net pot in live sphagnum moss.  The oddly shaped and colored flowers are produced during the winter.

Maxillaria sophronitis

Maxillaria or Ornithidium sophronitis is a small rambling plant with brightly colored flowers.  The little pseudobulbs are 2cm, the growths 6cm and the flowers 1.5cm.  The plant is native to Venezuela and Colombia and prefers cool temperatures.  It can be grown on a mount or in a pot and is easy to grow but sometimes reluctant to bloom.  Usually, however, higher light will induce blooming.