Trisetella regia

Trisetella regia is, relatively speaking, the giant of the genus, and well-named regia or "regal."  Most of the plants in the genus are tiny, only a few centimeters tall, with small flowers (1.5-2 cm) on short flower spikes.  This species is 7 cm tall with long 20 cm flower spikes and 4 cm flowers.  The flowers are typical in shape and color for the genus and have the long "tails" for which the genus is named.  Their obvious resemblance to Masdevallias had them classified as Masdevallias at one time.

Paphiopedilum venustum

Sometimes referred to as the "Brain Pouch Paphiopedilum" for obvious reasons, the Slipper Orchid is from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal.  It is also desirable for its beautiful foliage, a rather uncommon feature in orchids.  The flowers are not large but it is easy to grow and blooms faithfully on every new growth.  My plant is grown on a windowsill in moderate light and in a bark mix.

Masdevallia angulifera 'J & L'

Masdevallia angulifera is from Colombia and belongs to the Saltarices group of Masdevallias.  It has all the features of that group, colorful, tubular flowers lined with glandular hairs and a bulge at the base of the tube.  Like the other plants in the group it is small, 12 cm, with 2.5 cm flowers.  This clone is particularly dark and has been awarded by the American Orchid Society.

Mediocalcar decoratum

Mediocalcar decoratum is an unusual miniature, mat-forming species from the highlands of New Guinea.  It is cool growing and does well either on a mount or in a pot, but needs room to ramble.  The individual growths are about 1 cm, have a thick fleshy stem and a fan of four tiny fleshy leaves at the top.  Each new growth begins near the top of the previous growth, forming an ever-lengthening chain.  The flowers, 0.5 cm in size, come from the base of the growths and look like tiny candy-corns.  Though cool-growing the plant is very easy to grow and is very tolerant of different conditions.

Masdevallia hirtzii

Very typical of the section of Masdevallia to which it belongs (Saltatrices) with its brightly colored, tubular flowers, Masdevallia hirtzii is from Ecuador and Peru.  It is a very small plant, only 8 cm tall, and produces an abundance of 4 cm flowers if well grown.  It is supposed to be temperature tolerant but I grow my plant intermediate to cool in sphagnum moss in a net pot.  It blooms faithfully for me every year in late autumn and winter.

Sophrolaeliocattleya Circle of Life

This is one of the few hybrids I grow and one of the few Cattleyas I grow.  It's a hybrid of Laeliocattleya Culminant and the tiny red species, Sophronitis coccinea and due to the renaming of the species in its background would now be known simply as Cattleya Circle of Life.  It is a small plant as Cattleyas go, only 25 cm tall with 7-8 cm flowers, two per growth.  It blooms faithfully every winter or spring and is one I raised from a very small seedling.