Trisetella triglochin

Trisetella triglochin, also found under the name Trisetella huebneri, is found both in southern Central America and northern South America.  It is extremely variable in flower shape and color.  This plant is only 3 cm tall with flowers that are also 3 cm in size and are produced on very thin 5 cm spikes that produce several flowers in succession.  I am not certain, however, that is correctly identified, since most of the Trisetellas I've purchased have had the wrong name.

Masdevallia datura

Masdevallia datura is named for the enormous Angel Trumpet flowers belonging to the genus Datura or Brugmansia.  Its flowers are nowhere near the size of the Angel Trumpets but are large for the size of the plants.  The plants of this Masdevallia are 12-15 cm tall, with narrow leaves and flowers, measured from tip to tip that are as large as the plant.  The species is from Bolivia and is cool growing.  It is not a prolific bloomer for me, but has done better since I reduced the light, cut back fertilizing to almost nothing, and let it dry out a bit more between waterings.

Trisetella triglochin

This is one of the more common Trisetella species, if it is identified correctly.  I've found that most of the plants in this genus I purchase are misidentified.  Trisetella triglochin, also found under the name Trisetella huebneri is found both in southern Central America and northern South America.  It is extremely variable in flower shape and color.  This plant is only 3 cm tall with flowers that are also 3 cm in size and are produced on very thin 5 cm spikes that produce several flowers in succession.

Trichosalpinx vasquezii

I didn't even have a country of origin for this one when I posted this.  If I remember it was given me and all that was obvious was that it belonged to the genus Trichosalpinx, a genus of plants related to Pleurothallis.  Since posting the pictures, however, the species has been identified by Wiel Driessen with the help of Chad Lees, who sent him the link.  It is Trichosalpinx vasquezii from Bolivia, a very rare species.  The flowers are tiny, just a few millimeters, and are held against the bottom of the leaf and are not visible unless the plant is turned upside down.  The plant is 15 cm tall.

Sigmatostalix graminea

Sigmatostalix graminea looks like a tiny Oncidium and is in fact related to that genus.  It is a micro-miniature, the plant only 5 cm tall with tiny pseudobulbs and a tiny fan of deeply channeled leaves.  Its successively flowered spikes that come from the base of the pseudobulbs.  The flowers are a mere 5mm in size.  It is from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Barbosella cucullata

I've posted this species before, but last time it bloomed it had only two flowers.  It did much better this fall.  The species has thick, channeled leaves 5 cm long and 4 cm flowers on 15 cm spikes.  It is from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela and is related to Masdevallia and Pleurothallis.  I grow it in live sphagnum and try to keep it slightly dry which it seems to prefer.  I've found, too, that the flowers are not very long-lasting.

Sigmatostalix graminea

Sigmatostalix graminea is a tiny little species from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.  The plant is 5cm tall with tiny pseudobulbs and successively flowered spikes that come from the base of the pseudobulbs.  The flowers are only 5mm in size.  The plant is related to Oncidium.

Masdevallia datura

Masdevallia datura is named for the enormous Angel Trumpet flowers belonging to the genus Datura or Brugmansia.  Its flowers are nowhere near the size of the Angel Trumpets but are large for the size of the plants.  The plants of this Masdevallia are 12-15cm tall, with narrow leaves and the flowers, measured from tip to tip are equally large.  The species is from Bolivia and is cool growing.

Diodonopsis anachaeta

Diodonopsis or Masdevallia anachaeta is a tiny thing, the plant only 2 cm tall and the flowers just over 1 cm.  The flowers hang over the plant like little bells and remind me of some of purple-flowered species Clematis like C. integrifolia.  The species ranges from Peru and Bolivia through Columbia and Ecuador.

Barbosella cucullata

Barbosella cucullata is another species from Ecuador, but also from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.  It is also another Pleurothallid, related to Masdevallia. Many of the species in this genus are very small, but this one is a bit larger with thick, channeled leaves about 5 cm tall, long, erect flower spikes (15 cm), and single flowers 4 cm in size.  In nature it is a lithophyte, growing on moss-covered rocks, and in cultivation seems to like a thick pad of moss as well.  I grow it in a small pot in which the live moss has formed a thick pad well above the top of the pot and there it thrives, partly buried in the moss.

Lepanthes nycteris

Lepanthes nycteris is from Bolivia and Peru and belongs to a group of orchids whose flowers are mostly small but very unusual, very complex and often very colorful.  A previous blog post shows a large number of these flowers (see below).  In this case the rather strange flowers are named after a family of bats, the Slit-faced Bats, or Nycteridae.

The plant is 6-7 cm and the flowers a little over 2 cm tall.  The plant has oval leaves on thin, wiry stems and the flowers come in succession on thin dangling spikes.  For this reason the plant is better grown mounted, and mine is on a thin piece of cork bark.  Since it comes from high altitude cloud forest, it should be grown cool and moist and prefers quite low light.

For more information on the genus Lepanthes see this post:
http://orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2011/08/lepanthes-jewels-of-orchid-world.html

Triotosiphon bangii

Masdevallia bangii or Triotosiphon bangii, now the correct name, is one of the smallest Masdevallias.  The plant shown is growing in a pot only 3-4 cm in diameter.  The tiny flowers are only millimeters in size and the plant only a few cm tall.  It is native to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.  This particular plant was awarded as a Masdevallia, however, and given a Certificate of Botanical Recognition by the American Orchid Society.  It is supposed to be tolerant of a range of temperatures, but I have found it a bit finicky, dropping leaves when not happy.  I keep it cool and moist.

Triotosiphon bangii 'John H' CBR/AOS

Masdevallia bangii is one of the smallest Masdevallias.  The plant shown is growing in a pot only 3-4 cm in diameter.  The tiny flowers are only millimeters in size and the plant only a few cm tall.  It is native to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.  Actually, the plant is no longer classified as a Masdevallia, but as Triotosiphon bangii.  This particular plant was awarded as a Masdevallia, however, and given a Certificate of Botanical Recognition by the American Orchid Society.  It is supposed to be tolerant of a range of temperatures, but I have found it a bit finicky, dropping leaves when not happy.  I keep it cool and moist.