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.

Masdevallia angulifera 'J & L' AM/AOS

Masdevallia angulifera belong to the Saltatrices group of Masdevallias, those with tubular, hair-lined flowers that have a pronounced "belly" at the base of the tube.  The plant is 12cm tall and the 2.5cm flowers are held above the leaves.  This clone was awarded by the American orchid Society for its dark color.  I grow it in a net pot in live sphagnum moss.

Trisetella strumosa

Trisetella vittata is a tiny species from Ecuador.  All the species in this genus are small, are closely related to Masdevallia and were once classified with Masdevallia.  The plant is 3cm tall, the spikes 4cm long and the flowers 2.5cm from tip to tip.  The Trisetellas can be very difficult to identify but I am reasonably certain that this is Trisetella strumosa.

Phalaenopsis violacea var. alba.

I purchased this species as a tiny seedling and it has been in bloom off and on for several years now, as is characteristic of the species, which blooms on long lasting flower spikes that produce only one flower at a time but do so over many years.  The ordinary form of this species has purple coloring especially on the lower parts of the flower, but this is a colorless form or alba.  Phalaenopsis violacea is from Malaysia and Sumatra.

Paphiopedilum venustum

My Paphiopedilum venustum is in bloom again.  It blooms faithfully very year in winter or early spring.  The flowers on my plant are nothing special, rather small for the species and rather poorly shaped, but the species is worth having even then and the detail of the flowers is incredible.  The plant is from the Himalayas, Nepal, Indian and Bangladesh.