Acronia canadentis

Canidentis means "dog's tooth" and the name in this case refers to the shape of the petals.  Acronia or Pleurothallis canidentis is from Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia and is only 12cm tall with 2cm flowers, which are produced one at a time from the sheath at the base of the heart-shaped leaf.  The unusual colors and size of the flowers make it a desirable species, but it is cool-cold growing, coming from higher elevations and does not seem to tolerate warmer temperatures very well.

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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.

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Dracontia pachyglossa

Dracontia pachyglossa, also known as Pleurothallis paphyglossa, is a species from Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica.  My plant is 15cm tall with flower spikes equally long that come from the base of the leaf and bloom successively with four to five 2 cm flowers.  The plant is temperature tolerant and like most Pleurothallids prefers good humidity and air movement.

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Reichantha striatella

Once known as Masdevallia striatella (and still called that by many orchidists), Reichantha striatella is a beauty by any name.  The plant is 10 cm tall and easy to grow.  The flowers are produced singly and are 1 cm in size.  The species comes from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.

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Effusiella amparoana

This charming species, one of my favorite orchids, was formerly classified as Pleurothallis amparoana.  By any name its flowers are some of the most curious in the orchid family, looking like little hairy toilet bowls.  I've previously posted pictures and a description of this species, but since it is blooming once again and has more flowers than ever, I thought I'd post it again.

The previous post can be found here: http://orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2010/07/effusiella-amparoana.html

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Elongatia guttata

Known also as Pleurothallis janetiae, Stelis janetiae and Elogatia janetiae, the name at the top of this post is the name under which this attractive species is currently recognized.  It is from Costa Rica and supposed to be warm to hot growing, but does well for me with other cool-temperature Pleurothallids.

My plant is 8cm tall and produces its flowers in succession on thin wiry spikes that tend to be pendant.  The plant for that reason is best grown mounted, though my plant at present is in a pot.  The flowers are close to 2cm tall and are nearly transparent, one of the selling points of this species.

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Maxillaria tenuifolia

Know as the coconut orchid for its scent - it smells exactly like fresh coconut - Maxillaria tenuifolia is from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  It is easy to grow and a common orchid in collections, often growing into very large clumps with hundreds of flowers.

Because it grows into a large specimen plant so quickly it is an orchid I no longer grow.  The plant itself, however, is very reasonably sized, with 3-4 cm flat pseudobulbs and a single narrow, 20-25 cm leaf at the top of the pseudobulb.  The 4-5 cm flowers arise from the base of the pseudobulbs.

The genus name, Maxillaria, refers to the jaw-like base of the lip in this species and other larger-flowered species in the genus.  The species name, tenuifolia, refers to the narrow, grass-like foliage of the plant.  It is an attractive plant with large and beautiful flowers.

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Scaphosepalum anchoriferum

Scaphosepalum is a genus related to Masdevallia and Pleurothallis and belonging, therefore to the Pleurothallid alliance. All the species in the genus, a total of about 15, have very unusual flowers. This species comes from Costa Rica and Panama. It is around 8 cm tall, with pendant spikes about 5 cm long that bloom repeatedly, one flower at a time. The flowers themselves are 1 cm long and very intricate and highly colored. The plant likes cool and moist conditions and because it spikes are pendant needs to be mounted or grown in a small mesh basket.

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Specklinia montezumae

This plant has recently been reclassified as part of a reworking of the massive genus, Pleurothallis.  While I agree that the genus Pleurothallis, to which it originally belonged, was far too large and included too many dissimilar plants, I have trouble remembering all the new names.  By any name, however, this is a lovely little plant.

This orchid is native to Costa Rica and is tolerant of a wide range of temperatures.  The plant is 12 cm tall and the flowers which hide down at the base of the leaves are a little over 1 cm long.  The plant seems to bloom several times a year for me.  I have it growing in a specially thrown clay pot with extra drainage and in live sphagnum moss.

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Acronia canidentis

Previously known as Pleurothallis canidentis, this small plant has the heart-shaped leaves characteristic of the group, and the flowers, like the other Acronias, are carried on short stems, so that the flower lies on the upper surface of the leaf.

This species is one of the smaller Acronias, and is native to Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia.  The leaves with their stems are about 15 cm tall and the flowers are 2 cm tall.  It is cool growing and does well either in a pot or mounted.

The species name, canidentis, means "dog's tooth," and refers to the shape of the petals, though the resemblance entirely escapes me.  This, then, is the Dog's Tooth Pleurothallis, or the Dog's Tooth Acronia, but by any name a worthwhile plant.

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Zootrophion endresianum

This interesting orchid species was purchased as Zootrophion gracilentum, but I am pretty certain that is not that species. The description of Zootrophion endresianum fits this species better.

The plant is about 20 cm tall and freely produces its strange and interesting flowers during the summer. The flowers are about 3 cm in size and only open little "windows" in the sides of the flower, through which the pollinating insect must crawl.

The name Zootrophion refers to the cage-like shape of the flowers with their little "windows." The name endresianum refers to a German orchid collector of the 19th century.  The species is from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Colombia and tolerates a wide range of temperatures. It is considered by some to be synonymous with Zootrophion hypodiscus.

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Zootrophion vulturiceps

This orchid species is from Costa Rica and, like all the Zootrophions, only opens a small window in the side of the flower for the pollinating insect.

This particular species is name for the "vulture-headed" appearance of the flowers.  The plant is about 15 cm tall and the flowers about 3 cm in size.

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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.

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