This is a tiny thing, the plant only 3 cm tall, the flower spikes 5 cm long, and the tiny heads of flowers only a few millimeters across. It is from Columbia and is named after an orchid enthusiast from that country. The genus Platystele belongs to the group of orchids known as Pleurothallids and is related to Masdevallia.
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This orchid blooms faithfully for me every autumn and has more and more flowers every year. Though the individual flowers do not last a long time each flower spike produces a succession of four to six flowers and so the plant is in bloom over a long period of time, a month or more. The individual flowers are only 3 mm in size and the plant around 4 cm, but as some of the photos indicate, it is able to put on quite a show. It is from Mexico and Central America.
When I posted this tiny species previously, I was not very happy with the photos. It is in bloom once again and this time I managed to get some good pictures of the flowers which show how transparent they are and which give a much better idea of their charm. They are tiny, only 3 mm across, and are on a plant only 4-5 cm tall. The plant grows across Central America and into Mexico. It is best grown mounted since it forms a kind of mat of leaves and though reputed to bloom in the spring, always blooms for me in the fall.
This tiny species is native to Mexico and all of Central America. Very widespread, it is also tolerant of different temperatures, though it needs good humidity. The plant it self is about 3 cm tall and grows as a mat of narrow leaves. The flower spikes, which are about the same length as the leaves, carry 4-5 flowers at a time and continue to bloom for a lengthy period.
