Plant Category: Miniature Orchids

Lepanthes aculeata is a mini miniature orchid species that produces bright and cheerful, red, orange and yellow coloured blooms.  The flowers arise from the underside of a leaf; as the leaves are fairly upright they actually display Lepanthes aculeata’s flowers rather nicely.

I adore almost all Lepanthes species’ leaves, but I’m especially fond of Lepanthes aculeata’s foliage.  These tiny leathery leaves are two toned: the top side of Lepanthes aculeata’s leaf is a lovely leafy-green colour, while the underside of the leaves are coloured in a very handsome tone of mauve and this side has a rougher bristly-looking texture. 

Here’s another miniature orchid; this is Andinia schizopogon, an epiphytic orchid species that thrives in cool temperatures and humid growing conditions.  In this orchid species’ natural environment, these plants can be found growing in the cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru.

Andinia schizopogon produces rather curious looking mauve-maroon, finely striped flowers that look rather whiskery!  Plants can bloom at any time of year, given optimum growing conditions.

Lepanthes matamorosii is a mini miniature orchid species from Costa Rica.  This incredible little plant produces brick-red-orange coloured flowers which are astonishingly large in comparison to the size of the plant; they’re very cute!

In the wild, Lepanthes matamorosii can be found growing in regions at around 2750m, in The Cordillera de Talamanca mountain ranges of south-eastern Costa Rica.  This is a wonderfully diverse habitat that’s home to a range of plants and wildlife, including oak (Quercus costaricensis and Quercus copeyensis) trees that are endemic to this part of the world.

As the saying goes, ‘good things come in small packages’.  To prove this adage, here’s a teeny tiny orchid: Trisetella hoeijeri is an absolute darling of a plant.  An impossibly cute, exquisite beauty; I promise that this magnificent orchid will touch your heart, lift your spirits, and make you smile!

Trisetella hoeijeri is a mini miniature, epiphytic orchid species from Ecuador. 

Phalaenopsis ‘Sunshine’ is a Phalaenopsis with lovely soft yellow blooms.  The flower’s petals and sepals are decorated with a delicate sprinkling of maroon freckles and the yellow petals are complimented by the bloom’s orange coloured lip.  If you’re looking for a new indoor plant, Phalaenopsis ‘Sunshine’ would be a great choice; this hybrid Phalaenopsis has been especially bred to be more adapted to the conditions found inside our homes.

Platystele misasiana is a mini miniature orchid species that’s endemic to Colombia.  In the wild, Platystele misasiana can be found in forests at around 200m above sea level.  These orchids grow in Colombia’s cloud forests, where they enjoy cool, moist, and shady growing conditions.

This is an epiphytic orchid species with a naturally compact and bushy form.  I often think of Platystele misasiana as being an orchid with a graceful air and poise, as the plants grow and hold themselves so elegantly. 

Stelis tridentata is a miniature orchid species that grows as an epiphyte – instead of growing in the soil – this orchid grows upon other plants.  In the wild, Stelis tridentata plants can be found growing upon trees in the rainforests of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.  Stelis tridentata grows in cloud forests, where these plants flourish in this humid environment.

Stelis stevensonii is a lovely miniature orchid species, which is endemic to Ecuador, where these plants grow in forested areas found at about 1600m above sea level.

This orchid species is epiphytic; instead of growing in the soil, in the wild, these plants can be found growing upon the branches of trees.  In cultivation, Stelis stevensonii plants can be grown successfully in tiny pots filled with medium or large sized pieces of bark, or alternatively, plants can be mounted onto a piece of cork bark or wood. 

Aerangis articulata is a miniature orchid species from Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.  These handsome orchids produce very decorative, pendent snow-white flowers.

This orchid species grows as an epiphyte.  Epiphytic plants grow upon another plant; these orchids are not parasitic – they don’t take any nutrients or sustenance from the host plant they grow upon.  Growing as an epiphyte is a useful strategy for this orchid species; Aerangis articulata plants benefit from the improved growing conditions and better air circulation that their host plants provide them with.

Aerangis collum-cygni is a miniature to small sized orchid species that grows in humid forests, moist woodlands, and rainforests.  These plants also make themselves at home in areas that were once forests, in regions where the forest’s native trees were roughly removed to make way for the plantations that replaced them.  Aerangis collum-cygni can be found growing as epiphytes in: Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, and other areas across tropical Africa.

Angraecum cultriforme is an epiphytic orchid species from Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.  These small sized orchids grow in evergreen forests and thickets, they’re often found growing near rivers.  Angraecum cultriforme plants grow as an epiphytes; these orchids tend to grow near the base of a tree, close to ground level, but plants also grow upon twigs and small branches.

Angraecum stella-africae is an epiphytic orchid species from the forests of Malawi, Limpopo, and Southern Africa.  This miniature orchid produces a short-lived white flower that’s absolutely massive in comparison with the diminutive size of the plant.  Each bloom carries an exceptionally long spur that starts life curled up while the plant’s in bud; the spur gradually unfurls as the flower develops, eventually straightening when the green-tipped spur points to the ground, reaching far below the bloom.

Masdevallia polysticta is a miniature to small sized orchid species that hails from the cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru, where plants grow in very humid areas, in the mountains.  An epiphytical orchid species, Masdevallia polysticta grows upon other plants.

It’s important that Masdevallia polysticta plants remain moist and never dry out; they can be grown potted or mounted onto a piece of cork bark or other substrate, but this orchid species requires continual access to moisture if it’s to succeed. 

Microsaccus griffithii is a mini miniature sized orchid species from Borneo, Cambodia, Java, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sumatra, Thailand, and Vietnam.  This gorgeous orchid is an epiphyte; it grows upon another plant and does very well when mounted onto a piece of cork bark, a branch or a twig.

This miniature orchid thrives in intermediate temperatures.  Place your Microsaccus griffithii plant in a position where your plant will enjoy soft, indirect light. 

Aerangis seegeri is a miniature orchid species from Eastern Madagascar and Nosy Boraha, a small island located near the East Coast of Madagascar (Nosy Boraha used to be known as île Sainte-Marie).  These orchids grow in the coastal forests of these plant rich areas, at a range of altitudes from as low as sea level, to as high as 1500m above sea level.

Angraecum drouhardii is a mini miniature sized orchid species from Madagascar.  This is an epiphytic orchid species that grows on the trunks of moss covered trees, in mountainous regions of Northern Madagascar, at 1200m above sea level.

I love this dear little orchid, it’s a very sweet plant.  Angraecum drouhardii plants produce snow white coloured flowers which are positively ginormous in size, when viewed in comparison to the size of this diminutive little orchid. 

Angraecum arachnites is a miniature, epiphytic orchid species, which is endemic to Madagascar, where plants can be found growing in humid, evergreen forests.

This orchid species produces really striking flowers, they’re quite large in size and are white in colour.  The blooms look rather like floral spiders, they have long and slightly twisting, curved extensions, which look rather like spider’s legs. 

Angraecum moandense is an orchid species that hails from the rainforests of a wide range of exotic, tropical locations, including: Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire.  Plants produce small, pale greenish yellow coloured flowers, which have reflexed petals and from a distance look rather leaf-like in their appearance.

This is a miniature orchid species whose natural home is growing in amongst trees and other plants, in damp humid rainforests, where competition for space is great and plants grow close to one another, growing cheek by jowl. 

Porroglossum echidna is a mini miniature sized orchid species, from the cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela.  Plants grow at a range of locations in these mountainous regions, at heights from between 2500m and 3200m above sea level.

This cute little orchid species flourishes in very humid environments; it’s perfectly suited to growing inside a terrarium or bottle garden, or another enclosure where the humidity levels remain at 75%RH and above. 

Porroglossum schramii is a mini miniature sized orchid species from the humid cloud forests of Ecuador.  Plants can be found growing in mountainous areas, in locations that range from 1500m to 1800m above sea level.  Porroglossum schramii blooms regularly throughout the year.  This orchid’s flowers are held up above the plant’s beautifully textured leaves.  The flowers are very much like miniature Masdevallia flowers in their shape; this Porroglossum’s flowers are produced in a range of colours.