Orchid of the Week: Lepanthes lucifer

I searched for something interesting to write about for this week’s orchid, and came across a horned little devil called Lepanthes lucifer:

This orchid totally makes me think of The Host (Lorne) from Angel:

Lepanthes blooms tend to be TINY – less than an inch across, in many cases. Specifically, Lepanthes lucifer (aka “Satan’s Lepanthes”) blooms are usually a bit less than a half an inch in diameter, so they truly are little devilish gems. This particular orchid species is found in Ecuador.

I searched for an image of this orchid that would really demonstrate the miniscule size of these flowers, but the only shots I could find were close-ups. Regardless, I think we can all agree that they are adorable, Lucifer be damned!

The Lepanthes orchids make me think of Dracula orchids, which makes sense because they are in the same orchid subtribe, Pleurothallidinae, along with the more commonly known Masdevallia orchids.

That’s all for now!