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:

Lepanthes lucifer
Photo credit: Eric in SF, Flickr

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

The Host Lorne Angel TV Show
Image credit: fanfiction.wikia.com

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.

Image credit: bluenanta.com

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!

Orchid of the Week: Dracula vampira

Dracula is real! In orchid form, anyway. This past week I discovered that there is a genus of orchids named Dracula, so of course I had to pick one for this week’s featured orchid (vamps are SO HOT RIGHT NOW). So of course there is a variety called Dracula vampira—and like its undead namesake, it is dark and a little spooky:

Dracula vampira orchid
Photo credit: dogtooth77, Flickr

Dracula vampira is native to the mountains of Transylvania Ecuador and Colombia. Look at the flowy capes on these guys! No sparkly vamps here, just pure beauty.

Dracula vampira
Photo credit: orchidarium.com

Pretty spectacular, right? Who knew such flowers existed?? The incredible variety in appearance is one of the things I love about orchids, and the names can be super fun too. I wonder when there will be a Dracula vampira named ‘Edward‘…if there isn’t already. Personally, I’d like to see a ‘Stefan‘, or maybe even a ‘Damon‘. 🙂