laelia-jongheana

Another miniature representative of the genus from Brazil . It is very rare and all but extinct in the wild- that is why it was included in Appendix 1 of the CITES international convention . The plant's pseudobulbs are barely 2.4 in /6 cm long and form dense clusters ,and are ended with a single , though leaf that reaches a length of up to 4.8 in/12 cm . The flowers grow on short spikes bearing one flower each and are very large -up to 10 cm . The tepals are pale mauve , the white ,tubular lip is frilled on the end ,with purple spots and a yellow gullet . In the wild ,the species grows mostlly epiphytically on lighter stations ,in culture it thrives on a slab of cork oak bark . The flowers appear in the winter . The plant has been discovered in Minas Gerais,Brazil .