Nodes megalospatha

This splendid overhanging orchid would certainly please many growers,if only it were more readily available and,above all, easier to cultivate. In the wild ,N.megalospatha occurs in cooler locations with a high year-round rainfall,and grows over moss-covered tree trunks that are almost permanently moist. In culture,the plants are deprived of bacteriologically clean rain water and fresh air,which makes them prone to molding,especially during the winter . In the summer months ,on the other hands ,they are damaged by frequent overdrying of their roots as well as by high temperatures . Instead of torturing the plant in cultivation ,it is better to just view it growing in the wild -the plant in the photo grows in the winter in the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes near the town of Baeza.