Rhytionanthos aemolum

This representative of tiny Asian orchids is characterized by bizarre-shaped floewers that make it interesting mainy for collectors of small epiphytic miniatures . The bases of its egg-shaped or elongated unifoliate pseudobulbs give rise to flower spikes that are covered with delicate spots and bear 5-6 peculiar -shaped orange flowers ;their lateral tepals are grown together ,forming a showy ,downward -pointing ''shoe''. The lip is minuscule and of a light purple color .Cultivation of Rhytionanthos aemolum species is not from that of any standard thermophilic epiphyte ,but the Rhytionanthos aemolum plant must be protected from excessive sunlight and drought ! The time that the flowers choose to appear on old pseudobulbs is unfavourable for cultivators -September and October ;(after that is a difficult business for new pseudobulbs to develop ,as the process take place in the winter -a period poor in sunlight ). Rhytionanthos aemolum plant's home is in Thailand , Burma and Laos .