Stelis

The genus Stelis is quite large -it contains about 270 species ! But since these orchids are of an uninteresting appearance with inconspicuous flowers ,few people know or grow them . Stelis somewhat resembles orchids from the closely related genera Pleurothalis or Masdevallia in appearance . Their trailing rhizome gives rise to thin ,stiff unifoliate shoots ended with spatulate or inverted laneolate leaves . The extended flower spikes bear numorous flowers ,usually arranged in two rows ; the sepals on the flowers form a triangular arrangement and their bottom parts are grown together . In most species ,the sepals are whitish ;its much rather for the sepals of a Stelis orchid to be colored in a different and more attractive way. The other flower parts are plain looking and small. Stelis plants can be grown either epiphytically or in pots , following the instructions that apply to the aforementioned related genera . The genus Stelis inhabits the tropical regions of the whole American continent.