A Lovely Little Leptotes
My indoor orchid shelves don’t have much room to spare, so if I buy a warm grower, it’s got to be a miniature. At the 2020 Pacific Orchid Expo, I spotted this little charmer for sale. Leptotes pohlitinocoi has a name that I can’t pronounce, but this small Cattleya relative is definitely worth the shelf space.
This species is native to Brazil. Its pink and lavender flowers have a light, spicy fragrance. The skinny, pencil-like leaves indicate that it wants very bright conditions, including some full sun. Let it dry well between waterings. Despite our foggy, chilly spring, mine received enough warmth and light to bloom this year. So far, its seven flowers have lasted over six weeks.
It would be nice if mine eventually grew as large as the plant in the second to last photo, which is from Pacific Orchid Expo 2009. The final photo shows a closely related species, Leptotes bicolor, which has white petals and sepals. If you have room in your collection for a little Leptotes, they’re delightful and easy to grow.
Explore posts in the same categories: Fragrant Orchids, Growing, Mini Orchids, Photos, Warm Growers
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