Masdevallia coriacea

Native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, this small perennial orchid forms tufts on trees or rocks in cool cloud forests. Each short stem carries one upright, leathery leaf with a keeled surface and a channeled base. Solitary flowers appear among or just above the foliage on slender stalks about five to seven inches long, mainly in spring and summer. In Colombia, it grows between about 8,500 and 11,000 feet. Photographed in Colombia.