Aa paleacea

Native to Costa Rica and the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia, this perennial terrestrial orchid grows in high-mountain grasslands and páramo. In Colombia, it occurs between about 9,200 and 13,500 feet. Its fleshy roots store starch, and its leaves form a rosette at ground level. An upright flowering stem is wrapped in numerous papery bracts and carries a dense spike of tiny white flowers. The flowers do not twist during development, leaving the lip uppermost. Each lip forms a small pouch with a fringed margin that rolls inward. Photographed in Ecuador.