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Native to the high Andes between southern Costa Rica and Ecuador, this terrestrial orchid thrives at elevations of 9,500–14,500 ft, often in wet montane grasslands, paramo, or near streams within cold, open scrub or puna landscapes. It serves as the type species for its genus and emerges from a basal rosette of narrow leaves, sending up a slender, erect flowering spike up to 10 inches long enveloped by tubular sheaths that eventually release a dense, cylindrical cluster of inverted, non-resupinate blossoms alternating closely along the stem. The small, tubular blossoms emit a sharp scent and floral color transitions from white to brownish tones over a few days after opening. Photographed in Ecuador.