Cuitlauzina pulchella

Native from Chiapas in Mexico to Nicaragua, this plant is an evergreen orchid that grows on trees in moist mountain forests. Its compressed green pseudobulbs each carry two long, narrow leaves. Slender flower stems bear two to eight fleshy white flowers, sometimes with a pale violet tint. The lip is thick and sharply bent, with raised yellow ridges near its base. The flowers are fragrant and long-lasting; cultivated plants often bloom in winter. The species is grown as a specialist ornamental orchid in pots or baskets. Photographed in Ecuador.