Epidendrum colombianum

Native to the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, this terrestrial orchid can reach about 6 feet tall, with leafy stems that branch near their tips. Its leathery leaves have distinctly two-lobed tips. Short, drooping flower clusters carry fleshy, hanging blooms that open green and turn yellow-orange with age. The flowers lack fragrance and have a broad lip with a channel between raised structures near its base. Flowers open successively, although several can remain open together, and flowering can occur throughout the year. Photographed in Colombia.