Epidendrum hybrid

A cultivated orchid hybrid, this plant belongs to a genus native to the American tropics. Epidendrum includes orchids that grow on trees, rocks, or the ground. Many familiar hybrids have leafy, cane-like stems and terminal flower clusters. The flowers typically have petals narrower than the sepals and a lip attached to the column. These floral structures are characteristic of the genus despite its considerable diversity of growth forms. Photographed in Florida.