Epidendrum melinanthum

Native to Colombia and Ecuador, it is an orchid that grows on the ground or on rocks. It forms clumps of slender, cane-like stems with narrow, leathery leaves arranged in two rows. Dense clusters of yellow flowers develop at the stem tips, opening in succession. The flowers have a deeply fringed, three-lobed lip positioned above the other petals. The raised structures at the center of the lip turn orange as the flowers mature. Photographed in the department of Quindio, Colombia.