Epidendrum spathatum

Native to western Colombia and Ecuador, this large orchid grows on rocky slopes and roadbanks in cool Andean habitats. Its leafy stems support branched terminal flower clusters about four to twelve inches long. A single inflorescence can bear fifty to one hundred and forty flowers that open together. Orange flowers have a yellow-orange, three-lobed lip with prominent calli and three raised ridges running across its surface. Photographed in Colombia.