Warczewiczella discolor

Native from Central America to northern Venezuela and Peru, this epiphytic orchid grows on trunks and large branches in humid forest. Its overlapping leaves form fans around short stems without pseudobulbs. Each flower stalk bears one fragrant bloom, with pale green sepals, violet-marked petals, and a broad purple to violet-blue lip surrounding a ridged central callus. Orchid breeders have used this species to produce smaller plants with blue coloring and fragrant flowers, crossing it with several other orchid genera. Photographed in Colombia.