Maxillaria sophronitis

Also known as Ornithidium sophronitis, this small creeping plant is known for its brightly colored red-orange flowers.  The tiny growth, each with a little pseudobulb, sheathing leaves and a single leaf at the top of the pseudobulb, is less than 5 cm and the single flowers are only 1.5 cm.  The species is from Colombia and Venezuela and requires cool temperatures and high light.  Even then I find it hard to get it to bloom with more than a few flowers at a time.

Maxillaria sophronitis

Maxillaria or Ornithidium sophronitis is a small rambling plant with brightly colored flowers.  The little pseudobulbs are 2cm, the growths 6cm and the flowers 1.5cm.  The plant is native to Venezuela and Colombia and prefers cool temperatures.  It can be grown on a mount or in a pot and is easy to grow but sometimes reluctant to bloom.  Usually, however, higher light will induce blooming.

Maxillaria tenuifolia

Know as the coconut orchid for its scent - it smells exactly like fresh coconut - Maxillaria tenuifolia is from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  It is easy to grow and a common orchid in collections, often growing into very large clumps with hundreds of flowers.

Because it grows into a large specimen plant so quickly it is an orchid I no longer grow.  The plant itself, however, is very reasonably sized, with 3-4 cm flat pseudobulbs and a single narrow, 20-25 cm leaf at the top of the pseudobulb.  The 4-5 cm flowers arise from the base of the pseudobulbs.

The genus name, Maxillaria, refers to the jaw-like base of the lip in this species and other larger-flowered species in the genus.  The species name, tenuifolia, refers to the narrow, grass-like foliage of the plant.  It is an attractive plant with large and beautiful flowers.