Cuitlauzina pulchella

I have been growing this wonderful Central American species for almost fifty years and yet am still bowled over by the beauty of its crystaline white flowers and its beautiful fragrance. 

Cuitlauzina pulchella was Odontoglossum pulchellum when I started growing it in the 1970s, became Osmoglossum pulchellum for a while and has now settled in the genus Cuitlauzina thanks to molecular analysis. The species is a really cool growing orchid. It is reported from 1200m-2600m with a range from Southern Mexico to Costa Rica and is found in open forest with a distinct cooler dryer winter. We have tried growing the species in different conditions and it loved life in our Himalayan Greenhouse (min 7C) growing close to its Central American mountain neighbour Laelia anceps.

The species has thin leaves and attractive shiny leaves. The flower spikes are thin and arching with up to 10 lovely non-resupinate (upside down) flowers that are pure white apart from the yellow blotch at the top of the lip.

We have grown the species mounted and in baskets but find that it does best in a small pot. We water well during the summer but keep plants much dryer in the winter.