Mini & micro cool orchids
Showy-flowered miniature Pleurothallidinae and intermediate-to-cool Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Aerangis et al.
Cool-to-intermediate miniatures with showy flowers — biased to fill specific colour gaps in the cabinet. The Pleurothallidinae block leans red because that’s where the genus lives; Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Aerangis bring in pink, violet, yellow, white, bicolor.
Cabinet runs 12–24 °C. Cold = high Andean / NG highland 3,000+ m. Cool = cloud-forest 1,500–2,500 m. Int-cool = lower cloud-forest. Anything that wants 25–30 °C consistently is out.
Already in the collection
- Pleurothallidinae: Dracula (6 alive), Masdevallia (5 alive — decumana, xanthina red, lucernula, Devil’s Heart, caudata ‘Gigi’), Restrepia (3: vasquezii, sanguinea, trichoglossa xanthina), Lepanthopsis astrophora, Platystele baqueroi, Pleurothallis leptotifolia, Stelis sp.
- NG / Asian: Dendrobium cyanocentrum ‘Blau’, D. victoriae-reginae, D. cuthbertsonii ‘Yellow’, D. lamyaiae, D. hellwigianum, D. trantuanii, D. loddigesii, D. jenkinsii, Mediocalcar decoratum, Bulbophyllum makoyanum, B. thiurum
- Sophronitis: coccinea f. aurea, brevipedunculata, wittigiana rosea, coccinea 4N, pygmaea Brazil Import (Celandroni, April 2026)
- Ornitophora radicans (= Sigmatostalix radicans) — already alive
- Past losses: Masdevallia glandulosa, M. coccinea ‘Anchota’, Bulbophyllum moniliforme, Mediocalcar bifolium, D. cuthbertsonii (red form). Sophronitis pygmaea lost twice in earlier years; the new Brazil-import is its third attempt.
Ecuagenera Europe — primary
Sint-Niklaas, Belgium · ecuagenera.com. Deepest Pleurothallidinae catalog in the EU; weekly consolidated shipments. Wait for ≥6 plants before pulling the trigger to amortize the box fee.
| Species | Note |
|---|---|
| Lepanthes telipogoniflora | Flame red, flower larger than the plant — short-lived (2–3 yr in cultivation) |
| Pabstiella mirabilis | Vivid red, Brazilian — may not stock; fall back to Schwerter or Roellke |
| Pleurothallis allenii | Pink-red clusters, easy entry point |
| Acianthera bidentata | Red-purple, lithophyte |
| Restrepia striata | Orange-yellow striped |
| Masdevallia ignea | Flame red; borderline mini at 10–12 cm — substitute floribunda or herradurae if size matters |
Großräschener — NG miniatures
Brandenburg, DE · orchideenwlodarczyk.de. Solid NG sect. Pedilonum / Oxyglossum run; you’ve already ordered cuthbertsonii, cyanocentrum, jenkinsii, hellwigianum, Mediocalcar decoratum, B. thiurum from them.
| Species | Note |
|---|---|
| Dendrobium lawesii | Hot pink-magenta, tubular clusters |
| Dendrobium cuthbertsonii (pink or bicolor) | Lost the red form — confirm placement before re-buying |
| Dendrobium dichaeoides | Violet, fills the violet end vs. existing sky-blue dendrobiums |
| Cadetia taylori | Pure white star — fall back to Claessen if not in stock |
| Promenaea stapelioides | Yellow + maroon, warmer-leaning |
Claessen — Aerangis + violet-blue Dendrobium
Belgium · orchids-shop.com. Madagascan miniature Aerangis; rotates NG mini Dendrobium.
| Species | Note |
|---|---|
| Dendrobium violaceum / parvulum / agathodaemonis | Violet-blue NG miniature; ID unclear — confirm species on next visit |
| Aerangis hyaloides | Crystal-translucent white, Madagascar; high humidity + airflow simultaneously |
Watchlist
Lepanthes
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| L. pulchella | Ecuagenera EU | Pink-red, more available than manabina / lucifer |
| L. manabina | Ecuagenera (Ecuador, CITES) | Crimson, regional endemic |
| L. lucifer | Ecuagenera (Ecuador, CITES) | Fiery red |
| L. elegantula | Ecuagenera EU | Coral pink |
| L. saltonii | Ecuagenera EU | Green-orange |
| L. calodictyon | Ecuagenera EU | Foliage is the show — reticulated red-net leaves |
| L. gargoyla | Großräschener | Yellow-orange, gargoyle-shaped |
| L. tsubotae | Schwerter | Periodic stock |
Other Pleurothallidinae
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stelis aprica | Ecuagenera EU | Day-blooming, small leaves (5–8 cm) |
| Masdevallia floribunda | Ecuagenera EU | True mini ~5 cm — alternative to ignea |
| Masdevallia herradurae | Ecuagenera EU | True mini, dense flowering |
| Restrepia mendozae | Akerne | Recently described, vivid colour |
| Pleurothallis canaligera | Ecuagenera EU | Andean small |
| Masdevallia rolfeana | Ecuagenera EU | Costa Rican white-violet |
| Masdevallia menatoi | Ecuagenera EU | Tiny purple Andean |
| Brachionidium parvifolium | Ecuagenera EU | Dusk-pollinated, demanding cold |
| Echinosepala aspasicensis | Ecuagenera EU | Sea-urchin-like flower |
| Anathallis sclerophylla | Großräschener | Easy mounter, modest flowers |
| Trichosalpinx orbicularis | Ecuagenera EU | Hat-shaped lip with airflow-driven motion |
| Andinia (Salpistele) brachypus | Ecuagenera EU | Pendulous mini-micro |
NG / Asian
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dendrobium agathodaemonis | Großräschener / Claessen | True blue-violet, top candidate for the mystery violet |
| Dendrobium parvulum | Großräschener | Fuchsia, alt candidate |
| Dendrobium toressae | Currlin | Australian mini, cold-tolerant |
| Mediocalcar uniflorum | Großräschener | Red-yellow lantern |
| Eria pannea | Currlin | Silvery NG mini, foliage feature |
| Bulbophyllum nipondhii | Orchids & more | Thai mid-elevation |
| Bulbophyllum frostii | Orchids & more | Vietnam mid-elevation, yellow-and-maroon “shoe” |
| Bulbophyllum corolliferum | Orchids & more / Currlin | True mini SE Asian |
African / Madagascar
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Aerangis fastuosa | Claessen / Currlin / Lo Scrigno | Jasmine scent, mid-altitude Madagascar (intermediate with cool tolerance — upper zone, not Dracula end) |
| Aerangis macrocentra | Currlin | Long-spurred white |
| Aerangis curnowiana | Claessen | Micro-Aerangis, near-leafless |
| Angraecum compactum | Currlin | Tiny high-altitude Madagascan |
Mexican / Central American
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hofmeisterella eumicroscopica | Ecuagenera (Ecuador) | Genuine micro |
| Telipogon ampliflorus | Ecuagenera EU | Yellow-purple “fly”, demanding cold |
Brazilian / Atlantic forest
| Species | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Capanemia superflua | Celandroni | Tiny white starry, dense clusters |
| Constantia cipoensis | Roellke | Pendulous wax, rupicolous |
| Sophronitis cernua | Lo Scrigno di Nebbia | Bright orange, distinct from existing brevipedunculata |
Vendors
| Vendor | URL |
|---|---|
| Ecuagenera Europe (Belgium) | ecuagenera.com |
| Ecuagenera (Ecuador HQ, CITES) | ecuagenera.com |
| Großräschener Orchideen (DE) | orchideenwlodarczyk.de |
| Claessen Orchids & Plants (BE) | orchids-shop.com |
| Currlin Orchideen (DE) | currlin.com/en |
| Orchids & more (DE) | orchidsandmore.de |
| Schwerter Orchideen (DE) | schwerter-orchideenzucht.de |
| Roellke Orchideen (DE) | roellke-orchideen.de |
| Akerne Orchids (BE) | akerne-orchids.com |
| Quinta Camallera (ES) | (URL unconfirmed — vendor name as plain text) |
| Celandroni Orchidee (IT) | celandroni.myshopify.com |
| Lo Scrigno di Nebbia (IT) | loscrignodinebbia.com |
Cultural notes
- Lepanthes, Pabstiella, Acianthera, Aerangis, Cadetia → cork with living-sphagnum pad, upper zone.
- Lower (Dracula zone): Lepanthes, Acianthera, Aerangis, Cadetia, Pabstiella, Stelis, Trichosalpinx.
- Mid: Pleurothallis allenii, Restrepia striata, Masdevallia ignea, Promenaea.
- Upper: NG Dendrobium, most Bulbophyllum.
- NG Dendrobium (cuthbertsonii, lawesii, dichaeoides, the violet-blue mystery) → same cool-night regime as the existing cuthbertsonii ‘Yellow’; place near it.