Name: Lepanthes calodictyon f. xanthina Luer
Etymology: calodictyon = beautiful net — composed of the Greek words kalos (beautiful) and diktyon (net), referring to the spectacular, net-like leaf venation; xanthina = yellow/yellowish (from the Greek xanthos), referring to the pure yellow flower color of this form.
First described: In 2009 by Carlyle August Luer (for f. xanthina); the species Lepanthes calodictyon was first described in 1861 by William Jackson Hooker.
Origin / Distribution: Western Colombia and Ecuador.
Location / Habitat: Grows epiphytically in humid, moss-rich montane cloud forests at elevations of 450 to 1,500 meters. After deflasking, it requires shady to partially shaded conditions (no direct sunlight), consistently high humidity of 75–85%, and continuous, gentle air circulation.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes calodictyon f. xanthina is an extremely rare, botanically described color form of this iconic miniature orchid. Like the type species, it has characteristic, almost round and heavily ruffled leaves with striking, net-like venation. The distinctive feature of the xanthina form is its flowers: while the typical form produces red-and-yellow flowers, f. xanthina has flowers in pure, vivid shades of yellow. The delicate flowers appear continuously right on the upper surface of the leaves. As it is open-pollinated (OP / open pollinated), seed-grown plants can be expected to include this sought-after yellow color variant. An exceptional rarity for growing in a terrarium, display cabinet, or bottle garden.

In-vitro Culture: You will receive a flask containing 4 young plants. The plants are generally already large enough to be deflasked. After opening the flask, carefully remove the nutrient medium from the very fine roots using lukewarm water, and place the young plants on moist sphagnum or in a very fine, airy substrate that retains a little moisture. For the first few weeks, we recommend very high humidity, cool to intermediate conditions, sheltered light, and gentle, continuous air movement. Keep consistently slightly moist and avoid allowing the plants to dry out completely.