Name: Lepanthes discolor Luer & R.Escobar
Etymology: discolor = differently colored / two-colored — refers to the contrasting coloration of the leaves (often with a purple or dark-colored underside) or the flower parts.

First described: 1983 by the US botanist Carlyle A. Luer and Rodrigo Escobar in Orquideologia (16: 138).
Origin / Distribution: Colombia
Location / Habitat: Grows epiphytically in cool, humid montane mist and cloud forests of the Andes at elevations of approximately 2,000 to 2,500 meters. It thrives in deeply shaded, permanently moist, moss-rich spots in the cool understory.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes discolor is a delicate, very miniature orchid with upright, slender stems covered by the genus-typical, closely fitting and slightly ciliate lepanthiform sheaths. The single, leathery leaf is ovate to elliptic and often displays an attractive, dark purple tint on its underside. The fine, successively flowering inflorescence is shorter than the leaf and produces tiny, highly complex flowers one after another. The flowers are distinguished by their striking, intensely red, purple, or yellowish-patterned petals and their characteristically bilobed lip.

In cultivation, this sensitive highland rarity requires consistently cool conditions with a pronounced nighttime temperature drop; prolonged summer heat is poorly tolerated. As it has no storage organs, the substrate must never be allowed to dry out. It does best mounted on cork with a moist layer of Sphagnum moss, or in tiny mesh pots, at a consistently high humidity of over 80% and with continuous, gentle air circulation.

In-vitro culture: You will receive a flask containing 4 young plants. The plants are generally already large enough to be removed from the flask. After opening, carefully remove the nutrient medium from the delicate roots using lukewarm water and place the young plants on moist Sphagnum or in a very fine, airy substrate. For the first few weeks, we recommend very high humidity, cool conditions, protected light, and gentle air movement. Keep the young plants consistently slightly moist, never allow them to dry out completely, and protect them from heat.