Name: Lepanthes echo Luer & R.Escobar
Etymology: echo = presumably named after the nymph Echo from Greek mythology or in reference to a recurring morphological resemblance to another species in the genus.
First described: In 1984 by the American botanist Carlyle A. Luer and Rodrigo Escobar in American Orchid Society Bulletin (53: 820).
Origin / Distribution: Colombia
Location / Habitat: Grows epiphytically in cool, humid montane cloud and mist forests of the Andes at elevations of approx. 2,000 to 2,400 meters. It inhabits deeply shaded, permanently humid areas on thin branches and moss-covered tree trunks in the cool understory.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes echo is a delicate miniature orchid with upright, slender shoots covered by the genus-typical, closely fitting lepanthiform sheaths, which are slightly ciliate along the edges. Each shoot tip bears a single upright, leathery leaf with an ovate-elliptic shape. The fine, successively flowering inflorescence develops on the back of the leaf and produces delicate, intensely colored flowers one after another, with complex petal and lip structures usually colored in contrasting shades of yellow, red, and purple.
In cultivation, this sensitive high-altitude 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 grows best mounted on cork with a moist layer of sphagnum moss, or in tiny net pots with consistently high humidity above 80% and gentle, continuous 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, very carefully remove the nutrient medium from the fine roots with lukewarm water and place the young plants on moist sphagnum or in a very fine, airy substrate. During the first few weeks, we recommend very high humidity, cool conditions, sheltered light, and gentle air movement. Keep the young plants consistently slightly moist and never allow them to dry out completely.
