Name: Lepanthes manabina Dodson
Etymology: manabina = refers to the province of Manabí in Ecuador, the region where this species was found.

Original description: 1980 by Calaway H. Dodson in Icones Plantarum Tropicarum (Plate 126).
Origin / Distribution: Western Ecuador (Manabí Province).
Location / Habitat: An epiphyte that grows in humid montane and cloud forests of the coastal cordillera at elevations of around 500 to 800 meters. It thrives in shady, perpetually moist locations in a warm to intermediate microclimate.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes manabina is a delicate miniature orchid with upright, slender stems sheathed in the typical lepanthiform sheaths. Its small, leathery leaves are broadly elliptic to almost round. The delicate inflorescence is shorter than or nearly as long as the leaf and produces tiny, very delicate flowers in succession. The flowers are distinguished by their characteristic lip structure and subtle coloration, which usually ranges from yellowish to reddish hues.

In cultivation, compared with many strictly highland members of the genus, this species requires relatively warm-temperate to intermediate conditions and does not tolerate extreme cold snaps. Since it has no storage organs, the growing medium—preferably mounted on cork with a little moss or in very fine-mesh pots—must be kept consistently and evenly moist and must never dry out completely. High humidity of over 75% and steady, gentle air circulation are essential for healthy growth.