Name: Lepanthes medusa Luer & R.Escobar
Etymology: medusa = named after Medusa, the figure from Greek mythology with snakes for hair — referring to the wild, tousled and intertwined appearance of the dense plant clumps or the intensely branched, thread-like structures of the floral parts.
First description: In 1984 by the American botanist Carlyle A. Luer and Rodrigo Escobar in the American Orchid Society Bulletin (53: 1162).
Origin / Distribution: Colombia.
Location / Habitat: Grows epiphytically in cool, moist montane cloud and mist forests of the Andes at elevations of approx. 2,200 to 2,600 meters. There, it inhabits deeply shaded, permanently moist, moss-rich areas on branches and tree trunks in the cool understory microclimate.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes medusa is an extraordinary, clump-forming miniature orchid with upright to slightly pendent, slender shoots enveloped by the genus-typical lepanthiform sheaths. Each shoot tip bears a single, upright, leathery leaf with a narrowly ovate-elliptic shape. The flowers appear successively on fine inflorescences on the back of the leaves. They are distinguished by a remarkably complex, bizarre structure: the delicate, highly modified and often wildly branched petals, together with the strikingly shaped lip in intense shades of red, purple and yellow, give the tiny flower a fascinating, almost otherworldly appearance.

In cultivation, this sensitive high-altitude rarity requires consistently cool conditions with a pronounced drop in temperature at night; prolonged summer heat is poorly tolerated. As it has no pseudobulbs, the growing medium must never be allowed to dry out completely. It grows best mounted on cork with a moist layer of sphagnum moss, or in tiny net pots, at consistently high humidity of over 80% and with continuous, gentle air circulation.

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