Name: Lepanthes telipogoniflora × Lepanthes saltatrix
Etymology: telipogoniflora = with flowers like a Telipogon (referring to the strikingly large, flat flowers); saltatrix = dancer (referring to the gracefully curved floral parts).
First description: This is an artificially created primary hybrid cross that does not yet have an official, registered grex name.
Origin / Distribution: Garden hybrid (both parent species originally come from the humid foothill and lowland rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador).
Location / Habitat: Epiphytic in cultivation. Since both parents occur in shady, constantly moist understory areas at low to mid elevations (approx. 400 to 1,100 meters), this hybrid requires a significantly warmer to intermediate microclimate, unlike typical highland Lepanthes.
Description & Notes: This outstanding primary hybrid combines two of the most spectacular features in the genus Lepanthes. From Lepanthes saltatrix, the plant inherits distinctive, rounded, heart-shaped leaves with a beautifully dark, net-like veining pattern (reticulation) across their sculpturally uneven (bullous) surface. The influence of Lepanthes telipogoniflora contributes phenomenal flowering genes: it breaks away from the genus's typical tiny dimensions, producing widely open, almost circular flowers that are gigantic relative to the plant's size. The flowers shimmer in vivid shades of orange, red, and yellow, lying flat against the decoratively patterned leaves.
In cultivation, this hybrid often proves more vigorous and adaptable than the pure parent species due to the heterosis effect (hybrid vigor), but it must never be kept too cool. It requires warm to, at most, intermediate conditions year-round and must never dry out. It is perfectly suited to permanent cultivation in rainforest terrariums and warm, humid plant cabinets. It grows best mounted on cork in a shady location, with a consistently slightly moist moss base (e.g., sphagnum moss), at humidity above 80% and with 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. For the first few weeks, we recommend very high humidity, warm to intermediate temperatures, sheltered light, and gentle, continuous air movement. Keep the young plants consistently slightly moist and never let them dry out completely.
