Name: Lepanthes telipogoniflora Schuit. & A.de Wilde
Etymology: telipogoniflora = Telipogon-flowered — refers to the visual similarity of the striking, flat flower structure with representatives of the genus Telipogon.

First description: 1996 by André Schuiteman and Antonius de Wilde in Orquideologia (20: 28).
Origin / Distribution: Colombia (endemic to the Risaralda Department).
Location / Habitat: Growing epiphytically in moist, tropical lowland to foothill forests at elevations of around 500 meters. It inhabits shaded, permanently moist areas on branches and thin twigs in a moist-warm to intermediate microclimate.
Description & Notes: Lepanthes telipogoniflora is a spectacular, extremely dwarf-like miniature orchid with slender, upright shoots enveloped by lepanthiform sheaths. Each shoot-bearing carries a single, small, elliptical leaf. The successively blooming inflorescence produces flat, huge flowers in relation to the plant size one after another, which can reach a diameter of up to 1.25 cm. The almost circular, flat disc is formed by the intensely orange-red to salmon-colored sepals, while the petals and lip are tiny in the center.

In cultivation, this rarity requires warm-temperate to intermediate conditions. Due to the lack of storage organs, the plant must never completely dry out. Cultivation is best successful when mounted on cork with a base of moist sphagnum moss or in tiny net pots. A constantly high humidity of over 75–80% as well as continuous, gentle air movement to prevent fungal infections are mandatory. Perfectly suited for well-controlled rainforest display cases and terrariums.