Name: Scaphosepalum decorum Luer
Etymology: The genus name Scaphosepalum is derived from the Greek words skaphe (skiff/boat) and sepalum (sepal) and refers to the boat-like fused sepals. The specific epithet decorum comes from the Latin word decorus (elegant, pretty, decorative).
First description: 1988 by Carlyle August Luer in Icones Pleurothallidinarum V: Systematics of Dresslerella and Scaphosepalum. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 26: 44.
Origin / Distribution: Colombia (Chocó Department).
Location / Habitat: Epiphytic in humid tropical rainforests and mountain forests at altitudes of around 1,800 to 2,000 m.
Description & Notes: Scaphosepalum decorum is a small, perennial, epiphytically growing orchid. The plant grows in clumps (caespitose) and forms slender, upright stem segments (ramicauls) without pseudobulbs, which are enveloped by tubular sheaths. Each shoot bears a single, upright, leathery leaf of narrow elliptical to spatulate shape at the apex.

The inflorescences arise laterally from the base of the shoots and produce small individual flowers successively. The flowers display the characteristic features of the genus: the lateral sepals are fused together and possess cushion-like, thickened structures (ospheosystems) that taper into slender processes.

In cultivation, the species prefers shady to semi-shady conditions with temperate to cool temperatures and constantly high humidity. The substrate should be permeable and kept evenly moist, while waterlogging must be avoided. Due to its compact growth form, it is ideally suited for keeping in a display case, terrarium, or mounted on cork or fern root supports.