Name: Scaphosepalum microdactylum Rchb.f.
Etymology: The genus name Scaphosepalum is derived from the Greek words skaphe (skiff/boat) and sepalum (sepal) and refers to the boat-shaped fused sepals. The specific epithet microdactylum is composed of the Greek words mikros (small) and daktylos (finger) and refers to the tiny, finger-like growths on the sepals.
Synonyms: Scaphosepalum pittieri Schltr.; Scaphosepalum standleyi Ames

First description: 1887 by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in Flora 70: 496.
Origin / Distribution: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.
Location / Habitat: Epiphytic in humid tropical rainforests and mountain forests at altitudes of approximately 400 to 1,500 m.
Description & Notes: Scaphosepalum microdactylum is a miniature, epiphytically growing orchid. The plant forms dense, tuft-like shoots without pseudobulbs, each bearing a single, narrow elliptical to spatulate, leathery leaf.

The slender, often creeping or ascending inflorescences arise from the base of the plant and produce small, unusually shaped flowers one after another (successively). Characteristic are the fused lateral sepals typical of the genus, with thickened cushion structures and short, finger-like appendages. The color shades of the flowers vary from yellow and green to reddish and brown tones.

In cultivation, the species prefers shaded to semi-shaded conditions with temperate to warm temperatures and high humidity. The substrate should be kept consistently moist, with good drainage being important to avoid waterlogging. It is ideally suited for keeping in a terrarium or mounted on cork or fern root supports.