Pleurothallis excelsa
15th April 2013
There is a strange fascination to Pleurothallis which are some of the dullest flowering plants imaginable.
There are hundreds of them, actually more than 1000 at present but the number varies as more are found. The number
reduces every time a botanist decides that a group aren't really dull enough to belong, and shunts them off into a
new genus.
They are confusing, they are dull and they are fascinating. Funny world we live in.
They are also fairly tropical, and a stupid thing for me to pay attention to. However, a few of them ascend to high
altitudes in the northern Andes where they take significant frost.
As a consequence, some of them might tolerate the sort of temperatures I can offer in the winter and the only way
to find out is to try it.
P. excelsa grows in Columbia and Ecuador above 5000ft. This young plant has survived so far, but with all
high altitude plants things are never simply about temperature so time will tell.
References:
Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia, https://www.orchidspecies.com