Usually when I am posting about this plant, the don’t even show it in bloom. The flowers are quite sweet and the whole flower stalk stays in bloom for quite awhile. At this point, it’s been in bloom about a month already and you can see that the uppermost flower is still not open.
But this is a small plant, and it is more often grown for its foliage, of all things. You may often have heard about it, or seen it referred to as one of a couple of orchids called “jewel” orchids because of the rich colors of their leaves. It’s botanical name is ludisia discolor.
Here are the leaves of the plant. You may notice something else–it’s actually growing in soil. This is a terrestrial orchid, meaning it’s not one that’s going to hang in the tree canopy. Therefore it doesn’t need orchid bark, although it is fine in sphagnum moss.
This plant is definitely a winner: lovely blooms and leaves! It’s a great combination.
Gardendaze 