Laelia praestans
A species from Brazil, a small plant -if not a mini- with big flowers in comparison to plant size.
I bought this plant 17 years ago from a friend, in a small pot with one flower. As the plant grew, I mounted it on a vertical cork bark, where it established well and made 5 flowers in the first year. The plant grew bigger and bigger, covering the whole piece, but never flowered again. The new bulbs and leaves were smaller due to a lack of nutrients, but I didn't have the courage to tear down the well established plant. Two years ago the rock bottom hit me. In a bad November Phytophthora rapidly destroyed more than 90 percent of this plant. 2 small divisions could be saved and rooted in 3-7 mm clay pellets.
With better fertilizing the division recovered, and as a happy ending one bulb made even two flowers.
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