Very smallest miniatures available in the hobby?

[Fishkeeper]

I just found out that Exo Terra makes an 8" cube, and I now very much want to fill one with the smallest orchids I can find. Not sure if that'll ever happen, but, out of curiosity, what are some of the smallest orchids available?
And by "available" I mean "you can find this from orchid specialists online", not "there's a guy who imports 5 of these every few years".

I have a Haraella odorata, Bulbophyllum catenulatum, and a Ceratostylis pleurothallis (mini Cambodia) that are in the size class I'm thinking about.

I saw a really odd plant at a greenhouse earlier this year, one that would definitely make the list, but I don't remember what it was called. I think it was a bulbophyllum, and it had tiny pseudobulbs, maybe a quarter inch across, that were round and kind of flat. It didn't have any leaves or visible roots, and it crept across a piece of bark so tightly it couldn't be trimmed or have cuttings made.

[katrina]

Bulbo moniliforme is teeeeeeny! Not so easy to find but worth the search. I killed mine a few years back...forgot about it and it dried up.

[Fishkeeper]

Hey, I looked it up, and Bulbo moniliforme is the one I saw and couldn't remember the name of. Thanks! Now I know what it's called so I can try and get some in future.

[Leafmite]

J&L and Andy's Orchids both often have very small micro-miniatures. I am fortunate that Ecuagenera comes to one of our 'local' shows each year.

Some of the really small orchids are in the Pleurothallidinae group. Many of these are cold, cool or cool-intermediate growers but some are intermediate or even warm growers. Before buying any, always confirm that they will suit your conditions.

The Official Website of The Pleurothallid Alliance

Lepanthes telipogoniflora is one of the easier ones to find and has flowers that are very showy and large for the size of the plant. It doesn't need cool conditions to grow. Nor does Lepanthes astrophora "Stalky' which I found at J&L Orchids.

Some very small Dendrobiums: Dendrobium lichenastrum and Dendrobium prenticei

There are also some very small Bulbophyllum, such as Bulbophyllum alagense. Al's Orchid Greenhouse has a small Bulbophyllum.

[Fishkeeper]

Augh, just found out Ecuagenera had a show near me up until yesterday. Missed opportunity right there.
Lepanthes telipogoniflora looks amazing. Are they tricky to grow? I couldn't really find any info on them, aside from one vendor calling them "not for beginners".
I have a Dendrobium lichenastrum var. prentici, and it's a cool plant with the tiniest striped flowers.
I also have Bulbophyllum alagense "small form", and one of my two clumps of it recently put out about 8 tiny flowers, which was cool.

Lepanthes astrophora "Stalky" have gotta be the most adorable plants I've ever seen, and, from what I've found on Google, they aren't too hard to grow. Do you suppose one would do well in one of those glass orbs that people put air plants in, if I set it up like a terrarium and made sure there was drainage?

[Pattywack]

The Lepanthes astrophora “Stalky is an awesome little plant, I recommend it to anyone looking for a tiny plant. I have had mine for a couple of years and started it out in the glass orb your talking about. I had to move it to a larger glass ball and recently repotted it into a larger pot and added it to my greenhouse/shelving.

It is not hard to grow just don’t let it ever dry out, slightly moist is needed and it loves humidity. When I had mine in the glass orb, I used leca in the bottom of the orb and nestled the tiny pot into the leca to keep it stable in the orb. Their flowers are absolutely gorgeous! When these bloom it is usually a flush of teenie purple stars. Mine has flowers often.

The Bulbo moniliforme is a great little orchid as well. I have two of these both in terrarium setups, both mounted. One of them is hanging, the other is laying on the terrarium floor. They bloom often tho not many flowers at once and they are very tiny, easy to miss flowers.

Schoenorchis fragrans is a great tiny orchid, good size for a cube!

I think the Exo Terra cube is adorable, might be a good Christmas list item! Good luck with yours, post pictures when you have a chance.

[Fishkeeper]

I just found out about sinningia pusilla, which is a teeny-tiny plant that's kinda like a miniature African violet. Not an orchid, but it's going on the for-future-reference list because I could totally plant those in the substrate and they'd be in scale.

And I'll definitely be putting one of the Exo Terra cubes on my Xmas list, I have a 12" cube that turned out great. Hygrolon is awesome stuff and front-opening enclosures are lovely to 'scape.

My H. odonata was doing OK but wasn't thrilled on my living wall, and I had this so-called betta tank empty, so I couldn't resist:

That's a 4" cube. There are holes in the lid, so I think it's OK on ventilation? The orchid is mounted on a piece of wood with some Hygrolon and sphagnum, and the substrate (not touching the mount's moss) is a thin layer of sphagnum with some strands of live Java moss on top.
Will add a better photo tomorrow when I can get sunlight. I figure this should be fine set next to the living wall, it'll get some light there without getting too much.

[Pattywack]

Oooh the Beta tank is cute! I have a couple of small terrarium setups as well. The Exo Terra 8” cube is looking pretty good to me now. I have a 12x12x18 Exo Terra and love it.

I’ve never tried a sinningia though they are adorable. I have a tiny Begonia in my Exo Terra, it is a vankerckhovenii and has tiny yellow flowers. I found it at Mountain Orchids.

I have a orchid that would make a beautiful vine in your tank and it is very small. It is a Trichosalpinx chamaelepanthes, mine has deep maroon flowers, there is a yellow flowered one as well. This plant came from Andy’s and is easy to grow. I’ve taken cuttings of this plant and it roots quickly, easy to start in other setups.

If you are still looking for suggestions of tiny orchids, try Barbosella. I love them and again, easy to grow especially in terrariums. Look at Barbosella dussenii, Barbosella cogniauxiana, Barbosella cucullata and Barbosella trilobata. These are great little orchids! I started my obsession with miniatures and absolutely love them. They fit well with terrarium setups and the tiny growths and flowers amaze me.

[camille1585]

In this age of internet for everything, I'm going to be odd and propose a book which is very good. Miniature Orchids, by Steven Frownie.

I have it and while I haven't cracked it open in a long time, it's a great resource to have when looking small plants! He covers true miniatures, as well as other small sized and compact growing orchids.

[Pattywack]

Thanks Camille! I will definitely look at this book. I understand your statement as far as internet but I love my books!

Last Christmas my husband gave me the set of Miniature Orchid Species by Ron Parsons and Mary E. Gerritsen. I was very surprised and to top it off he ordered miniature orchids from Andy’s!

I love this set of books, the information and photos are wonderful! I use them often! Now I’ve got to find your suggested book!