Small flowers can have a really big impact and this is certainly the case with Pleurothallis trucata. Each spring plants produce chains of remarkable little globular flowers on top of leaves and for about eight weeks there is a real show in Cool Americas.

The species is endemic to Ecuador where it grows from 1700m-3000m altutide in cool wet forest. We find the species thrives mounted, in pots and in baskets but if allowed to become too dry produced lots of little plants on the leaves (keikis) rather than flowers.

The species has the delightful habit of flowering when really small (under 10cm high) but over time becomes quite large and the plant shown here is 40cm across. The photograph below shows Amalia who is in charge of Pleurothallis in our own cloud forest – Cool Americas – with one of her Pleurothallis truncata plants.