Stelis ciliolata 'Leia'

The genus Stelis has hundreds of species, but many species have very tiny and insignificant green flowers. This species is an exception. These flowers though not large (15. cm) are strikingly colored with the flowers beautifully set off by the white hairs for which the species is named. The flowers are unusual, too in that the petals, lip and reproductive "column" are reduced to tiny structures at the center of the flower, something characteristic of many of most of the species in the genus. This species is from Ecuador.