Orchid of the day: Stelis quadrifida or Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana

Our mystery orchid

I wanted to share this orchid with you. This is how the story begins. Arne bought Dendrobium jenkensii  which is attached to a tree fern/twig in 2007. At the top of this fern/twig, he noticed a small plant which he thought was just an extra plant, not an orchid. Over the years, the plant grew and occasionally produced yellowish flowers. This year there are multiple flower stems and a multitude of yellowish-green flowers. There were so many flowers and upon further inspection, we agreed that this is some kind of miniature orchid. Our Dendrobium jenkensii hasn't flowered yet but we were determined to find out what this orchid is.

A) What is the orchid on top?

I can spend forever looking at images of orchids in the internet but I'm glad that I joined an international orchid forum. The folks are really helpful and positive. 

B) We hang the entire plant-combo in our study window sill and it has been a cold winter indeed. Arne thinks that the cold could have induced the flowering more than ever.

C) Up close photo of the flowers. Miniature orchids, and very delicate. The flowers are small, about 1/4 of an inch across.

Based on the dialogue we had from the Orchid Forum, we found out that this orchid is a Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana or the accepted name is now Stelis quadrifida. This orchid is a hot to cool growing orchid and found in central America as well as in Jamaica. It can be grown in a pot or in our case, mounted with year round moisture and good air circulation.

D) The flowers looking beautiful in the bright sunlight. 

Another suggestion was that this orchid is a Pleurothallis grobyi, which is also found in central America but the leaves are smaller than ours. For now, we agree that this is Stelis quadrifida, and we are sticking to that!