Chondroscaphe atrilinguis earns its name from its lip: a broad, fringed skirt marked in deep, inky lines that draw the eye straight into the flower. The blooms open creamy yellow and waxy against soft fans of pleated, apple-green leaves, and they carry a sweet fragrance that lifts on humid mornings. A cloud forest species in the Zygopetalinae, it stays compact, flowers from the base of each new growth, and rewards attentive growers with one of the most striking lips in the group.
Care Guide
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Light: Bright shade. Filtered light at Phalaenopsis levels, never direct midday sun, which burns the thin foliage.
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Temperature: Cool to intermediate. Days of 18-24°C (65-75°F) with a clear night drop to 12-16°C (54-60°F).
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Humidity: High, 70-85%, with steady gentle air movement to keep the fans clean and free of spotting.
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Water: Keep evenly moist all year. With no pseudobulbs to fall back on, it resents drying out, so water with low-mineral water before the medium dries through.
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Medium & potting: Fine to medium bark blended with sphagnum or perlite in a free-draining pot. Repot every one to two years, before the mix breaks down and sours.
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Fertilizer: Balanced orchid fertilizer at quarter strength with most waterings, plus a monthly flush of clear water to clear accumulated salts.
Grown in our Ecuadorian nurseries high in the Andes, where the cool, misty conditions this species wants come naturally, every plant is hand selected and inspected before it ships. Give it steady moisture and cool nights, and Chondroscaphe atrilinguis will settle in quickly and bring that unmistakable dark-lined lip to your collection.
