Phalaenopsis lowii
SPECIES
A hot to to warm growing, miniature epiphyte or sometimes lithophyte with deciduous leaves from Myanmar, Thailand and Borneo found in conjunction with limestone rocks at elevations around sealevel to 800 meters near rivers with an erect or ascending stem enveloped by imbricating leaf bases carrying elliptic, obovate or oblong-elliptic, fleshy, acute or obtuse leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a lateral, arcuate to pendant, 10 to 15" [25 to 37.5 cm] long, racemose or rarely paniculate, laxly many flowered inflorescence with small triangular bracts and fragrant, fleshy, long-lived flowers that have an extremely long, beak-like rostellum.
This species experiences a long drought in nature which causes it to shed it's leaves especially when growing as a lithophyte, in pot cultivation it is best to grow it wetter and keep 3 to 5 leaves for optimum growing.