The "Jewel Orchids," with their elegant leaves, are grown for their foliage and the flowers. The leaves of the "Jewel Orchids" may look like a burgundy velvet piece of cloth, delicately decorated with red and gold veins. Others are a maroon color, while some are a lush wintergreen on top,with rich maroon underneath, and accented with white veins flowing through the leaf. They are a terrestrial in nature and native to India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Although the plants bear small white flowers these are not the reason the plants are grown. They are mainly grown for their velvety leaves. Although there are several color variations, they usually are a dark, reddish black veined in gold. The growth pattern forms clusters of leaves in a rosette. The plants grow about 10 inches tall and the flower stems grow approximately 12 inches tall and will produce numerous small white flowers. Ludisia Culture:Being a semiterrestrial genus that is found growing naturally in leafy humus and moss on shaded rocks. Plants should thus be grown in a well drained media in shallow containers, with a media that will stay damp but not wet. A shallow terracotta saucer is perhaps the ideal container. Perhaps this could be rested on a tray of pebbles which is kept full of water to the level of the pebbles. After flowering, the plants should be rested somewhat drier until the new growth starts. It should be emphasized that these are found in the very shaded areas beside streams in the dense rainforest and as such some thought needs to be given to duplicating that environment. They make excellent house plants! Measurements are approximate