It is somewhat amazing that this diminutive orchid caught Bartram's attention. The orchid stands only a few inches tall, it is usually found on the upper side of live oak (Quercus virginiana) branches, and it is frequently hidden among the fronds of resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides).
Even in full bloom, the orchid is considered "insignificant". The inflorescence is only a few inches long; each flower is about a half centimeter in size. Robert Brown named the plant in 1813—Epidendrum, "upon a tree" and conopseum, "gnat-like". Still, the tiny orchid is utterly charming and when one is among wild live oaks in late autumn or early winter, one should look for the orchid in bloom. Or rather, breathe deep. The flowers may be tiny, but they produce a big spicy-sweet fragrance.
The green-fly orchid is rather remarkable for an epiphyte. It is frost-resistant. The orchid can be found from southern Mississippi across to north and central Florida and northward along the coast to North Carolina. An odd discontinuity exists in its range for green-flies are found in eastern Mexico. And considering that it belongs to a genus considered tropical, the green-fly is not found in southern Florida nor anywhere that does not have a cool winter.
(Compiled from: Travels of William Bartram, edited by Mark VanDoren, Dover Edition, an unaltered republication of the work published by Macy-Masius, 1928 and "Epidendrum conopseum", The Native Orchids of Florida, 1st Ed., Carlyle A. Luer, The New York Botanical Garden, 1972)
