have received high light levels throughout the year. Cultivation An easy species to grow, in cultivation the plants usually bloom with a terminal inflorescence from the older pseudobulbs, some plants however, will produce flowers from newer pseudobulbs in odd years. These plants are shy to flower in cultivation unless they receive very bright light of around 2000 foot candles and given a dry rest for about 6 weeks in the fall. In habitat, the plants can go periods of several months without water, and are very drought tolerant, but the plants tend to perform better if kept evenly moist throughout the year. Plants which are receiving enough light will take on a yellowish coloration in the leaves. This is normal as these plants use CAM photosynthesis. Plants with very green leaves are not receiving enough light. The plants are fungal magnets in habitat and in cultivation and tend to culture mychorrhizal fungi they pick up from their environment since this species is a trash basket orchid that in nature creates a network of interlocked airborne roots to collect leaf litter, they have a tendency to rapidly break down their growing medium more so than other species of orchids. Unlike most epiphytic orchids, the roots of this species are not appreciably photosynthetic, are white and pale, and resemble the roots of terrestrial and mycoheterotrophic orchids. When the plants are not getting enough nitrogen, they will start growing a trash basket with numerous non-absorbing roots growing upwards. These plants do not produce a trash basket if they are receiving sufficient nitrogen regularly. These plants in habitat usually bloom at the end of dry spells, however, this species has a unique habit of blooming at any time of the year and several times a year if the plants have been grown in high light levels and are subjected to short dry spells of 4–6 weeks every 6 months. There is wide variability of flower shape, color, and markings, and this species is widespread across Africa. Gallery Intergeneric hybrids The Royal Horticultural Society International Orchid Register lists crosses between Ansellia and nine other genera: × Anaphorchis (× Graphorkis) × Ansidium (× Cymbidium) × Catasellia (× Catasetum) × Cycsellia (× Cychnoches) × Cyrtellia (× Cyrtopodium) × Eulosellia (× Eulophia) × Galeansellia (× Galeandra) × Promellia (× Promenaea) Synonyms Ansellia confusa N.E.Brown 1886 Ansellia congoensis Rodigas 1886 Ansellia gigantea Rchb.f 1847 Ansellia gigantea subsp. nilotica (Baker)