Coelogyne cristata is an epiphytic orchid that comes from cool, moist areas of the eastern Himalayas and Vietnam. It blooms every spring, before the snow begins to melt. Its genus name Coelogyne originates from two Greek words, koilos ("hollow") and gyne ("woman"), because of the orchid's concave stigma. Cristata takes its species name from crista, the Latin word for "comb", because of the look of the flower's lip.

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