Dear Bulbophiles - I believe what Helen is referring to as 'crystals' are the hairs found on the flowers of the species. When examined closely the hairs are barely visible to the naked eye. Depending on how the light hits them they can either give a velvet appearence or refract light causing the flower to sparkle - like it is dusted with crystals.I have only examined a few species under magnification and can't verify that all the species have these hairs. Marc NJ USA