[1] Miltoniopsis vexillaria is found in isolated patches in the central mountain region of Colombia and on the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental from the department of Antioquia in the north and also further south in northern Ecuador.

[3] In the winter, when the weather is cold and dull, the plant should be watered sparingly, but the growing medium should not be allowed to dry out.

[3] Miltoniopsis vexillaria was first recorded in 1867 by the Victorian plant collector, David Bowman, who had been sent to South America by James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, London.

In 1870, Chesterton had been sent by Harry Veitch to Colombia with the specific instructions to locate and bring back to England "the much-talked-of and long-desired "scarlet Odontoglossum".

According to the account in Hortus Veitchii: "Provided with but the scantiest information as to the native habitat, long kept secret and shrouded in mystery, Chesterton started, and not only succeeded in discovering the plant, but safely introduced it to Chelsea, where it flowered for the first time in 1873.