A reliable bloomer is in bloom again

This is an orchid that blooms only once a year, but is capable of carrying a few hundred flowers at once that any wait is worth it. This orchid is Eulophia andamanensis, a terrestrial from grasslands and open areas in the Andamans Islands, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, northern Sumatra, and Malaysia. At the onset of the dry season the leaves are shed and the plant rests as dormant, above-ground pseudobulbs. During this period it is watered only to prevent total desiccation and kept in shade. Once the erect inflorescences start appearing, the linear leaves also begin developing. By this time the entire plant can be in flower for about three weeks, although it is not unusual that new inflorescences are produced as the older ones age, which extends the blooming period.

Each flower is 2 cm across and odorless. The sepals and petals are a rather dull greenish-brown color, but the labellum is stark white with purple-brown veining, with attractive wavy margins edged greenish. I haven't observed insects visiting the flowers, although seed pods are regularly formed every year. Perhaps I should be more attentive this time.

Cultivation is straightforward. They require a rich soil in a brightly lit spot, but preferably with some protection from hot noontime sun. Being from grasslands, the species is adapted to extended periods of dryness and even drenching monsoon rains, and hence is tolerant of watering quirks in cultivation.

The plant bore more flowers last year, but because I divided the pseudobulbs late last year, the inflorescence number consequently dropped. This is a plant that produces new growths quickly, and a plant can easily fill its pot with pseudobulbs in just one season's growth.