Pleurothallis brighamii
A warm-growing pleurothallid from lower eleveations throughout central America, Pleurothallis brighamii will become an everblooming plant rather rapidly. New growths are constantly being added to the plant, along with new spikes. Each new spike will flower sequentially for many months, even years, producing one flower after another. This orchid is even fragrant during the morning hours, if you consider the scent of decaying vegetation a fragrance. When seen with the naked eye, the flowers are very strongly pin-striped purple over a yellow background...but since the pinstriping is on the back of the sepals, cameras tend to mute this effect as they tend to focus on the topmost layer of floral tissue.
One time I attempted to self this plant, to no avail, but I did discover something interesting in the process. The lip has some sort of hinge mechanism attached to the anther cap. While the anther cap is in place, the lip stays fairly close to the column. Once the pollinia are removed, the lip depresses downward, forming a yawning maw in the center of the flower. I'm assuming this is to reduce the chance of self-pollination...the stigma is kept enclosed by the lip until the pollinia are removed. The flower then becomes receptive to pollinia from another (recently de-anthered) flower.
Enjoy!
---Prem
