Dinema polybulbon 'Andromeda'
A division of the 'Andromeda' clone which won a CCM a year or so ago:
Natural Habitat
This diminutive epiphyte (and occasional lithophyte) was first discovered in Jamaica by Charles Horsfall, who sent it to the Liverpool Botanic Gardens. It has since proven to be a common orchid in Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Cuba where it grows in oak forests or mixed wet forests, at altitudes of 600 to 3200 meters. One report I've read indicates plants are found commonly growing in dense mats on fence posts in their native lands.
Plant Description:
The plant itself is a very rambling affair, consisting of small, lima-bean sized bulbs very distantly spaced on a narrow rhizome. It is a very fast-grower and can form impressive, albeit small, specimens. Joe Linger recently won a CCM/AOS for his 'Andromeda' clone with 245 flowers and one bud. Leaves are typically borne in pairs, with flowers arising from the axils between the leaves. Flowering is most often in winter, but sporadically throughout the rest of the year. The flowers are quite large for the plant itself, from .75 to 1 inch (1.5 to 2.5 cm) in diameter, and are sweetly fragrant. EE's own Rich Unger describes the fragrance as "...a light but pervasive typical Encyclia sandalwood type that tends toward the sweet side like amber...". Others describe the fragrance as similar to cloves.
Cultivation Tips:
Potting/mounting: this plant is best grown on a mount to accommodate its rambling nature.
Light: medium to medium-bright (2000-3000 fc). I grow mine in the upper reaches of my orchid aquarium, about 3-4 inches below two 24", 20-watt fluorescent tubes.
Humidity: 60 to 70%
Watering: frequently - every day to every 2-3 days
Temperature: cool to warm (with as wide an altitude range as it has, it should acclimate almost anywhere)
Fertilizer: lightly on a more frequent schedule to prevent burning of the thin roots.
---Prem
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Originally Posted by PAGrower
