# Cattleya dowiana var aurea ‘Golden Dragon’s Blood’



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 15, 2022)

My plant flowering beautifully in Brazil by my orchid friend/grower/foster parent Anderson Cassano (dentist/orchid judge in Sao Paolo). 

Bright yellow 14-cm fragrant flowers with a golden veined red lip.


----------



## GuRu (Dec 15, 2022)

Wow, she's a beauty, Leslie ...... and another of your babies living spread over almost the whole wide world.


----------



## monocotman (Dec 15, 2022)

Just exquisite as usual Leslie!


----------



## Djthomp28 (Dec 15, 2022)

Amazing flower and photo. The detail on the lip is so clear.


----------



## David B (Dec 15, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> My plant flowering beautifully in Brazil by my orchid friend/grower/foster parent Anderson Cassano (dentist/orchid judge in Sao Paolo).
> 
> Bright yellow 14-cm fragrant flowers with a golden veined red lip.
> 
> ...





DrLeslieEe said:


> My plant flowering beautifully in Brazil by my orchid friend/grower/foster parent Anderson Cassano (dentist/orchid judge in Sao Paolo).
> 
> Bright yellow 14-cm fragrant flowers with a golden veined red lip.
> 
> ...


----------



## Happypaphy7 (Dec 15, 2022)

What makes this aurea or how is aurea form even differentiated from the standard form? 
I remember reading an article about this where they said basically the aurea form is not a separate or recognized variety of the species. 
Is it the amount of the yellow in the lip? If yes, that is not a reliable indicator since that varies quite a bit from flower to flower, and from bloom to bloom even on the same plant.


----------



## David B (Dec 15, 2022)

Now that's what I have been talking about. Just think, if you had one in this hemisphere you would get to see it twice a year. Two different summers. None the less it is on my list. My dowiana seedlings from Ecuagenera deflasked are all doing well, but getting one from flask of this quality would be a lottery win. This is seldom seen as mid summer is never a show season. I am studying it's culture.


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 15, 2022)

Very nice.My fav catt!!!


----------



## Guldal (Dec 15, 2022)

What can I do, but echo Rudolf (GuRu) and David (monocotman)?


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Dec 15, 2022)

That lip!!!


----------



## abax (Dec 15, 2022)

That lip more than compensates for the slightly wonky dorsal. Do you suppose it might fill out a bit more?


----------



## Ozpaph (Dec 15, 2022)

wonderful flower


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 15, 2022)

abax said:


> That lip more than compensates for the slightly wonky dorsal. Do you suppose it might fill out a bit more?


Unfortunately the shape of dowiana flowers are narrow and wonky. The good traits are the yellow tepals and brilliant red lip with golden veins.


----------



## NEslipper (Dec 15, 2022)

I love dowiana, I also happen to be an expert at killing them. Congrats!


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2022)

Happypaphy7 said:


> What makes this aurea or how is aurea form even differentiated from the standard form?
> I remember reading an article about this where they said basically the aurea form is not a separate or recognized variety of the species.
> Is it the amount of the yellow in the lip? If yes, that is not a reliable indicator since that varies quite a bit from flower to flower, and from bloom to bloom even on the same plant.


There's a lot of controversy regarding dowiana over the last 150 years (since its discovery in 1850's).

You can read all sorts of tales, books, journals, magazines and papers explaining why they are same and why they are different. The more you read, it further muddies the taxonomic water until it clouds our vision. Very few people walk out unscathed with their own biased interpretations.

Let me then attempt a try to explain logically the current view as I un-biasedly 'interpret' them:

Cattleya dowiana was original described for the large yellow species found in Costa Rica. Two color forms existed here: straw yellow dowiana and red veined rositas.

Cattleya aurea was a sister yellow species that was found 600 miles south in Colombia. Several colors forms were described based on areas found: dureda (large aurea), chrysotoxa (ribbed petals), baudo (whitish tepals), chado sinu (solid yellow lip), rosea (pink lip rim) plus numerous horticultural varieties in the past like 'Statteriana' (which proved to be a semialba Hardyana from jungle hybrid swarms with Cattleya warscewiczii, that grows in same region as aurea).

In this 600 miles area, they find random dowiana sightings, postulating a possible track of dowiana seed dispersion along this corridor, linking the 2 previously assumed allopatric isolation of the two colonies.

The main separation criteria of the two species were:

1. dowiana has bigger straw yellow petals/sepals that were stained with minute red veins, while aurea has pure bright yellow color.
2. aurea lips had more golden veins, sometimes overtaking the red with solid yellow sections, while dowiana has thin coppery yellow veins penciled in the red crimson lip
3. dowiana has shorter and darker bulbs than aurea
4. breeding behaviour differences in which aurea retains more yellow in offsprings, particularly if both F2 has aurea as grandparent. 
5. geographic isolation of the colonies

Attempts to separate the two colonies using these criterias proved useless as versions of each type were found within the two colonies. For example a bright pure yellow dowiana with intense gold vein lip and a straw color aurea with mostly red lip were found. The breeding capacities were also linked to particular cultivars where some bright dowianas can outdo some aureas for yellow progeny. Tall and short vegetative growths were found for both types. 

As a result of the failure of these separation criterias, the two species are now considered as one, dowiana. The variety aurea is used to section off the 'sympatric' colony found in Colombia, and is 'currently' accepted by Kew's World Checklist of Plants.

So my plant shown above is 'dowiana' from Colombian breeding lines, therefore denoted with varietal designation 'aurea'.

I hope I haven't confused people more with my review above lol.


----------



## monocotman (Dec 16, 2022)

Thanks Leslie. From reading around this subject I think you’ve covered it well and added to my knowledge.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2022)

monocotman said:


> Thanks Leslie. From reading around this subject I think you’ve covered it well and added to my knowledge.


Thanks David.


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 16, 2022)

Many thanks Leslie for comment, another difference i can see that dowiana has closed lip aurea has opened lip around the column. Another difficulty that there is geographical overlapping between them.I have two different aureas with opened lip.


----------



## Sara_Cenia (Dec 16, 2022)

What a phenomenal bloom. The details are just mind blowing. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## Just1more (Dec 16, 2022)

The lips on these blooms are incredibly beautiful! I’d love to see one first hand in bloom!


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2022)

dodidoki said:


> Many thanks Leslie for comment, another difference i can see that dowiana has closed lip aurea has opened lip around the column. Another difficulty that there is geographical overlapping between them.I have two different aureas with opened lip.


That open column on aurea is also mentioned but also occurs in many dowianas. Even the angle of petals being more forward (porrect) and heavily ribbed centrally in aurea occurs in dowiana. 

These traits happen in both collected as well as mixed breedings of dowiana with aureas. And therefore not diagnostic.


----------



## terryros (Dec 17, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> There's a lot of controversy regarding dowiana over the last 150 years (since its discovery in 1850's).
> 
> You can read all sorts of tales, books, journals, magazines and papers explaining why they are same and why they are different. The more you read, it further muddies the taxonomic water until it clouds our vision. Very few people walk out unscathed with their own biased interpretations.
> 
> ...


Wonderful, Leslie. I just copied this out to have in my files. It is a bit like Phrag besseae and dallesandroi. Lump or split. At least you have clear provenance to the Columbian population. Kew still has them split, so a cross with dowiana aurea can have a different name from plain dowiana. My (dowiana aurea x warscewiczii) was technically labeled Semontiana by Orchids Limited and not Hardyana (although they look the same because the yellow rarely comes through).


----------



## Carmella.carey (Dec 19, 2022)

I still think it should be C.aurea because of how it breeds with lavinders and how C.dowiana breeds WCLs.
-Patrick


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 19, 2022)

Carmella.carey said:


> I still think it should be C.aurea because of how it breeds with lavinders and how C.dowiana breeds WCLs.
> -Patrick


Yes I would separate them too.


----------



## Carmella.carey (Dec 19, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Yes I would separate them too.


For people who don't know C.dowiana var. aurea when crossed with a lavender gives the offspring intense purple color and with C.dowiana there will be a smattering of simi-alba offspring if crossed with a plant that carries simi-alba genes. With other catts only to WCLs crossed together would make WCL offspring but the yellow red lip dowiana seems to be a carrier of WCL genes.
-Patrick
(WCL stands for "white with color lip" now more commonly known as simi-alba)


----------



## Ozpaph (Dec 20, 2022)

Thats very interesting information. Thank-you!


----------



## LadySlipper (Dec 20, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Bright yellow 14-cm fragrant flowers with a golden veined red lip.


So beautiful. I love the bright yellow color.


----------



## Duck Slipper (Dec 20, 2022)

A beautiful plant. I purchased one 3 years ago as a seedling. I haven't killed it yet.


----------



## Happypaphy7 (Dec 20, 2022)

Thanks for the explanations. I have read the same before.
So, I still think they are the same. The fact that either "forms" pop up randomly in both groups show that they are not really separate. 
Maybe adding var. aureum to distinguish the more yellow one might be convenient but can be misleading in my opinion. 
Does rosita produce regular form when crossed amongst themselves? 
This popped up in my mind when I saw a few of them and noticed how different the amount of red and yellow show in the flower among individual plants.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 20, 2022)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Thanks for the explanations. I have read the same before.
> So, I still think they are the same. The fact that either "forms" pop up randomly in both groups show that they are not really separate.
> Maybe adding var. aureum to distinguish the more yellow one might be convenient but can be misleading in my opinion.
> Does rosita produce regular form when crossed amongst themselves?
> This popped up in my mind when I saw a few of them and noticed how different the amount of red and yellow show in the flower among individual plants.


Rositas breed true, all will have ‘peloric’ red petals to various degrees.


----------



## Carmella.carey (Dec 20, 2022)

As Leslie said rosita is a form of the 'typical' dowiana with petals that somewhat mimic the lip.
-Patrick


----------



## Carmella.carey (Dec 20, 2022)

Aurea just breeds so different and has such a light yellow almost green petals and sepals.
-Patrick


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 20, 2022)

Carmella.carey said:


> Aurea just breeds so different and has such a light yellow almost green petals and sepals.
> -Patrick


Sometimes white sepals and petals on some rositas too.

I have a division of dowiana rosita ‘Cashen’s’ JC/AOS that I’ve been nursing for over 8 years. Might be strong enough to bloom this coming summer! Fingers crossed !

Here’s the plant and award photo of flower from AOS as well as an online pic of the mother plant of this division from Steven Christofferson:


----------



## Ozpaph (Dec 20, 2022)

that is well worth looking forward too


----------



## terryros (Dec 20, 2022)

Hard to name it, hard to grow it well, and the flowers last 2 weeks. I must be crazy to be trying to grow one!


----------



## Carmella.carey (Dec 20, 2022)

terryros said:


> Hard to name it, hard to grow it well, and the flowers last 2 weeks. I must be crazy to be trying to grow one!
> [/QUOTE\]
> I assume your growing seedling(S) where did you get them? My dowianas died last January with the big snow/ice storm in Virginia. we went 6 days without power and heating and I had just watered. the house went down to 36°F and they rotted.
> -Patrick


----------



## terryros (Dec 20, 2022)

I have a three growth plant that comes from Orchids Limited breeding. So, I bought it as a seedling some years ago and it has grown slowly. The next growth could be large enough, but I cannot keep it warm the whole year. I suspect it will grow OK but that I will have trouble blooming it.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 21, 2022)

terryros said:


> I have a three growth plant that comes from Orchids Limited breeding. So, I bought it as a seedling some years ago and it has grown slowly. The next growth could be large enough, but I cannot keep it warm the whole year. I suspect it will grow OK but that I will have trouble blooming it.


Show pic?


----------



## setaylien (Dec 28, 2022)




----------



## Guldal (Dec 28, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Sometimes white sepals and petals on some rositas too.
> 
> I have a division of dowiana rosita ‘Cashen’s’ JC/AOS that I’ve been nursing for over 8 years. Might be strong enough to bloom this coming summer! Fingers crossed !
> 
> ...


Holy Moly! I urgently need one... injected directly into the vein! 

PS. I have two young plants each of the typical and the var. aurea forms...I wonder how old/how large a leaf span, before blooming size?


----------



## Guldal (Dec 28, 2022)

Chadwick has a few, pertinent tips about growing dowiana in these short videos:


----------



## setaylien (Dec 28, 2022)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Sometimes white sepals and petals on some rositas too.
> 
> I have a division of dowiana rosita ‘Cashen’s’ JC/AOS that I’ve been nursing for over 8 years. Might be strong enough to bloom this coming summer! Fingers crossed !
> 
> ...


Hi, Leslie! If it isn't currently under HID lighting, I would move it there. You will find it grows much larger and faster! Right now your leaves look good but the pseudobulbs are quite small. I don't think it will bloom from a small pseudobulb. 
-Neil Yates.


----------



## David B (Dec 28, 2022)

Dowiana inspiration. Earlier this year I received a small dowiana seedling that was starting a new growth. My greenhouse hobby size, 200 sq. feet has intermediate conditions and humidity varying from 50 to 80% depending on my watering cycle. I can grow some cattleya species well, some others not so much. No walkeriana no violacea. The seedling which had 4 very small growths put out 2 consecutive growths doubling in size each time. Now in Toronto, Ontario, Canada finding dowiana plants is quite difficult so when I saw a flask available from Ecuagenera ($100) I acquired one. This after being encouraged by the seedling progress. So far so good, but if we don't take the risk, we will never know. It could have gone all wrong, but so far after deflasking in July 2022, I have not lost one seedling out of flask. We all know that will change or maybe not!


----------



## Paphman910 (Dec 30, 2022)

David B said:


> Dowiana inspiration. Earlier this year I received a small dowiana seedling that was starting a new growth. My greenhouse hobby size, 200 sq. feet has intermediate conditions and humidity varying from 50 to 80% depending on my watering cycle. I can grow some cattleya species well, some others not so much. No walkeriana no violacea. The seedling which had 4 very small growths put out 2 consecutive growths doubling in size each time. Now in Toronto, Ontario, Canada finding dowiana plants is quite difficult so when I saw a flask available from Ecuagenera ($100) I acquired one. This after being encouraged by the seedling progress. So far so good, but if we don't take the risk, we will never know. It could have gone all wrong, but so far after deflasking in July 2022, I have not lost one seedling out of flask. We all know that will change or maybe not!


You are lucky to get a flask of dowiana! Should be fun a fun challenge to grow! Just grow it warm like Phal bellina and you should be fine.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 30, 2022)

setaylien said:


> Hi, Leslie! If it isn't currently under HID lighting, I would move it there. You will find it grows much larger and faster! Right now your leaves look good but the pseudobulbs are quite small. I don't think it will bloom from a small pseudobulb.
> -Neil Yates.


It’s been under lights for the entire time. 

Yes the small bulbs are not blooming size. But… this new growth is thick for the first time ever. If not this one, next one!


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 30, 2022)

I’m currently in Brazil now. Watch my dowiana visitation video at Orquidário Americana nursery below!!


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 30, 2022)

David B said:


> Dowiana inspiration. Earlier this year I received a small dowiana seedling that was starting a new growth. My greenhouse hobby size, 200 sq. feet has intermediate conditions and humidity varying from 50 to 80% depending on my watering cycle. I can grow some cattleya species well, some others not so much. No walkeriana no violacea. The seedling which had 4 very small growths put out 2 consecutive growths doubling in size each time. Now in Toronto, Ontario, Canada finding dowiana plants is quite difficult so when I saw a flask available from Ecuagenera ($100) I acquired one. This after being encouraged by the seedling progress. So far so good, but if we don't take the risk, we will never know. It could have gone all wrong, but so far after deflasking in July 2022, I have not lost one seedling out of flask. We all know that will change or maybe not!


Well done David. Gotta try and see as you never know what will happen! Good luck for sure! Keep dry in winter .


----------



## monocotman (Dec 31, 2022)

I share your sense of excitement Leslie! 
Great video. If you receive photos of the one in bud please post!


----------



## Royal Rea (Dec 31, 2022)

Wow, fantastic Leslie, to see them growing like that is a delight.


----------

