C. Helen P. Dane 'Magnifica' AM/AOS

[NEslipper]

Fall cattleya season is officially here! First up is an original division of C. Helen P. Dane (C. Barbara Dane x C. Edithiae alba 'White Empress') registered by E.B. Dane in 1941 and named for his wife Helen Pratt Dane, a Standard Oil heiress. This particular plant won its 82 point AM in 1949. This is not my best blooming of the plant - last year the petals were wider and the lateral sepals were not as twisted, giving the whole flower a fuller appearance (link to last year's blooming is HERE), however, there is more golden yellow in the lip this year and the classic cattleya scent is much stronger than I remember - it is really filling up my entire living room. C. Helen P. Dane has been used widely in breeding, and two of its most well-known offspring would probably be C. Wendy Patterson (C. Helen P. Dane x C. intermedia) and C. Athena Chagaris (C. Helen P Dane x C. Barbara Billingsley) - Athena Chagaris is famous as one of the parents of the widely cultivated C. Sierra Blanca grex.

 

[tomp]

Another great legacy white!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

That lip is insane! I'd like to see this one in flower again once the plant gets a bit more beefy. I bet it will be a stunner.

 

[Ozpaph]

a lovely corsage flower