C. walkeriana - Two Leaf Growths this Year

[Phred]

There has been discussion on whether or no a C. walkeriana is pure walkeriana if it produces a growth with two leaves. My opinion is that it’s environmental. I keep my walkers outside for the summer once the temps remain 45°F and up. This year was a very wet spring, summer and fall. I’ve attached pictures of several of my walkers that produced at least one growth with two leaves this year. I’m interested in what the group has to say.

 

[Phred]

 

[Phred]

 

[Phred]

 

[Ozpaph]

what a remarkable collection!
I suppose Fred Clarke is likely an expert and if he calls the 'SVO' varietals walkeriana, then they probably are. In fact, why dont you email Fred with the photos of the SVO clones and ask what he thinks.
Is it just watering or other environmental factors ie different fertilizers (kelp???) or chemicals.

 

[monocotman]

Congratulations, they look super healthy!
should have some nice blooms from them.

 

[Paphman910]

Wow, nice collection of walkerianas.

I was wondering the same thing a few weeks ago when I saw my Cattleya walkeriana alba 'Pendative" have 2 leaf on the newest growth with 2 new leads going this year.

I saw a video of a fellow growing walkeriana in Texas and he said they could develop up to 3 leaves on a bulb.

The pseudobulb with the 2 leaves have fattest bulb compared to the other bulbs.

 

[NYEric]

Nice thick leaves on those Paphs!

 

[Guldal]

The fact that the same plant can carry 1 or 2 leaves on different growths of the same plant (as is also the case with the comparatively few plants of walkeriana, I have) speaks loads for your theory, Phred!

Your collection is gorgeous, though! But as is so often the case with Leslie (DrLeslieEe), it triggers the most horrible ambivalence in me: on one hand I really want to see them all in bloom, on the other hand The Green Eyed Monster prevents me from writing it!

 

[BrucherT]

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Fascinated that you grow in LECA. Plants are stunning. Could you give more details?

 

[Phred]

Fascinated that you grow in LECA. Plants are stunning. Could you give more details?

Hey BucherT
Happy to give you my thoughts on this. My choice of medium was the result of having trouble with the usual mediums used for walkers... bark mixes or mounted. I grow in the house. The temperature basically doesnt change... air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. The only thing that changes is the humidity. If the air conditioning or heat is on the humidity goes down. The range throughout the year is from 35%- 65% The result was that when the humidity was high the plants in bark stayed wet too long. When it was low the plants that were mounted... or in baskets dryed out too fast and I have too many plants to water every day. With hydroton, or something like it, my walker roots dry out right away but still recieve enough humidity from the water absorbed by the hydroton that I can water every 4 days or so. If I grew in a greenhouse I would have other options.

 

[Teresa Koncolor]

Have the smaller variants bloomed for you? I have one c. walkeriana corulea x alba that came with 3 pseudobulbs, now has 6 but it's still small. I'm wondering how big it has to get to bloom

 

[Phred]

Have the smaller variants bloomed for you? I have one c. walkeriana corulea x alba that came with 3 pseudobulbs, now has 6 but it's still small. I'm wondering how big it has to get to bloom

Hello Theresa
I have about 100 different walkers. About 20 are seedlings and the rest are divisions from mature plants. There are basically two things that are important for a plant to bloom: first the plant has to be mature. Second you have to provide the right conditions. With Cattleya lighting intensity is a big one. I've had walkers bloom on 3-4 growth plants but they were mature growths.

 

[Teresa Koncolor]

Thanks. It's growing well. I moved it to a higher light spot on my outdoor rack. I have it in pebbles in a net pot. I added some live moss top dressing recently to see if it helps anything.

 

[Phred]

Thanks. It's growing well. I moved it to a higher light spot on my outdoor rack. I have it in pebbles in a net pot. I added some live moss top dressing recently to see if it helps anything.

I wouldn't use the moss. walker roots need to dry out after watering

 

[Ozpaph]

} was wondering the same thing a few weeks ago when I saw my Cattleya walkeriana alba 'Pendative" have 2 leaf on the newest growth with 2 new leads going this year.

'Pendentive' is probably not pure 'walkeriana', I understand. ie a hybrid.

 

[Phred]

'Pendentive' is probably not pure 'walkeriana', I understand. ie a hybrid.

Still controversial... 'Pendentive' is said to have come from the selfing of 'Orchidglad' others say not.

 

[Paphman910]

'Pendentive' is probably not pure 'walkeriana', I understand. ie a hybrid.

The genetic report about Cattleya walkeriana var alba "Pendentive" was not conclusive from a post on orchidboard. It really doesn't matter if it is not pure walkeriana as the flowers are beautiful.

Also I saw this post somewhere on a website:

"Cattleya walkeriana 'Pendentive' has clearly been shown genetically to be a walkeriana. That work was done by Yukawa a number of years ago. His work looked very carefully at the sequencing of a large number of walkeriana cultivars and specimens that could be traced back to jungle collection. Pendentive is not, as was speculated, the result of a selfing of 'Orchidglade' but Jones & Scully never really said it was. What they indicated was that it might have but there was no definitive proof. In the sequencing study, Pendentive is very closely related to a white cultivar from Japan called, I believe, Sakura and is likely from a selfing of that cultivar or a sibbing with a sister seedling. Without question Pendentive is a walkeriana.

Kenny, on the other hand is clearly not a walkeriana but is of hybrid origin. It falls in the sequence between dolosa and walkeriana. It is also not a dolosa based on its position on the tree. The closest hybrid that makes sense is C. Snow Blind and as a result the AOS award record has been altered to reflect that. You will find the award to 'Kenny' listed as C. Snow Blind 'Kenny', FCC/AOS. The awards to Pendentive remain as C. walkeriana."

 

[Stone]

The genetic report about Cattleya walkeriana var alba "Pendentive" was not conclusive from a post on orchidboard. It really doesn't matter if it is not pure walkeriana as the flowers are beautiful.

Also I saw this post somewhere on a website:

"Cattleya walkeriana 'Pendentive' has clearly been shown genetically to be a walkeriana. That work was done by Yukawa a number of years ago. His work looked very carefully at the sequencing of a large number of walkeriana cultivars and specimens that could be traced back to jungle collection. Pendentive is not, as was speculated, the result of a selfing of 'Orchidglade' but Jones & Scully never really said it was. What they indicated was that it might have but there was no definitive proof. In the sequencing study, Pendentive is very closely related to a white cultivar from Japan called, I believe, Sakura and is likely from a selfing of that cultivar or a sibbing with a sister seedling. Without question Pendentive is a walkeriana.

Kenny, on the other hand is clearly not a walkeriana but is of hybrid origin. It falls in the sequence between dolosa and walkeriana. It is also not a dolosa based on its position on the tree. The closest hybrid that makes sense is C. Snow Blind and as a result the AOS award record has been altered to reflect that. You will find the award to 'Kenny' listed as C. Snow Blind 'Kenny', FCC/AOS. The awards to Pendentive remain as C. walkeriana."

That's interesting Paphman. I remain unconvinced. I trust the genetic sequencing as far as I can throw it. A few year back Xavier gave us some examples of supposed DNA relations between certain Paph species which were beyond ridiculous.!

 

[Stone]

I have a wild form of walkeriana which never throws 2 leaves. I don't know what that means. It could be a subspecies or something. All my others can throw 2 leaves from time to time. With pendentive and it's children it is very common. At least 50/50 for me.