Cattleya Bob Betts ‘white lightening’

[PeteM]

Cattleya Bob Betts (1950) was Bow Bells crossed back to mossiae, so it is 69% mossiae, 19% gaskelliana, and 12% trianae. There are 73 AOS awards for Bob Betts with the most recent one for flower quality in 1974. I think this is the most awarded white Cattleya. 'White Lightening' seems to be the dominant cultivar available in recent years (and what I have), but it is not awarded and I don't think we know where/when it originated. It must have been mericloned to be so available. My fantasy is that there are amazing other cultivars of Bob Betts sequestered in private collections, almost like works of art. Chadwick's do have 'Tacoma' AM/AOS available for $75 so I suspect this might have come from a mericloned line, but maybe not. I would like to know about other cultivars of Bow Bells or Bob Betts that our little group of forum members who love Cattleyas might have or have seen. My Bow Bells is 'July', which was not awarded. I know a non-awarded plant can be great, but some of the pictures I have seen of old awarded Bow Bells and Bob Betts look better than anything I have been able to get in about 4 blooming of each of my plants.

White Cattleyas.. such a fun corner of the orchid world, riddled with rich history and desire.. I'm completely addicted to these.. I've watched this presentation countless times (). I purchased a small flask of Cattleya Bob Betts ‘The Virgin' FCC/AOS x Cattleya Bob Betts ‘Conqueror’ FCC/AOS. a few years back from Marni Turkel. She has an ebay storefront 'Mostlyspecies'.. linked from her website.. (Orchid Plant Sales). Some really cool plants rotate on her listing. I'm looking forward to blooming one of these out in the coming years. 'there are amazing other cultivars of Bob Betts sequestered in private collections' YES, I subscribe to this point of view.

 

[monocotman]

This is a wonderful talk!
David

 

[terryros]

Sorry, poor spelling, and that matters.

 

[monocotman]

Pete, keep us posted on the progress of your cattleya seedlings. Are they as vigorous as their parents?
Terry, sorry you’re right. I find my spelling getting worse as I age. There is a deal of difference between the two words.
David

 

[terryros]

I watched this presentation a year ago or so and immediately realized that there is a whole other elite orchid world that most of us will never see or be part of. My wish list will be constrained and practical. My focus needs to be on trying to grow what I have to its maximum, rather than thinking, "If I could just get those better genes in that elite, awarded plant ...". A good plant that is optimally grown could be better than an elite plant grown only in a mediocre way.

 

[PeteM]

Question for anyone that can help me please. After all these years of growing I am just now realizing that I have no understanding of where to access the RHS awards database? I do have OrchidWiz.. can reference the AOS database. Is there an RHS awards link that can be accessed publicly, with a membership, or is everything only available in PDF publications?

For instance, CambriaWhat pointed out to me that Cattleya Bob Betts ‘Conqueror’ FCC/AOS is not registered in AOS. I also confirmed this in AOS. After an internet search I was only able to find a reference to a VA Orchid Society show with the Cattleya Bob Betts ‘Conqueror’ FCC/RHS. How do others verify RHS awards on their tags?

Thanks!

Pete

 

[terryros]

I also hunted and couldn’t find a route to online access through a membership. Saw an Awards Quarterly that looked like it gave access to current awards. Maybe a subscription accesses more. There is a European consortium for orchids and you must be able to be a member with online access. The RHS awards would go way back and be extensive.

 

[SouthPark]

I think that's the current 'fail' with the RHS side of things. And possibly even on the AOS side of things. There really should be a publicly accessible data base ....... or if they really have to, a member-accessible data base for awards.

There's always uncertainty about what to 'trust', such as when I see this Laelia anceps 'Chamberlainiana' FCC/RHS from sites like Link1 and Link2, and we can't just do something that should be straight-forward to check up on it.

But - as a home-grower ----- I only put orchid names on my tags. I don't put award information on my tags. I'm only interested in seeing the flowers hehe. But out of interest ------- sometimes it's nice to know extras about a particular kind of orchid - such as if it got an award or not - as in trivia type information (trivia info - as in out of interest ...... not meaning triviaL info!).

But otherwise ---- just for myself, I just like to look at orchid flowers. Awards aren't important to me. But I can definitely understand from a friendly orchid competition perspective or from an orchid breeding perspective - an award label for them will be meaningful to them. So I can understand that awards can be important to some others ------- absolutely ok! The friendly orchid contests at societies is kind of nice I guess ----- as in brings people together, and gives some people some nice challenges etc.

 

[Ray]

Merrit Huntington gave me divisions of two of his awarded plants, ‘Aridine’ and ‘Marie Louise’, both AM’s. In the earlier days, much of Kensington Orchids’ business was cut flowers, and he had a huge greenhouse brimming with big ol’ catts. It was an amazing sight.

 

[PeteM]

Merrit Huntington gave me divisions of two of his awarded plants, ‘Aridine’ and ‘Marie Louise’, both AM’s. In the earlier days, much of Kensington Orchids’ business was cut flowers, and he had a huge greenhouse brimming with big ol’ catts. It was an amazing sight.

I grew up in Silver Spring MD, 7 miles from Kensington. Merrit was still way before my time as I only started growing in late 2006. Both MOS and NCOS orchid society members are rich with detailed stories about his life, orchid and growing preferences, blooms in the greenhouses ... and both continue to bestow awards to members bearing his name. Make me a time machine Ray, I would like to go back, pick his brain and see all of these Cattleyas in full bloom.

 

[terryros]

The key question, Ray, is are they still surviving with you or someone else? There are about 70 Bob Betts awarded cultivars in AOS (and who knows about RHS). We won't ever know how many of these cultivars are still surviving/thriving in someone's collection, but Ray probably gives us a good suggestion that there could be a lot of them out there.

'Aridine' is so old that all the AOS can do is put it in as on/before 1/1/1965. It is the tenth oldest in their award list. Exhibitor and size are unknown. There is a great looking picture in Orchid Pro.

'Marie Louis' was awarded in 1970 and shown by Kensington. The color of the picture is off, but the shape is gorgeous. Listed as 17.8 cm in horizontal natural spread.

 

[SouthPark]

Not sure Terry. I recall Ray mentioning somewhere that he once had a heater break-down or something, and had lost a bunch of orchids ----- maybe even all of them.

 

[KateL]

Question for anyone that can help me please. After all these years of growing I am just now realizing that I have no understanding of where to access the RHS awards database? I do have OrchidWiz.. can reference the AOS database. Is there an RHS awards link that can be accessed publicly, with a membership, or is everything only available in PDF publications?

For instance, CambriaWhat pointed out to me that Cattleya Bob Betts ‘Conqueror’ FCC/AOS is not registered in AOS. I also confirmed this in AOS. After an internet search I was only able to find a reference to a VA Orchid Society show with the Cattleya Bob Betts ‘Conqueror’ FCC/RHS. How do others verify RHS awards on their tags?

Thanks!

Pete

Hi Pete,
As far as I know, the only place RHS publishes its awards is in The Orchid Review, which is available online by subscription. It appears that some back issues are available (relatively few considering the 100-year history), but I am not a subscriber, so I am not sure how “searchable” it is. Best regards, Kate

 

[SouthPark]

Hopefully they do have a convenient searchable (digital) system that covers the bulk or even all of the awards. Considering that it's now year 2020 ------ one would hope that they have something substantial heheh ..... a decent search engine.

 

[Ray]

South Park is right- the catts were acquired while I still lived in SC (I sold blossoms to local florists), and were going strong in NJ and then PA until a 7-degree (F) night when the greenhouse heater failed.

Similar to Pete, I went to Junior and Senior High in northwest DC, just a few miles farther from Kensington, but 1) I knew nothing about it, and 2) my connection with Merritt was far more coincidental: While at Ga Tech, I volunteered at the public greenhouses in Piedmont park, which have since become the Atlanta Botanical Garden. After about a year, I was asked to help in the orchid greenhouse (odd-looking plants). Some time later, after I had been given a no-name cattleya and gotten hooked, a friend from school, Roger Huntington, stopped by the greenhouse and was talking to the orchid grower.

I said “Roger, I didn’t know you were into orchids!” Everyone laughed and someone showed me an AOS bulletin with an ad promoting membership on the back, signed by his father, Merritt, who was AOS treasurer at the time.

 

[PeteM]

Small world!

 

[Linus_Cello]

We could play 6 degrees of Meritt Huntington. (I’m one degree, met him when we both were in NCOS and went to his greenhouse once.

Also, I work for Phil Jesup’s son).

 

[monocotman]

I’ve been looking on line to see if I could find out anything about this clone ‘white lightning’.
The original grex is 70 years old, but is this clone the same age? Does it date from the original cross?
If it is, it is amazingly vigorous!
I cannot find anything about it apart from the fact that many vendors offer it for sale, anyone know more?
David

 

[PeteM]

'Orchid Grower Merritt W. Huntington Dies from The Washington Post'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...5d93-3305-4f19-b6a3-c1dedd15d420/?tid=ss_mailNot sure if this link works.

 

[monocotman]

Pete,
the link brings up the pay wall for me!