Cattleya lueddemanniana rubra ‘Sarita’, a good blooming.

[monocotman]

A mature blooming on this clone that has been used widely in breeding the species. Three flowers is good going and I’m not sure that it’s reached its full potential yet.
The flowers could be a bit fuller.
The natural spread is 13cm and the glorious scent is just kicking in. This species is great if you’ve limited space as its one of the small are growing unifoliates but still gives big flowers.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Nice! Any hybrids that shrink the plant but keep the large flowers?

 

[monocotman]

Linus, the plant is already quite small, smaller than nearly all the unifoliates. You can have a nice FS plant in a four inch pot. This is more of a mature plant in a five inch pot with many growths.

 

[PeteM]

Well grown, luedde season is here. I need to start potting them up this year.

 

[terryros]

This is an unusual time for lueddemanniana to bloom in the natural habitat. Hard to replicate in-situ conditions for this species so no surprise that our greenhouse and indoor environments would produce different growth and flowering patterns. Is December a typical month of bloom for you?

 

[PeteM]

This is an unusual time for lueddemanniana to bloom in the natural habitat. Hard to replicate in-situ conditions for this species so no surprise that our greenhouse and indoor environments would produce different growth and flowering patterns. Is December a typical month of bloom for you?

Winter seems to be the season for the darker form in my collection. It bloomed last Feb. for me and will be opening in a few days.

 

[PeteM]

indoor growing is very difficult for me to drive. Even though I’m sheltered from too much variation in day length, my grow space shares a wall with the outside environment with two windows. The temp dip in the winter really throws off the bloom cycle. Currently I have jenmanii, schroederae, and a percivaliana in bloom with a lueddemanniana a couple days away from opening. Not sure what I’m doing but very happy to have these species in bloom, these species blooms last for a good while too.

 

[monocotman]

Terry, when I was a windowsill grower this species would grow then bloom in the spring. Larger plants would occasionally throw a second growth later in summer. Now all my clones of this species are in growth (seven in total) and I’m expected more blooms judging by the size of them. With the higher temps and light plus better humidity and air movement I’m hoping this species will develop into producing two growths and blooming cycles per year.
Currently the grow room is on twelve hour days and averages 25c daytime and 18c at night.
The rubra forms originated in an inland area with the highest temperatures and sun, so the growroom must replicate these to some extent. I’ve had to move a large mature purpurata as it seems to dislike this level of light. Everything else seems to be very happy.
Labiata is the only other species that is growing outside its expected season right now.

 

[terryros]

In the natural habitat leuddemanniana has a day length that varies from 12.5 in the summer to 11.5 in mid-winter. It is about the warmest growing unifoliate species with average monthly high temperatures that don't go below 87 F (30.5 c) and monthly lows that aren't lower than 67 F (19.4 C). No way can I do that in my plant room. The species has a significant drop in rainfall in Jan, Feb, and Mar but continues to have good dew/fog from the humidity, so the plants don't so much dry out but just have decreased nutrient supply. The Baker culture sheet says "In nature the plants flower in winter at the end of the rainy season." Our different conditions are going to produce different growth and flowering cycles.

 

[monocotman]

the second lead blooming now. Better form but smaller blooms.

 

[NEslipper]

Stunning! Congrats!

 

[chiyofukada]

soooo pretty！

 

[terryros]

David, it is very dark. I think you have a mossiae ‘Willowbrook’? Is ‘Sarita’ as dark or darker? This must be as dark a ‘rubra’ lueddemanniana as exists.

 

[monocotman]

Terry, mossiae ‘willowbrook‘ went to Cattleya heaven last spring when it flowered with virus. It was very dark, about the same as sarita. It’s also possible that sarita was one of parents of willowbrook given that this grex may well be not entirely mossiae. It’s way too dark.
Sarita was originally wild collected and is one of the darkest of these clones. Read Armando‘s account of using this clone in breeding more dark lueddemannianas in his superb Orquiverde website.
https://orquiverde.com/blog/post/113075/cattleya-lueddemanniana-infierno

 

[monocotman]

Here is another reference to sarita as a parent:-
https://orquiverde.com/blog/post/453863/cattleya-lueddemanniana-selective-reproduction-part-2

 

[southernbelle]

View attachment 44181View attachment 44182View attachment 44183View attachment 44184A mature blooming on this clone that has been used widely in breeding the species. Three flowers is good going and I’m not sure that it’s reached its full potential yet.
The flowers could be a bit fuller.
The natural spread is 13cm and the glorious scent is just kicking in. This species is great if you’ve limited space as its one of the small are growing unifoliates but still gives big flowers.

David, what are the black/purple spots on the leaves? Have you checked this plant for virus?

 

[monocotman]

No it’s nothing to worry about. Lueddemanniana clones, especially the dark ones have anthocyanin spots on immature leaves. They gradually fade as the leaves age. this usually takes a couple of years. It’s one of the few unifoliate species that does this.