Cattleya mendelli ‘herrenhausen’

[monocotman]

Easily the best blooming of this plant I bought from Hilmar several years ago, and on its second growth of the year. It must be finally settling in to the grow room. The first growth didn’t produce a sheath. It’s one that’s grown ok in the past but never thrived and the flowers have been average. This did receive a SM/DOG at one point so it has potential.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

It’s getting stronger … good!

 

[GuRu]

She's looking good.

 

[monocotman]

It’s getting stronger … good!

Leslie, I think on a mature plant this will be worth seeing. It’s still nowhere near full size.

 

[tomp]

Beautiful on the way to elegant

 

[My Green Pets]

Lovely example. Chadwick's description of the decline of this species to functional extinction is saddening.

 

[Hilmar]

hi,
please check, I think the writing should be mendelii

 

[dodidoki]

Very nice David, congrats on your beautiful cattleyas!!!

 

[monocotman]

hi,
please check, I think the writing should be mendelii

Hilmar, you’re correct. I’ll have to change my labels!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

hi,
please check, I think the writing should be mendelii

You’re right Hilmar.

 

[monocotman]

Leslie, I’ve had comments from people on Facebook that think this isn’t a mendelli. Any thoughts?

 

[dodidoki]

Leslie, I’ve had comments from people on Facebook that think this isn’t a mendelli. Any thoughts?

Honestly, i think it is not mendelii, too, however i m not Leslie. To me looks like an outseason gaskelliana...But i m not an expert.

 

[monocotman]

Thanks istavan. I’ve checked back at previous flowerings and so far it’s always been in the autumn. The growth phase has always been spring and/or summer. So the closest species with this way of growing would be labiata. It doesn’t look like labiata!

 

[David B]

So my feelings towards mendelii are mixed. I find the flower form lacking advancement in the species, so in line breeding any advancement may have to be hard won. Focus on the improvement of petal size and form would be significant. However, I find that mendelii has strength as it is somewhat vigorous as a grower and blooms unhindered, and seems not to attract pest or infection even when others around it need to be treated. Flower longevity is good, and division and repotting seems only a minor setback to this species. The large plant of Dr.Ee below was divided into 2 plants and both are progressing well. I would recommend the species to most growers as it's difficulty level is low. Cheers.

 

[geoffsharris]

I agree with Istavan on both that it is beautiful and probably not Mendelii and think he is more of an expert than he admits.

I have 8 different medelii clones from different sources and they have some commonalities that don't really fit with that image. First is just plant growth habit and leaf/sheath/rhizome length. Second is that the purple splotch on the lip in all of my mendelii clones regardless of color are not rounded like the image, but much more like David B's image, the linear striations are present through the lip color and the lip completely encloses around the column. Mendelii generally grows growths late spring though fall after blooming and then rests until blooming again the following Apr/May. Images on orchidroots are pretty representative of what I see in my clones and others that I have seen in collections and in Colombia.

Looking at the plan't, I agree with Istavan that it strikes me as perhaps being gaskelliana or gaskelliana influenced with the plant growth habit and flowers. The petals appear to be a bit more nodding like mossiae in the image than the vast majority of mendelii clones I've seen. Gaskelliana will grow a growth and then immediately flower from the newly mature growth, which mendelli doesn't do so perhaps that helps here.

That being said, mendelii is in habitat adjacent to mossiae where there has certainly been gene flow over time, so this could represent one end of the mendelii spectrum. Probably the people who collected the parents and used their toothpick to make the cross are the only one's who know the truth.

David, I'm always blown away at the great plants you grow inside in the UK. Chapeau.

 

[monocotman]

I agree with you Geoff, it most closely resembles gaskelliana in the way it grows. Let’s see how it settles down in its new home.

 

[hkunberger]

So my feelings towards mendelii are mixed. I find the flower form lacking advancement in the species, so in line breeding any advancement may have to be hard won. Focus on the improvement of petal size and form would be significant. However, I find that mendelii has strength as it is somewhat vigorous as a grower and blooms unhindered, and seems not to attract pest or infection even when others around it need to be treated. Flower longevity is good, and division and repotting seems only a minor setback to this species. The large plant of Dr.Ee below was divided into 2 plants and both are progressing well. I would recommend the species to most growers as it's difficulty level is low. Cheers.

Not succumbing to pests or infection sounds like a huge plus to me.