mrhappyrotter
Grand Chupacabra
Cattleya Princesse Clementine (C. dowiana 'Claire' x C. aclandiae 'Gulfglade' AM/AOS)
This came from Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO) around 2 years ago.
Both parent species are favorites of mine in the Cattleya genus and I am obsessed with fragrant flowered orchids, so this caught my eye. I was expecting somewhat unconventional flowers given how different aclandiae and dowiana are, so I was prepared.
I have to admit, I'm mesmerized. The flower is quite large, both in absolute and relative terms. It's about 5 inches (13 cm) from tip to tip of the petals, and vegetatively speaking, this is one of the more modestly sized bifoliates in my collection. I'll add that it would have had 2 flowers except my clumsy self knocked a bud off early on in the development of the spike. Figured it was for the best anyway, since it's a first bloom seedling.
The lip is nothing short of outstanding. The color is so intense, it's practically a beacon. And it's a fantastic contrast from the more demure sepals and petals.
The big draw for this flower is the fragrance. Yes, it's strong and understandably may be too much for some folks. I've never smelled dowiana, but I imagine the fragrance leans a bit more towards that species than aclandiae, though the characteristic aclandiae scent is definitely in there. To me, it's similar to the rosy, heady, classic Cattleya hybrid fragrance and shares a lot of similarities to the scent of my C. George King.
I've got another seedling of this cross that I bought at the same time. Since I was unsure if these would do well for me (I've heard dowiana is a drama queen and aclandiae dominant hybrids seem to be a mixed bag in my hands), so I kept one potted in bark and put the other in a wooden basket. The potted one is what's in flower and it is definitely the more vigorous of the 2. Either way, I'm looking forward to comparing the blooms, I imagine there's room for a lot of variability in these.
As for growing conditions, this plant seems to be anything but picky. About all I can say is standard Cattleya conditions appear to work just fine and it doesn't appear to need any special treatment to grow or bloom.
This came from Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO) around 2 years ago.
Both parent species are favorites of mine in the Cattleya genus and I am obsessed with fragrant flowered orchids, so this caught my eye. I was expecting somewhat unconventional flowers given how different aclandiae and dowiana are, so I was prepared.
I have to admit, I'm mesmerized. The flower is quite large, both in absolute and relative terms. It's about 5 inches (13 cm) from tip to tip of the petals, and vegetatively speaking, this is one of the more modestly sized bifoliates in my collection. I'll add that it would have had 2 flowers except my clumsy self knocked a bud off early on in the development of the spike. Figured it was for the best anyway, since it's a first bloom seedling.
The lip is nothing short of outstanding. The color is so intense, it's practically a beacon. And it's a fantastic contrast from the more demure sepals and petals.
The big draw for this flower is the fragrance. Yes, it's strong and understandably may be too much for some folks. I've never smelled dowiana, but I imagine the fragrance leans a bit more towards that species than aclandiae, though the characteristic aclandiae scent is definitely in there. To me, it's similar to the rosy, heady, classic Cattleya hybrid fragrance and shares a lot of similarities to the scent of my C. George King.
I've got another seedling of this cross that I bought at the same time. Since I was unsure if these would do well for me (I've heard dowiana is a drama queen and aclandiae dominant hybrids seem to be a mixed bag in my hands), so I kept one potted in bark and put the other in a wooden basket. The potted one is what's in flower and it is definitely the more vigorous of the 2. Either way, I'm looking forward to comparing the blooms, I imagine there's room for a lot of variability in these.
As for growing conditions, this plant seems to be anything but picky. About all I can say is standard Cattleya conditions appear to work just fine and it doesn't appear to need any special treatment to grow or bloom.
That's one beautiful flower!
