Cattleya walkeriana or hybrid?

[Hamlet]

A question for the Cattleya experts: Does this look like a real walkeriana? It is not fragrant and it has pseudobulbs with both one and two leaves, so I think it's probably a hybrid. I bought it as Cattleya walkeriana tipo...

Thanks!

 

[Ryan Young]

That shape is not quite right for species. Unless this is highly select line bred even then I doubt it. It should have a definite sweet fragrance.

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[John M]

It looks more like a nobilior/walkeriana hybrid to me. But, both have a strong fragrance; so, the lack of fragrance is puzzling.

It would help A LOT if you could show us the foliage/growth habit as well, please.

 

[Hamlet]

I was wrong, it actually is fragrant. A very sweet fragrance like I remember from my other walkeriana, but not nearly as strong. You need to be close to the plant to smell it.

Here's the whole plant:

Thank you!

 

[brasphrag]

Cattleya X Mesquitae

I'm not cat specialist but this picture below is from the hybrid from C. walkeriana X C. nobilior, hope this help, also a varietal form of walkwriana that flowers in leafed bulb Var. princeps described by Barbosa Rodrigues as Cattleya bulbosa , the second picture, both are fragrant.
how to take screenshots


image hosting

 

[Marco]

Sorry i have no input. I do not know much on Catts.

But what I do know is that i really like the color!

Thanks

 

[John M]

It's beautiful; but, I do think that it's Cattleya x mesquitae (walkeriana x nobilior). Originally, nobilior was considered a variety of walkeriana; but, now it's accepted as a separate species.

 

[Ozpaph]

See Orchid Digest - has a 5 page article on the subject!
http://www.orchiddigest.com/orchid-digest-79-4.html

 

[Stone]

Even though it may be a hybrid, you should name it as walkeriana until you have proof otherwise. The leaves look a bit like pendentive which has loddigesii or dolosa in it....so they say. It could very well have some pendentive and/or dolosa somewhere in the background.
I have crossed pendentive with coerulea in an attempt to get full blues however both white and blue genes are recessive so god knows what will come out. (they should flower within 18 months)
Anyway, I made sure to clearly label the parentage! This line has leaves like your plant. Some single, some bifoliate, thick roots etc......

Oz, how do you open up the orchid digest articles on that link?

 

[Hamlet]

Thank you all! It is very fragrant now. You can smell it from several metres away.

I'm not cat specialist but this picture below is from the hybrid from C. walkeriana X C. nobilior, hope this help, also a varietal form of walkwriana that flowers in leafed bulb Var. princeps described by Barbosa Rodrigues as Cattleya bulbosa , the second picture, both are fragrant.
how to take screenshots

image hosting

Beautiful flowers! I didn't know there was a variety that flowers from leaved bulbs, I always thought that was proof of a hybrid, like with the semi alba "Kenny".

Even though it may be a hybrid, you should name it as walkeriana until you have proof otherwise. The leaves look a bit like pendentive which has loddigesii or dolosa in it....so they say. It could very well have some pendentive and/or dolosa somewhere in the background.
I have crossed pendentive with coerulea in an attempt to get full blues however both white and blue genes are recessive so god knows what will come out. (they should flower within 18 months)
Anyway, I made sure to clearly label the parentage! This line has leaves like your plant. Some single, some bifoliate, thick roots etc......

Oz, how do you open up the orchid digest articles on that link?

Yeah, I guess I can't really know what it is. I don't know if it indicates anything but another difference I noticed is that this plant has very pink, almost red tips on growing roots. My other walkerianas (well, I only have three haha) have green root tips.

Good luck with your plants, I hope you get the colours you want.

I cannot open those Orchid Digest articles, either.

 

[John M]

Beautiful flowers! I didn't know there was a variety that flowers from leaved bulbs, I always thought that was proof of a hybrid, like with the semi alba "Kenny".

Too much water will make walkeriana bloom from a leafed bulb. Walkeriana typically blooms from a leafless, modified bulb because it blooms in nature at the end of the dry season. So, the plant puts it's energy (and moisture), into making a thinner bulb and the flowers; but, it does not bother with the leaf until the next growth is produce, during the wet season. However, in cultivation, you can make a walkeriana bloom from a leafed bulb simply by providing water regularly, all year. I have the var. coerulea 'Cho-Jo' and it blooms from leafless bulbs when I give it a dry rest. It blooms from leafed bulbs when I continue to water it during what should be it's dry rest.

I also have 'Kenny'. Although, I do believe this clone to be the hybrid Snow Blind, I bloom 'Kenny' with and without leafed bulbs.

So, whether a flowering is from a leafed bulb not not, depends more on culture, not pure genetics.

As for the name of your plant, unless you're able to have the chromosomes counted, you'll never know it's true identity. I'd leave the label as walkeriana. However, I'd write it like this...to show that there is a question;

Cattleya walkeriana (x mesquitae?) v. Tipo

 

[Ozpaph]

re Orchid Digest reference - I suppose you subscribe (like I do). I assume copyright prevents me posting it.......................