Walkeriana bud

[pkchknpk]

Hi all,
U bought this walkeriana from Ten Shin Orchids a year or two ago and it has now decided to put out a bud!
To my knowledge, walkeriana buds are supposed to come out from a growth with no leaves or roots. Does anyone know why this is blooming from a leafed growth? Could it not be a pure walkeriana? Thanks!

 

[Paphman910]

I wondered about that a few years ago. I heard that the coerula form tend to produce a growth with leaf and flower. Sometimes walkeriana do form a new leave with the developing bud and it depends on your conditions.

 

[big923cattleya]

Walkeriana can actually bloom either way. It is my favorite all time species. I grow them under lights and in the summer my babies go outdoors from May through September. Walkeriana prefers early morning sunshine, and mine are in a place outdoors where they get some sun from 9:30 until noon or 0ne pm. They have a habit under my care of not liking to be disturbed by regular repotting. I try to do that as infrequently as possible. The alba and coerulea forms are slower growing plants and they too demand infrequent repotting.
When I lived in Florida for 9 years, I had 28 different clones of walkeriana! Like I said, I adore them for their beauty and fragrance. However out of those 28 clones, I would hazard a guess to say that 75%-80% bloomed off of a side, peg like growth. Only 20% flowered from within the leaf.

 

[KeysGuy]

Good question and something I guess I never thought about so I just checked mine.
I have 2 in bloom now. A coerulea that has no leaf and a semi-alba that does have a leaf.
The catch on the semi-alba is that, since I bought it, it was discovered it's not pure walkeriana.
It was called "Kenny" but is now known as plain Catt. Snowblind Kenny.
My alba one has gone by and I don't recall if there was a leaf or not.

 

[NYEric]

A lot of hybrids in this thread. My first orchid was "walkeriana 'Limerick'" from A World of Orchids.

 

[Jmoney]

from what I've read I believe "true" walkeriana can occasionally bloom from the top of a pseudobulb, but should bloom from the blooming growths the vast majority of the time. It is well known that the famous 'Pendentive' is not pure walkeriana, and this has been used very frequently in linebreeding. Pendentive can bloom either way.

Eric, I also have a piece of 'Limrick'. It has bloomed both ways for me, and I'm told it is a sibling to 'Kenny'. (which is a much rounder, flatter flower, I think).

 

[Ozpaph]

here we go.................

 

[NYEric]

I remember it being white eirh maybe a little blush, and very fragrant.

 

[LadySlipper]

Walkeriana can actually bloom either way. It is my favorite all time species. I grow them under lights and in the summer my babies go outdoors from May through September. Walkeriana prefers early morning sunshine, and mine are in a place outdoors where they get some sun from 9:30 until noon or 0ne pm. They have a habit under my care of not liking to be disturbed by regular repotting. I try to do that as infrequently as possible. The alba and coerulea forms are slower growing plants and they too demand infrequent repotting.
When I lived in Florida for 9 years, I had 28 different clones of walkeriana! Like I said, I adore them for their beauty and fragrance. However out of those 28 clones, I would hazard a guess to say that 75%-80% bloomed off of a side, peg like growth. Only 20% flowered from within the leaf.
View attachment 46497

I'm not an expert, but I know what I like..... and I really like this one. To me that looks what a classical orchid looks like. Thank you for sharing.

 

[big923cattleya]

Thank you so much! This one that I am including has never been to judging and never been sent in to be identified. It may drive everyone crazy? I purchased it in Florida about 15 years ago and it was sold as Cattleya walkeriana ‘albescens’. Not so sure about that. I have had people say it is a Snowblind. Or a walkeriana ‘Kenny’. Some have suggested it is a hybrid of walkeriana and dolosa.
It flowers once a year, rarely twice. It is extremely fragrant! Blooms usually from the peg like side growth. Yes indeed, there are 5 flowers there! I think that the most I put on a single inflorescence was 3, five was amazing.
Let the opinions begin!!

Hardly anyone thinks that it is a straight walkeriana. I don’t know if it comes through in this image but they typically open as white petals and sepals but it soon gets a slight pinkish blush to it.

 

[KeysGuy]

Interesting. My 'Kenny' doesn't have a heck of a lot of color. Just a very faint purple blush in the lip.

 

[Jmoney]

it's gorgeous. the color scheme and floriferousness seem to resemble 'Kenny' in my opinion. but I am no expert in the side lobes and other stuff that might distinguish the true species.

 

[Happypaphy7]

My semi-alba plant is sending up three new growths. I hope to see at least one flower but this may be the wrong time of the year to expect flowers on this species. Time will tell.

 

[big923cattleya]

I have had many walkeriana clones. Some are spring bloomers, some fall and a few bloom anytime they produce a new growth.

 

[Happypaphy7]

So there's a chance, then.

 

[big923cattleya]

Yes, there is.
These are somewhat forgiving plants. Just do not overdo the light or the temperatures. I try to never expose them to 85F for very long or too much light. They take light around 2,500 to 2,800 foot candles, maybe three hours. Morning light is better because it is the cooler part of the day. Some where between Oncidium and standard Cattleya light.
I think that they do enjoy a wet-dry cycle. Never too moist, they need a good day or two totally dry.

I just purchased a recently imported plant via of Brazil from a new vendor in Ohio. Plant is a little ratty looking but I potted it up in fine bark, perlite and charcoal. Much to my amazement, under lights, it looks great after a month. Two leaves have gone from a dull yellow green to a deeper green. I figured that I would lose them. Now recently roots have emerged! New growths will start soon. I am hoping for a flower or two this fall after it goes outside in a month.