Ursula, please thank the OCE for me.
I will make a tag right now!
Gheri, your Phals look really happy and are growing well for you … awesome growing!

Lindsey, I would think he read that!
Thanks Elaine!

Look who bloomed despite my neglect! I think OCE has identified this for me before. I thought this was dead, and the baby I was able to get from the momma has buds too!

dyzzypyxxy said: Bill stepped away from NGA a few months ago after a dispute with another member on a different forum. I agree with you, it's certainly been our loss here on the Orchids forum,

O.K. now I am SAD for the evening after reading this. Bothers me when one person can have such a negative influence over another. I thought NGA was supposed to be a friendly site. We all have differences in opinions but it should not be that bad that someone leaves. I used to read Big Bill's comments and found them very informative and helpful and they made me want to try to grow orchids. I was quite shocked when he posted that he was withdrawing from the forums.

@tigerpaws It's ok, though. We still have his guidance when needed, it seems. He's just found a less stressful way to communicate with us and also avoid the person he had the conflict with.

OCE
I like that title for Bill.

Me too! And he ID's this one before so finally found my orchid name.




OCE's photo is the thumbnail.

I got this orchid last fall at Sunset Valley Orchids. All the photos show a yellow and white flower but this is far from that. I asked Mr. Clarke about it and he says it looks right to him.

Lc. Candy Corn

Lucy,
here is our OCE' s explanation!!
Lc. Candy Corn is now Cattlianthe Candy Corn but that is not important really!
All images that I can find are of two tone white to cream colored flowers marked with light to medium yellow or Orange. So where did her Orange and red lipped flower come from?
#1 it is not from the Candy Corn. Orange/red lip describes its parent Trick or Treat.
#2 in complex hybrids, with lots of genes "swimming in the old gene pool" these oddly colored flowers could appear. Since it is NOT a mericlone, there is no guarantee of a two toned white and yellow flower. You can't know the color until the seedlings bloom!
#3 since this is white or cream and yellow flower, where DID THE WHITE COME FROM??? Parents are all solid colors, orange, yellow orange, pink lavender and lavender. No hint of white anywhere!!!!
BUT on further research, one parent of this 1983 cross is C. Dubiosa'1890'. Dubiosa 1890 was a WHITE flower with broad form, not star shaped. There is your white in the gene pool!! Other awarded Dubiosas were lavender!!
Unfortunately in complex hybrids like Candy Corn, color sports or mutants are quite common. In mericlones, those sports would be very rare. But in this case, this was probably NOT a mericlone since Candy Corn was a disappointing seller and a poor parent! For something to have been around for 40 years and yet has only be used in breeding a few times, it is likely to have produced offspring that were commercial failures. Or as a parent, all the kids were ugly!!! Ha ha ha

Back to Ursula
Here is a link with pictures, which might help illustrating this
https://orchidroots.org/detail...

Thanks Bill!

Candy corns can vary also. I have run across the occasional "sport" that only got the white and yellow food coloring, and sometimes one that lacks the white. Given the parallel variability of this hybrid orchid, it's name was well chosen.

It's a beauty, Lucy. I'm betting that color swam up in the gene pool from 'Trick or Treat' which is one I used to have with that gorgeous warm orange color.

Also betting if you really want one with the white on it, you'll need to go back to your vendor and buy one that's in bloom to be sure to get what you want. From the sound of things there are a lot of possible variants with anything under that 'Candy Corn' name.

Thanks Bill. I was hoping you'd pop in and explain that to me. Its really pretty, just a surprise when I expected yellow/white. Mr. Clarke didn't seem to think the color of mine was 'off' (I sent him this photo). My friend bought Candy Corn at the same time so it will be interesting to know what she got. Hers had no buds last time we talked but mine is growing much warmer.

I got a couple others at the same time (Sunset Valley Orchid Fall Sale), it will be interesting to see what they look like. (one is in bud)

I hate that when it happens!
At least you have a pretty flower to show for your efforts. I had a plant with a different bloom from what was expected and I added a clonal name of
'If You Say So' that way I could tell it apart from the other more acceptable one.
One of my favorite Florida breeders flat out told me I got a 'DUD' when I showed him a picture of one of his babies.
No offer of a replacement though

Two nice scented spikes of Den. anosmum opened today and they're right at nose level. Yummy.

Big purple Phal on my wreath form finally opening up, too. I'm keeping it's back to the wall so it won't face the other way this year.

One little sunny spray of Den. aggregatum 'lindleyii' blooming today, too. Thankful for the cooler weather this next week or so, it makes the blooms last so much longer. We even had a little rain shower today! Miracle of miracles.

Beautiful blooms! I love the anosmum scent! Looking at my Den Nestor, ( anosmum x parishii) nothing happening yet, hopefully I see some blooms on that one this Spring too.

Pink plus scented although the yellow is pretty too!

This funky looking shrubbery is my old Barkeria melanocaulon. It always puts on new growth during the Summer outside and starts blooming right about the end of September in the greenhouse. It keeps on blooming to about the end of March/Beginning of April, at this time the main spikes have finished blooming and many times branch out a bit, as it is doing right now.
Full sun here in NJ, daily floods since this is totally bare root, and watch out for brown scale. If there is just one of those brown bugs around, it will find it.

Aww, what a pretty thing. In your second pic, the one on the right looks like a little flying fairy. So cute.

Cute, right?

You know, this one is a warm grower! It would probably do very well in your area. And it doesn't need a pot!

Hmm, I'll keep my eye open for one. Need to make a trip up to Tropiflora/Plantio la Orquidea fairly soon, too.