Viewing post #2772233 by BigBill

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Jul 10, 2022 6:47 AM CST
Name: Big Bill
Livonia Michigan (Zone 6a)
If you need to relax, grow plants!!
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I'll address the color issue first. You can not rule out this being Cattleya skinneri based solely on color. It has been widely known that years ago, these large flowered Cattleyas and Laelias like purpurata came in a wide range of color.
You have albas, albescens, semi-Alba, concolor, striatas, flammeas and so on. Look at C. Purpurata, not only do you have the above, you have carnea, werkhauseri, as well.
Some of these colors can appear as a 'blush' and be very faint.
Cattleya mossiae is another species with numerous color forms. Images of those are everywhere.
I remember hearing a speaker proclaim years ago that every Cattleya flower could be found in nature but many have not been found as of yet. He was talking about Alba, coerulea, semi-Alba, normal color, darker forms, paler forms, forms with darker veins etc.
But that was 40 years ago! But yet I think that prediction has proven over time to be true. Oh yes, before I forget, don't forget that a Society existed in Brazil based entirely on then, Laelia purpurata!!! They grew all of its forms and varieties and based the club solely on that species!!! That's incredible. So like I said to base an ID solely on color is a bad idea. I remember vaguely that there were 200+ varieties that those people recognized. Just how accurate is that from a taxonomic standpoint, I have no idea.

I am an amateur taxonomist I guess you could say and I would not say for certain that it is NOT a skinneri unless I had flower in hand, or a herbarium specimen, and a copy of the published botanical key for Cattleya species.
My honest opinion is that it did not initially strike me as a skinneri at first, I thought an intermedia or perhaps smaller segmented mossiae but like I said, NOT without a flower or key.
Orchid lecturer, teacher and judge. Retired Wildlife Biologist. Supervisor of a nature preserve up until I retired.
Last edited by BigBill Jul 10, 2022 6:51 AM Icon for preview

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