Cattleya Heathii OR not?

[terryros]

Cattleya Heathii OR not?

Cattleya Heathii (loddigesii x walkeriana) was registered with the RHS in 1907. There have been 12 AOS awards for flower quality to this hybrid, with the first in 1999 and the most recent in 2016. I obtained my Heathii plant from Orchids Limited some years ago as (loddigesii ‘Shorty’ x walkeriana ‘The Chairman’).

However, in recent years walkeriana ‘The Chairman’ was reported to have come from the cross (walkeriana ‘Pendentive’ x walkeriana ‘Tokyo No. 1’) and some experts think that ‘Pendentive’ is actually Cattleya dolosa (loddigesii x walkeriana). Yet, ‘Pendentive’ is still listed as a 1977 awarded Cattleya walkeriana (Alba) by AOS. Here are two posts from Orchid Board about the messy situation with ‘Pendentive’ and some other prominent walkeriana cultivars.

C. walkeriana (not) ‘Kenny’ - Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

Walkeriana 'pendentive'

If ‘The Chairman’ is actually (dolosa x walkeriana), it becomes Cattleya Tsiku Taiwan, which was registered as a hybrid in 2000.

I don’t find evidence questioning the legitimacy of loddigesii ‘Shorty’ so my plant could be (Tsiku Taiwan x loddigesii) which is not a registered hybrid. It would be 62.5% loddigesii and 37.5% walkeriana compared to the 50% split that Heathii would be.

This is the fourth time my currently six-growth plant has bloomed. The inflorescence has always been axial, has never had a sheath, and has always had two flowers. Growths have been either unifoliate or bifoliate with thin pseudobulbs. The current blooming growth is bifoliate and measures about 30 cm from the surface of the potting material to the horizontal leaves.

The flowers did not develop fragrance to my nose until they had been open for a week. The fragrance is still subtle today and not either the described “baked milk chocolate” fragrance of loddigesii or the vanilla/cinnamon of walkeriana. I would say the fragrance is just pleasingly floral.

Here is a picture of the top of the plant. The flower is about 11.0 cm in horizontal natural spread.