Sophronitis cernua (Project 14 - Spring 2012)

[zxyqu]

Camille, I'm jealous of those TCs. Love parishii (so x2), and I still wish my japonicus hadn't gone downhill so quickly.

[camille1585]

My japonicus is actually a replacement of my project plant. I went through a really rough period in the fall, and left the mount soaking for a full week. My beautiful healthy japonicus turned into a puddle of mush....

[Wynn Dee13]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I think bulbs with multiple leaves are only the very very young ones, back from it's seedling days. At least its the case on mine. Mature plants are always unifoliate.

I have a mature cernua that sometimes puts out two leaves on the new growths. Usually the second leaf is much smaller. I think the ones with three leaves are pbulbs from when the plant was young too.

[Rowangreen]

Yep, mine fits that pattern. I have small ones with 2 or 3, but the largest pulb (at the back in the photo) only has 1.

[Rowangreen]

PS: I think that article that was posted said mineara's tended to have 2. Maybe your plant is a hybrid Wynn?

[camille1585]

Not necessarily, Even if a plant is unifoliate, it can happen once in a while that a growth is bifoliate.

[Rowangreen]

I guess especially if young pulbs tend to have 2 or more leaves... could also still be a hybrid between the two types! I guess we'll have to wait and see how many flowers Wyn's has!

[kavanaru]

the fact that young plants produce bifoliate PBs does not mean that this could be a hybrid! Almost all unifoliate Cattleya (used in the current broad sense, including Sophronitis and Laelias) produce bifoliate PBs when young, and sometime on new growths of adult plants that for any reason have been set back, e.g. cultivation under less than optimal conditions for too long!

[Rowangreen]

Just to clarify I'm not suggesting it could be a hybrid between species. Just between the two sub-species. It seems to me that's possible with seed-grown plants when, if that article is to be believed, not everyone may know what version they've got.

Of course, yes, it's more likely to be just throwing out the odd second leaf. If it was to flower with more than the usual number of flowers though that would also suggest a hybrid between the two cernua varieties.

Just idle speculation...

[Wynn Dee13]

Originally Posted by Rowangreen

PS: I think that article that was posted said mineara's tended to have 2. Maybe your plant is a hybrid Wynn?

I don't know what article you are talking about. I posted one and I will post it again here but it says the mineira type has alternating pbulbs that have a grey green leaf with a red stripe down the middle of the leaf. It doesn't say var mineira has two leaves. The difference between the two is the growth habit, the color of the leaves, flower color, flower size, and flower count. They also come from two different regions. Var mineira inland and the other along the coast.

If you haven't read this article it is interesting!
Difference between S. cernua and S. cernua var mineira

I'm sure there are plenty of plants out there that are a mixture of the two types. Like the article says not even the judges knew of the mineira variety. But even if a plant has both varieties in its background doesn't make it a hybrid. It is still a Sophronitis cernua species.