Cattleya variety question - Orchid Board

kinknstein · #1 (**permalink**) 08-11-2009, 05:03 PM

I was just wondering something and I know someone here will be able to enlighten me. I have checked out the RHS Orchid Hybrid website a number of times and have found it to be a really useful tool. My question is though, when I try and look up hybrids, it only lists the basic species. For example, I wanted to see what C intermedia var coerulea has been hybridized with, but I find no records of the coerulean variety, only the C intermedia. Would the hybrid name be the same no matter what varieties are used?

RoyalOrchids · #2 (**permalink**) 08-11-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinknstein

I was just wondering something and I know someone here will be able to enlighten me. I have checked out the RHS Orchid Hybrid website a number of times and have found it to be a really useful tool. My question is though, when I try and look up hybrids, it only lists the basic species. For example, I wanted to see what C intermedia var coerulea has been hybridized with, but I find no records of the coerulean variety, only the C intermedia. Would the hybrid name be the same no matter what varieties are used?

Yes, the grex is the same no matter what form of a species is used.

kinknstein · #3 (**permalink**) 08-11-2009, 05:33 PM

Gotcha, thanks Royal!

orchidsamore · #4 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 08:50 AM

One of the big problems with the RHS database is that it was established before much of the scientific information we have was available.

Intermedia crosses or coerulea or alba are all the same hybrid as mentioned. Which one is actually used for the hybrid can create quite different results.

The problems are that they will often give quite different results and all too often these days the color varieties will be defined by someone as a separate species making the exact cross unknown.

It has happened many times in the past. C guttata and C leopardi were considered the same species for 50 years but different carieties and now they are separate species. It was a major species used for hybridization during this period so we do not know which is actually in the family tree of thousands of hybrids.

kinknstein · #5 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 12:36 PM

Great information Jerry! Thanks for the help guys!!