Cattleya walkeriana var. flammea 'Tokutsu' - Variable Flowers

[Anglo]

Inconsistent coloration in successive bloomings is a characteristic of C. walkeriana var. flammea ‘Tokutsu’ GM/JOGA. It might be a spectacular flammea in one blooming and a semi-alba in another. The cultural variable having the greatest influence on that has been identified as temperature during bud development. Higher temperatures, at least during the latter part of bud development, tend to inhibit the production of pigment in the petals and sepals.

In researching this cultivar, I haven’t yet seen an example of an original plant division blooming as a perola without flame, but it’s common among ‘Tokutsu’ mericlones, as is the semi-alba color form.

The first flowers of this particular mericlone were flammeas, but with only a trace of the flame for which ‘Tokutsu’ is known. The flower of the second blooming is a heavily-pigmented perola. There are also physical differences in the labella. In the first flowers, the lateral lobes were wavy rather than plain and the outer edges of the central lobes were not frilled, as in the flower of the second blooming.

The flowers pictured appear to be from two different walkerianas, but they were produced by the very same plant.