ID a Specific Cultivar of Miltonia

[HiOrcDen]

So I really like this particular Miltonia. Can someone identify the cultivar name? (if cultivar is the correct term )

Also, I've read that Miltonias have the biggest flowers. Are all of them pretty large? And would anyone recommend a Miltonia that is maybe their own fave, that I might like?

[estación seca]

In the orchid world they're called clones if they're reproduced by meristem tissue culture.

The pansy faced plants were transferred into genus Miltoniopsis some time ago. That's the correct name for these now. Flowers can vary dramatically with the growing temperatures and light, so you can't identify them from photos.

They are cool growing, humidity loving plants that tend to die if they spend much time over about 80 degrees F / 27C. They prefer a climate much like that of the foggier areas of San Francisco. I think people right on the SD coast - like the more coastal parts of Pacific Beach, or La Jolla Cove - could grow these well, but you might find it difficult.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by estación seca

In the orchid world they're called clones if they're reproduced by meristem tissue culture.

I see... so what would a particular cross be called? Like with designer reptiles, an animal with a single mutation is a morph, while one crossed with multiple mutations is called a designer morph. I imagine the terms for orchids are a bit more scientific

Originally Posted by estación seca

The pansy faced plants were transferred into genus Miltoniopsis some time ago. That's the correct name for these now. Flowers can vary dramatically with the growing temperatures and light, so you can't identify them from photos.

Oh that is very interesting! Leopard gecko morphs vary in color by temperature, but not to the extent that they look so different, that they can't be distinguished, like this. Pretty cool! I read that at least one orchid species will look lighter if raised at a lower temp?.. So shall I search Miltoniopsises for similar species, to track down something like this? (again, not sure about the term 'species'. Does it only apply to those found in nature, rather than cultured varieties? what would be the term for the latter?)

Originally Posted by estación seca

They are cool growing, humidity loving plants that tend to die if they spend much time over about 80 degrees F / 27C. They prefer a climate much like that of the foggier areas of San Francisco. I think people right on the SD coast - like the more coastal parts of Pacific Beach, or La Jolla Cove - could grow these well, but you might find it difficult.

Well I'm about 1/3 of a mile from the ocean, on a hill with no obstruction, a ways north of San Diego. Would growing here be harder than the San Diego spots you mentioned?

[Ray]

You will never reliably identify a plant by its flower, for several reasons:

1) Within a cross, the appearance will vary, with the plants having a typical “bell curve” distribution of traits.

2) There are hybrids that are remarkably similar in appearance. While AxB and BxA are considered to be the same grex, (AxB)xC, Ax(BxC), and Bx(AxC) are different, even though they are sharing many of the same genes.

3) Two plants of the same clone can appear different, due to cultural differences. Flower form and size may vary, and colors may be more-or less intense (reds develop best in cool, bright conditions, for example). I once had a complex phalaenopsis hybrid that could bloom white, yellow, or pink - although I have no idea what the controlling factors were in that.

[estación seca]

There was a recent thread here that explained how orchids are named.
What's in a name?

"Species" is used approximately the same way for all natural organisms. The word for species and subspecies is "taxa", singular "taxon." "How many taxa in the herbarium?" "Are you familiar with this taxon?"

An artificial species in orchids is called a "grex" and is all the progeny from the same two parent species or hybrids, no matter which is the pod parent. A cross between two genera, which is highly unlikely in nature, gets an artificial generic name, a nothogenus: "Beallara"

Lots of plants have flowers that vary dramatically with temperature during bud development. Miltoniopsis are notable for this. The stripes on the lip may vary from lots to few between flowerings. Many roses in the pink range can bloom almost white to dark pink depending on the temperature during bud development.

If you have many consecutive days over 85 F together with warm nights you might have trouble with Miltoniopsis. You could bring it into the house. Not many people are able to grow them to flowering. I would start with an inexpensive one. Olympic Orchids often has small mericlones of Miltoniopsis.

[Roberta]

That close to the coast, I think it's pretty temperate... A few hours of temps out of range won't be fatal, the cool nights will help. (I have given up on hybrid Miltoniopsis, have one species that is doing OK) But where I live, it's a bit warmer than where the OP lives. San Diego right by the coast is about as good as it gets for being temperate...

---------- Post added at 07:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 AM ----------

A note about cloning in orchids... if a particular plant of a hybrid (cultivar) is particularly good, it can be cloned so that many identical copies can be made. A grex from a particular crossing of parents can produce offspring that are very different (think children in a family with the same parents) Clones are predictable, the result of a seed cross much less so. So you can see the commercial advantage of cloning where one wants thousands of plants that look like the original.

The only other way to get a genetically identical plant is by division, but of course that is very limited in the number that can be produced. (And the price will reflect it) If you have a plant with an award (AOS or other national body of judges) name like Genus Grex 'Cultivar' AM/AOS it is certainly a clone.