Bc. Maikai confusion

[Chubidubi]

Can someone please tell me the difference between a
Bc. Maikai Mayumi and a Bc. Maikai Louise ????
I'm so confused by both of them. Do u have any pics to show the difference? THANKS.

[tucker85]

I have Bc. Maikai Louise but unfortunately I've never taken a picture of it. The Bc. Maikai Mayumi that I've seen is almost an identical plant but the flower is a little more pink than lavender. There's also a Bc. Maikai Lea that has less spots than Louise. They are all difficult to tell apart unless seen side by side. Odom's orchids has all three. Mine is an extremely vigours, fast growing orchid. It blooms once a year in the fall with lots of small lavender flowers. It quickly becomes a specimen plant. I divide mine every year and give away divisions to friends. By the end of the year it's too big again. It likes strong light and plenty of water and fertilizer during the summer growing season. It also seems to be more resistant to insects and fungus than other orchids. It's very compact. Probably 10" high at the most.

[PaphMadMan]

Your confusion is quite understandable. Bc. Maikai 'Mayumi', Bc. Maikai 'Louise' and Bc. Maikai 'Lea' (notice the single quotes) are widely distributed clones of Bc. Maikai. There are also other clones and many unnamed seedlings of Bc. Maikai out there, and unfortunately many of them are confused or mis-labeled. They are mostly so similar, and all variable depending on temperature, light, etc., that unless you have them blooming side by side under the same conditions it may be hard to see the difference, and as I said many of them are incorrectly identified anyway. You can easily search internet images for any of them but don't bet on many of them being properly labeled. Of the 2 you asked about I think 'Mayumi' is often a darker color with few spots and 'Louise' may have slightly wider petals and more spots.

[Chubidubi]

THANKS FOR YOU R HELP.