C. (Lc.) Clarion

[Fairorchids]

Here is another superior coerulea flower (not mine, plant belongs Kyle Saunders).

Lc. Clarion, now C. Clarion, = C. Eximia x C. mossiae, where Eximia = (C. warneri x C. purpurata).

[DirtyCoconuts]

What does coerulea mean exactly

[Fairorchids]

While 'coerueleas' were described as varieties in the past, the correct taxonomic term is forma (for 'color form').

It is a mutation, which prevents the plant from producing anthocyanins. This removes the pink/purple, so the flower instead appears blue.

The coerulea mutation is always recessive, so:

• if you breed tipo with coerulea, you get tipo.
• if you self a plant that is 50/50, you will get 25% coerulea in the next generation.
• if you breed a 50/50 with coerulea, you get 50% coerulea in the next generation.

[estación seca]

Plants tend to have non-chlorophyll flower and leaf pigments formed from only one of two classes of pigments: Anthocyanins ("flower blues") and carotenoids ("carrot things".) Anthocyanins (as in borage, Meconopsis, gentian, petunias, some roses and some Cosmos) are in the blue-purple-pink-pinky red range, without yellows, without true oranges, without true reds. Carotenoids are vivid red, orange or yellow (tomatoes, peppers, some roses, some Cosmos, daisies.) The first compounds formed when synthesizing anthocyanins are bluish to our eyes. Some plants lose the ability to metabolize them further to the pink-red pigments, and so those flowers look bluish to our eyes.

"Coerulea" or "caerulea" or "carulea" are different spellings of "blue" from Latin. It is the ancestor of the English word "cerulean."

People pronounce these words in many different ways. Many orchidists say sir-OO-lee-ah. Classical Latin scholars seem fairly certain the C in Latin was always, always pronounced like the K in English (or Greek, which lacks a C.) I'm old and set in my ways, so I say kerr-you-LAY-ah. I also pronounce "Coelogyne" as COIL-oh-gai-nee, and I'm not changing.

Oh - a lot of people think coerulea forms of Cattleyas have much stronger fragrances than the normal forms. The same situation occurs in roses - lavender roses are almost all VERY fragrant.

Fred Clarke at Sunset Valley Orchids breeds a lot of coerulea forms of orchids, by the way. The bifoliates should be extremely fragrant. I can't wait until my coerulea Cattleya Mrs. Mahler flowers.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

What does coerulea mean exactly

Good question DC. Some answer here too ----- click here

It does have 'blue' in the origins of the word. But somebody correctly points out that the flowers that people labeled as coerulea ------ generally have violet or lavender colours. Or there is blue in the colour mix, but the flowers generally don't appear convincingly 'blue' ----- except for cases where the lighting conditions allow a convincing blue appearance.