Rhycholaelia digbyana 'Mrs. Chase' AM/AOS

[Fairorchids]

Here is a photo from my ("Mrs. Chase x self). Plant is super vigorous (from 2.1/2" pot, to overflowing a 10" basket in 4.1/2 years), and very floriferous too. It bloomed in July 2022, and then again in October, December and February 2023.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Here is a photo from my ("Mrs. Chase x self). Plant is super vigorous (from 2.1/2" pot, to overflowing a 10" basket in 4.1/2 years), and very floriferous too. It bloomed in July 2022, and then again in October, December and February 2023.

Kim - Is yours an alba?

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Kim - Is yours an alba?

Flower photo looks that way. I need to take a look at the plant to see whether there is any pigment showing.

It has outgrown the basket (which I made for it). If I break it up, there will probably be 12-15 divisions.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Flower photo looks that way. I need to take a look at the plant to see whether there is any pigment showing.

It has outgrown the basket (which I made for it). If I break it up, there will probably be 12-15 divisions.

It would make sense for a selfed alba to have alba progeny. I have to ask, if Mrs. Chase actually is alba, could the OP plant be mislabeled?

[Jmoney]

That's great growing, Kim! And interesting question Stephen, you always have to keep mislabeling in mind especially with some of these old plants. I got my plant from Orchidaceae, and I don't think they are still in business. They told me they had it forever and it was an original.

The original awards description for 'Mrs. Chase' comments on a pure green flower, but then again the only pigment I see (grown under very high light) is a soft blush of pink on the back of the sepals. When I took the plants out of the greenhouse the leaves were flushed with soft magenta on top due to the high light. After a week in the house on display there is very little red pigment left on the leaves.

I guess that doesn't answer the question if 'Mrs. Chase' is an alba. I am not a digbyana expert, but I have only come across a couple cultivars these days that are marketed as "alba" (the vendors make this distinction along with the breeding implications as these albas are kinda pricey). Even the non-albas don't express much pigment on the flowers, and probably none under medium light. I'm going to ask around...

And of course if you meristem a non-alba enough times (and this cultivar has been cloned), who knows what you might get. 2N to 4N, different extra frilly lip (orchids ltd has a pic of this one), a change in pigment, etc...

[isurus79]

Another characteristic of Mrs. Chase is that it can throw two blooms on single inflorescence, which is very rare for the species. This could be another way to figure out if you've got the real McCoy!

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by Louis_W

Based on the photo it does seem to be an alba. Not much different, just no red inside the throat

The plant is showing no pigment anywhere, so it is either an albescent or an alba. I will have to take a close look at the flower next time it blooms.

[Jmoney]

so I contacted Dave Toyoshima, who has an original piece of 'Mrs. Chase'. He was kind enough to offer me his observations. He has not seen any pigment, plant or flower, on this cultivar. However he was told by a good source that it does not breed as an alba, and does transmit pink to its progeny. He also told me that many people, including the great Ernest Hetherington, thought of it as 4N although he is not sure the chromosomes were counted.

so I'm going to re-label mine as an early mericlone. I guess over the decades genetic drift of some type may have occurred but that may be less likely.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Jmoney

so I contacted Dave Toyoshima, who has an original piece of 'Mrs. Chase'. He was kind enough to offer me his observations. He has not seen any pigment, plant or flower, on this cultivar. However he was told by a good source that it does not breed as an alba, and does transmit pink to its progeny. He also told me that many people, including the great Ernest Hetherington, thought of it as 4N although he is not sure the chromosomes were counted.

so I'm going to re-label mine as an early mericlone. I guess over the decades genetic drift of some type may have occurred but that may be less likely.

Ah, good information!

[Louis_W]

I have always wondered what the big deal with people wanting digbayana in alba and reading this thread has cleared that up! Even if you don't care (or in this case can't even tell) if you've got an alba you need it to breed! Breeding big white Brassos required an alba digbayana of course!

(Eureka moment for me, already obvious to everyone else haha!)