Your favorite Cattleya/Laelia purpuratas

[greenhouseFrog]

I’m taking some(in my eyes)bold strides in the Cattleya alliance by trying out some species. I was gifted a blooming lueddemanniana not long ago and have since been hearing/reading about other forgiving species(relative to my location)to cut my teeth my on. Purpuratas caught my eye with their taller stature, and the v.schusteriana is, in my opinion, very hot stuff!

Tell me about your favorites and what you love and hate about them—I’m interested in hearing your take and thank you for taking the time!

[estación seca]

Cattleya purpurea in all its forms is one of the most heat-tolerant of all Cattleya alliance plants. Plus, the warmer the temperatures, the more vigorously it grows. I love all of them. Fertilize them heavily unless you are short on growing space.

[Roberta]

C. purpurata is in the "bulletproof" group. Not only is it heat tolerant, it's also cold tolerant. And with so many color forms to choose from, you can love as many as you have room for... and then some. They are not petite... but put on a fantastic show.

[greenhouseFrog]

Thank you for the input, ES and Roberta—you might not realize it, but you’re enabling me in my “madness”

After some debate, I’ve narrowed it down to either a C. purpurata f. carnea from KrullSmith or a primary hybrid of C. gaskelliana x C. purpurata in the form of an Lc. C.G. Roebling ‘Beechview’ clone from Odom’s. A member of my local orchid society has an immensely well grown ‘Beechview’ clone that has impressed itself into my memory since the first time I saw it and I was pretty excited when I learned of its lineage during my search for purpuratas.

I tried to find a species for sale that would have a solid indigo lip like the ‘Beechview’, but I couldn’t find one and those that came close were either over budget, seedlings of selfings and other crosses(who knows what I’d actually get), or bare root divisions from Taiwan that had only pictures of a flower and a small division without any description as to their origin(seed grown vs. clone/division).

The only thing that’s stopping me from getting the ‘Beechview’ clone is the fact that it’s only half a purpurata and I’m thinking maybe the introduction of the gaskelliana might have taken away from the bulletproof-ness of the purpurata…well, that AND I wouldn’t have a species The C. purpurata f. carnea satiates that bit of “purist” in me AND relieves my anxiety about the plant’s ability to tolerate extremes being lessened through hybridization, BUT I’m not the biggest fan of the rosy pink lip & throat and they’ve also been seed grown.

Decisions, decisions…

[Roberta]

For purple/deep coerulea lip, look at C. purpurata f. werkhauseri. Not one of the more common forms, but gorgeous.

---------- Post added at 08:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

Note too that different color forms tend to bloom at slightly different times, extending the season. At my house, the various semi-alba forms seem to bloom first, like late May/early June, carnea and werkhauseri a little later, and sanguinea as late as early July.

[estación seca]

CG Roebling also grows like a weed.

[greenhouseFrog]

Fixed!

---------- Post added at 01:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

For purple/deep coerulea lip, look at C. purpurata f. werkhauseri. Not one of the more common forms, but gorgeous.

---------- Post added at 08:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

Note too that different color forms tend to bloom at slightly different times, extending the season. At my house, the various semi-alba forms seem to bloom first, like late May/early June, carnea and werkhauseri a little later, and sanguinea as late as early July.

I already caved in and got the CG Roebling, but that werkhauserii definitely has the same spirit—I’m certain I can find room for more, especially with their variety and different blooming times!

I was actually going to get that carnea in addition to the CG Roebling to observe their behavior side by side, but I had to be reminded of the budget

---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

CG Roebling also grows like a weed.

Music to my ears!