Cattleyas with names

[Junebug]

Until the last few months most of my orchid collection has been made up of Noids, but these new guys have names. My daughter purchased them for me from a local grower who's been in business for 40 years. I just love them but the "name thing" confuses me. I can't find info. on any of them except a little something on the Blc. Kat red Panda 'Totolo'.

[quiltergal]

Lovely plants! Lucky you!!

Once you get the hang of how names work it's not too difficult to figure out. Taxonomists have been very busy reclassifying many plants in the Catt alliance, so many things have changed. Keep that in mind as we go along.

Your first plant's name is Gsl.(previously Lc) JoAnn Amos. It is a hybrid of C. walkeriana and Srt.(also formerly Lc.) Rojo. When the name begins in upper case you know it is a hybrid. When it begins in lower case like walkeriana you know it is a species. Gsl. JoAnn Amos is a cross of a hybrid and a species. It's quite lovely!!

Your second plant is Sc. (formerly Lc.) Egeria coerulea (coerulea denoting it's blueish color). It is a cross of Sc. Canhamiana and C. walkeriana. Again a cross of a hybrid and a species.

The third plant is Rsc. (formerly Blc.) Kat Red Panda. It is a cross of C. Moscombe and Rsc. Golden Slippers. This is a cross between two hybrids. The 'Totale' would indicate a cultivar name only given if the plant had been awarded. I can't find any awards for Kat Red Panda or any of it's parents. So not sure what to tell you about the 'Totale'. Perhaps wishful thinking on the growers part?

Clear as mud right?

[Austinerd]

Junebug,
All of those plants are magnificent. The medium blue with the dark purple lip (2nd one in your photos) intrigues me....according to Terri it is Sc. Egeria coerulea? I am new to orchids...I googled it and didn't come up with anything. Does your orchid source sell these online?
Thanks,
Dan

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

Lovely plants! Lucky you!!

Once you get the hang of how names work it's not too difficult to figure out. Taxonomists have been very busy reclassifying many plants in the Catt alliance, so many things have changed. Keep that in mind as we go along.

Your first plant's name is Gsl.(previously Lc) JoAnn Amos. It is a hybrid of C. walkeriana and Srt.(also formerly Lc.) Rojo. When the name begins in upper case you know it is a hybrid. When it begins in lower case like walkeriana you know it is a species. Gsl. JoAnn Amos is a cross of a hybrid and a species. It's quite lovely!!

Your second plant is Sc. (formerly Lc.) Egeria coerulea (coerulea denoting it's blueish color). It is a cross of Sc. Canhamiana and C. walkeriana. Again a cross of a hybrid and a species.

The third plant is Rsc. (formerly Blc.) Kat Red Panda. It is a cross of C. Moscombe and Rsc. Golden Slippers. This is a cross between two hybrids. The 'Totale' would indicate a cultivar name only given if the plant had been awarded. I can't find any awards for Kat Red Panda or any of it's parents. So not sure what to tell you about the 'Totale'. Perhaps wishful thinking on the growers part?

Clear as mud right?

Right! As if the whole name thing wasn't already hard enough to decipher, then they have go and reclassify them. I really appreciate your help with the names.

The last one you referred to as 'Totale' is printed as 'Totolo' on both labels. I did find some obscure Asian link that had this plant listed and it also included a flower photo that looked like mine.

My 'Totolo' blossom is a little deformed. The bloom was crowded by a leaf and it didn't fully open. Another bloom appeared to have had a petal torn off. My daughter described this chid as being scented at the time of her 3:00 p.m. purchase, but I haven't had the opportunity to detect her perfume yet.

Thank you again for your orchid expertise. I really appreciate it.

June

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Austinerd

Junebug,
All of those plants are magnificent. The medium blue with the dark purple lip (2nd one in your photos) intrigues me....according to Terri it is Sc. Egeria coerulea? I am new to orchids...I googled it and didn't come up with anything. Does your orchid source sell these online?
Thanks,
Dan

Thank you, Dan. This orchid was purchased, by my daughter, from Grezaffi Orchids located in Melbourne, Florida. Grezaffi's is family owned and has been in business 40 years. I visited Grezaffi's and spoke with the owner a few weeks ago. During our conversation he mentioned the devastating 2004 hurricane season that nearly blew away the greenhouses at his current location. He suffered severe damage and has managed to exist with only one remaining greenhouse. The insurance he purchased in the 60's didn't begin to cover his losses. As a result of the storm damage he is revamping his business and the current location will be closing within the next few months. At his home he houses over 200 of his finest stud plants and he does have a web site. He wasn't specific about his plans but after visiting his site it looks like he'll be involved in mail orders.

I've also had a difficult time finding information or photos of the Lc. Egeria or Sc. Egeria. The name sounds a little vague with no cross listed on the tag. I do know that the grower lost many chids and tags after those 2004 storms and had to retrieve many that were blown a good distance away.

I have 2 beautiful Noids (gifted to me) that may have originally been purchased from Mr. Grezaffi. One is in bloom and the other one's blooms should be opening very soon. I'm planning to visit Mr. Grezaffi with my blooming Noids to see if he can shed some light on their ID. When I do I'll ask him for more Lc. or Sc. Egeria details and check to see if it's available for mail order purchase.