Laelia purpurata var. alba

[Rosim_in_BR]

It finally is purpurata time! Purpurata alba normally is one of the first to bloom. I grow three different alba of this species and the one in the photo is a small piece I didn't expect to flower this year, but here it is!! Wonderful fragrance!

[trdyl]

Wow, that has to be one of the best albas I've seen. As far as fragrance goes, does it very or do they all smell like licorice?

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by trdyl

Wow, that has to be one of the best albas I've seen. As far as fragrance goes, does it very or do they all smell like licorice?

To my nose (and also my wife's) purpuratas do have notes of licorice, yes!

[trdyl]

Mauro,
Thank you.

[nenella]

Stunning!

[kinknstein]

Thats a real beauty Mauro!!

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by Jan Pahl

I would like to add some data (for the group), about Mauro's comment about Laelia purpurata "alba" as the first purpurata to bloom. Mauro please, fell free to add more info and your own impressions on the matter.

Inside Laelia purpurata (something that is also possible to see among Cattleyas specially on the species that photoperiod is more important than humidity or heat), color mutations could have moderate to strong influence on wen they are going to flower. For some reason not well understood, many genes that affect pigmentation also affect the photoperiodicity of the plant. This is quite interesting since this mutations not only affect flowers pigments, but all the plant pigments, something specially easy to see on the new roots tips, and the amount of red tones, dark greens hues and "freckles" on pseudobulbs and leaves. Color pigmentation also can affect vigor or at least vegetative behaviour, for example for me the more outstanding example is how dwarf Guarianthe bowringiana forma coerulea is compared to the very tall and robust plants bowringiana always have, something that maybe could be explained because the same cell change on metabolism acidity that affect pigmentation, also affect how efficiently the overall plant metabolism ("health") behaves.

Returning to purpurata I like to say some things.... Laelia ["Cattleya"] purpurata belongs to the previously know "Cattleyodes" group of the formerly Brazilian "laelias" now included within Cattleya (the complete group of Brazilian "laelias" is Cattleyodes, pumila "hadrolaelia" relatives, rupicolus ones and Sophronitis) and purpurata alone is the more south thriving species on this group with the exception of some Sophronitis. In fact Laelia purpurata inhabits the transition zone between tropical and subtropical climate at low altitudes 0-100 meters above sea level near or almost near the "shore line" just starting below the Capricorn tropic at Sao Paolo on shadowy "swamp" areas were few plants on cultivation belongs (in this part the species is very uniform and for them not tomuch horticultural desired), them it disappear at Paraná maybe because of not fully understood little ecological variations related to the orography of the coast with the presence of the Paranaguá Bay and the orographic depression that surrounds it. Them the species reappears at Santa Catarina at abundant quantities (especially at Santa Catarina Island), were many of the large known horticultural variations inside cultivation were originally found...in this place "tree swamps" are replaced by shrubs on the rocky promontories that faces the sea (and for them protected from the austral winter chill of inland).. and them the species follows without interruption the coast until reach Rio Grande do Sul , were the orography starts to be less "mountainous" on the coast, and for them the species thrives a little more inland on large centenary trees specially on gallery forests until the species reach "Porto Alegre" surroundings specifically at "Lagoa dos Patos" were it disappear because it start to be to much freezing temperatures on austral winter for the species. Like Santa Catarina, also this state is known by its purpuratas (for example all the 4 o 5 "ardosias" or "werkhauseri" found in the wild, maybe the most popular purpurata along with "Carnea" from Santa Catarina, was found only at torres municipality at Rio Grande do Sul)


Well, all the previous explanation about the geographic distribution of Laelia purpurata was to highlight one thing, if someone had followed me till now, them he or she had already realized that purpurata geographic distribution maybe represent a small "coast band", but it runs in a very-very large area north due south, this means that purpuratas in the wild flower with two months of difference between the Sao Paulo population (first ones to bloom) to the Rio grande do Sul populations (last ones to bloom)... this difference even if is caused by differences in climate due day leght, is also genetically fixed because wen plants from different places grow together, they follow the original habitat "flowering times" they belong.

So them here with purpurata we have the species perfect example to note that wen the floral main trigger stimulus (more common are overall temperature, day-night temperature differences, humidity, and day day leght), the day leght is predominant over the rest of possible interacting trigger stimulus on one particular species, them you can "predict" (individualities and year environmental singularities included that affect statistical behaviour) wen agroup of plants are going to flower sometimes even as it were clock-works if culture remains stable year after year, simply knowing exactly the color of the flowers and the origin of the plants.... Of course this help a to plan with anticipation things like expos just to be absolutely confident that the main species of the season are going to be in their best peak flower to avoid expo empty stands... but also tha same thing explain why excellent cultivars or even entire regions representing one species could have to wait years or even decades until get the prize the deserve.

Mauro, Thanks for share your alba with us
Jan

Edit.

I am trying to look for the e-mail Miranda wrote me few years ago with the periodicity of all purpurata horticultural varieties,but I can't find it... please Mauro can you complete this info for me... thanks

In a general way yes, you are right, L. purpurata has a more or less repetitive pattern as to when varieties bloom, with albas in one end and carneas in the other end. But sometimes environmental factors seem to affect the pattern. Anelatas and oculatas do generally bloom in December, and several of them are open now this year, one week after the albas...
Anyway, thanks for bringing this to the attention of our friends on OB!

[Gena]

Your amazing purpuratas start blooming ….. Torture time begins ….. Oh, Lord, how I’ll survive .....