Cattleya Amethystoglossa, 4N

[No-Pro-mwa]

Oh wow, that is a nice one.

[Fairorchids]

It comes from Ruben in FL.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

It comes from Ruben in FL.

Ok, I had a feeling. His amethystoglossas have a very distinct look.

[RosieC]

Gorgeous, love it!

[smweaver]

Very pretty flowers on this one. I still think labeling something 4N is often a commercial growers way of inflating his or her prices (this is not to say that yours isn't a true 4N plant). I have a few amethystoglossas, all of which were purchased from reputable breeders, and none of them appear to produce 4N flowers (larger, thicker segments that have a more full appearance than the standard). I would be very happy with your plant, as the flowers look spectacular.

Steve (OTHER Steve), what do you mean by Ruben's amethystoglossas having a very distinct look? Can you elaborate?

[Fairorchids]

@smweaver - For some breeders, you might well be right. I have several 4N plants, and so far I do not have any reason to suspect that they are not.

I only have one other amethystoglossa to compare against in my collection, but my co-tenant has several blooming size plants, which will bloom over the next 3-6 weeks. I will try to take photos with the other plants so we can compare.

[Fairorchids]

Here is an example of a clear 4N. I purchased C. Caudebec 'Carmela' from Waldor Orchids. When I went to pick it up, I discovered that they also had C. Caudebec 'Linwood' (4N) in bloom in their sales area.

'Linwood' was a spontaneous 4N that arose in a group of 'Carmela' meristems. Waldor selected the best one and meristemed that plant. Here is a photo of the two, side by side.

[smweaver]

Those Caudebecs look great. I look forward to seeing the other amethystoglossas when they come into bloom.

[euplusia]

Linwood is a spectacular plant, Fairorchids.
For me C. amethystoglossa is not difficult to grow, however it takes a long time to grow into a specimen. Flowers last maybe 10 days.
Vivid spotting on your first plant too.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Steve (OTHER Steve), what do you mean by Ruben's amethystoglossas having a very distinct look? Can you elaborate?

Steve,
Reuben's amethystoglossas have very large, round petals with spots that verge on being considered splotches.

Reuben and H&R are pretty much the only American breeders of this species that crank out this one in any great quantity. H&R's plants have more distinct spots that seem to have very crisp color. Their petals, while round, seem to be more pointed and their amethystoglossas have a look that is much more similar to the Brazilian breeding lines. It seems like the H&R has a more traditional shape for this species while Reuben's are rounder and more floofy.

BTW, this is all merely my opinion!