C. loddigesii var. harrisoniana 'Streeter's Choice' FCC/AOS

[pheli]

great color.

[Leafmite]

I really love this one!
I have C. Snow Blind 'Kenny', the fake walkeriana. If I ever come across this one, I wouldn't mind having it as well. It definitely deserves the FCC.

[catwalker808]

"It has been said that this plant is a hybrid between C. loddigesii and C. harrisoniana. A limited run of mericlones were made by H&R Orchids some years ago."

Just a little clarification. H&R Nurseries was commissioned to mericlone the original & only authorized batch of 'Streeter's Choice'. We were not the owners of the original plant. (We performed mericloning services over 25 years ago, but we've only done our own plants since then).

A plant called C. loddigesii 'Danelle' was previously mericloned by someone else. Out of that batch, a tetraploid mutant occurred. That 4N mutant was genetically different from the original 'Danelle' & became 'Streeter's Choice' 'Streeter's Choice' was awarded an FCC/AOS & was subsequently patented by its owner.

We mericloned 'SC' & grew to blooming size the only authorized batch of 200 plants. For our work we received a share of the sales proceeds & a share of the plants. I believe that unauthorized propagation of some mericlone plants later occurred both foreign & domestically.

I realize that the flower of 'Streeter's Choice' looks very different from other C. loddigesii. However, if you were to compare 'SC' with the flowers of a good C. loddigesii, with knowledge of how tetraploidy changes a flower structure, then it is very credible that 'SC' is, indeed, a C loddigesii.

C loddigesii petals are more oval than the round petals of 'SC'. Being a primary hybrid would not necessarily make the petals rounder & flatter. Being 4N would. The column of 'SC' (the nose) is much broader than a regular C loddigesii. That too is an indication of being 4N. The lip is much fuller & broader … another indication. And the 'SC' lip does have the slits which separate the lip from the side lobes. The side lobes (the flaps that normally cover the column are splayed open. This also commonly happens among tetraploids, because the very broad column prevents the side lobes from curling over the column.

What you can only experience by touching, is that the flower substance is extremely thick & stiff, much more so that in the regular C loddigesii. All of these features are explainable by the plant being 4N.

All of this being said, I'm not the owner of the original. These are just my opinions. The flowers are fantastic. The plants are a bit fussy to grow.

[Oscarman]

Wow, nice!

[NYCorchidman]

color is nice!

[Bayard]

Catwalker - thanks for the clarification and the info on this plant. The flowers also have a lovely fragrance.

[Picotee]

Gorgeous form and color. A real knockout!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by catwalker808

"It has been said that this plant is a hybrid between C. loddigesii and C. harrisoniana. A limited run of mericlones were made by H&R Orchids some years ago."

Just a little clarification. H&R Nurseries was commissioned to mericlone the original & only authorized batch of 'Streeter's Choice'. We were not the owners of the original plant. (We performed mericloning services over 25 years ago, but we've only done our own plants since then).

A plant called C. loddigesii 'Danelle' was previously mericloned by someone else. Out of that batch, a tetraploid mutant occurred. That 4N mutant was genetically different from the original 'Danelle' & became 'Streeter's Choice' 'Streeter's Choice' was awarded an FCC/AOS & was subsequently patented by its owner.

We mericloned 'SC' & grew to blooming size the only authorized batch of 200 plants. For our work we received a share of the sales proceeds & a share of the plants. I believe that unauthorized propagation of some mericlone plants later occurred both foreign & domestically.

I realize that the flower of 'Streeter's Choice' looks very different from other C. loddigesii. However, if you were to compare 'SC' with the flowers of a good C. loddigesii, with knowledge of how tetraploidy changes a flower structure, then it is very credible that 'SC' is, indeed, a C loddigesii.

C loddigesii petals are more oval than the round petals of 'SC'. Being a primary hybrid would not necessarily make the petals rounder & flatter. Being 4N would. The column of 'SC' (the nose) is much broader than a regular C loddigesii. That too is an indication of being 4N. The lip is much fuller & broader … another indication. And the 'SC' lip does have the slits which separate the lip from the side lobes. The side lobes (the flaps that normally cover the column are splayed open. This also commonly happens, because the very broad column prevents the side lobes from curling over the column.

What you can only experience by touching, is that the flower substance is extremely thick & stiff, much more so that in the regular C loddigesii. All of these features are explainable by the plant being 4N.

All of this being said, I'm not the owner of the original. These are just my opinions. The flowers are fantastic. The plants are a bit fussy to grow.

Harry,
This is VERY interesting information! Thanks!

[geogeo21]

Wow! I think I have this one. I was given a no ID orchid and it bloomed for me. I couldn't find anything that looked like it til now.

[brsucculents]

Beautiful flower Bayard.
Thanks for the history Catwalker808. Very interesting.