Cattleya percivaliana 'Merril' AM/AOS x Laelia alaorii 'SVO II'

[isurus79]

Interesting first bloom of a cross that I got from Fred Clarke when he was in Houston a few years ago. You'll notice the color of cross is from the Cattleya, while the shape of the flower is from the Laelia (as with most L. alaorii crosses), though this particular flower is a bit more cupped that I would have imagined and the lip doesn't seem to want to open up further. I'm hoping for a better bloom on the next go around, though the color on this one is beautiful. The scent is somewhat reminiscent of percivaliana, though not as offensive and with more of the "anise" scent common to Laeliinae.

Cattleya percivaliana 'Merril' AM/AOS x Laelia alaorii 'SVO II' by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

Cattleya percivaliana 'Merril' AM/AOS x Laelia alaorii 'SVO II' by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr

Cattleya percivaliana 'Merril' AM/AOS x Laelia alaorii 'SVO II' by Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis, on Flickr