Epicattleya (Epc) Rene Marquez 'Flame Thrower' HCC/AOS

[Bud]

I have had this Epicattleya (Epc) Rene Marquez 'Flame Thrower' HCC/AOS a little over a year. The parentage of this cross is Epidendrum pseudepidendrum x (Cattleya intermedia) x (Cattleya loddigesii). I looked at pictures of all of the parents and I don’t see much to predict the resulting hybrid. But now by looking at the flower, I am certain where the clonal name 'Flame Thrower' comes from.

This is the first time this plant has bloomed and it produced only one flower. I am actually happy with it since the new growth is much taller than any previous growth. I am sure there will be even taller canes next year along with a lot more flowers.

I have the plant in a 4-inch plastic square pot in medium bark, charcoal, lava rock and coco chips. The plant has room for a couple more years to grow and I discovered there is plenty of new root growth.