Dend. compactum Color Breaks?

[Tim]

Hello, I bought a Dendrobium compactum var. biggibum bare root last spring, and it is now if bloom. I noticed however that there are color breaks in the purple coloration. I've seen this alot in Paph. hybrids, but never in a species. Could this be viral? Or is it just a natural occurrence, like variegation? I'll try to post some pics later...

Thanks

-Tim

[Zoi2]

Pictures would really be helpful.
My biggibum var. compactum blooms violet-purple in the cool weather and white with purple centers in the heat of the summer. Could your coloration be a temperature issue?
Joann

[Tim]

Huh, I've never heard of that O.o I suppose it could be, I put it in a greenhouse from under lights while in bud? It's not significant, just lighter streaking mostly on the sepals, but I was just curious

Hmmmm, It won't let me upload the pictures. I haven't been able to post pictures for awhile actually

[Zoi2]

Temperatures do jack around with color but I don't know about the streaking.
Joann

[Tim]

Hmmm, well thanks, I didn't know that temperature had an influence

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Tim

Hello, I bought a Dendrobium compactum var. biggibum bare root last spring, and it is now if bloom. I noticed however that there are color breaks in the purple coloration. I've seen this alot in Paph. hybrids, but never in a species. Could this be viral? Or is it just a natural occurrence, like variegation? I'll try to post some pics later...

Thanks

-Tim

Hi Tim,

The last time my noid biggibum bloomed there were color breaks. The buds were very tight and had a hard time opening, and I assumed this is what caused the pressure points or color breaks in the petals. I've nicknamed this noid "accident prone" because she's experienced a steady seasonal history of snapped canes and spikes. It seems this plant is always in recovery and it's been 2 years since she last bloomed. She finally managed to double spike about a month ago, but the tender spikes were gobbled up in their infancy by some kind of insect. I chopped the damaged spikes down to 1 inch and the plant rapidly responded with 2 new spikes. The new spikes are still very young so I don't know if they'll make it to maturity. Probably not, because something always seems to befall her. It would be interesting to see if they have color breaks this time. I do remember that the temperature was cool and the humidity low during her color break phase. This may have attributed to her tight buds and color breaks, so I'm keeping her well hydrated during this phase of bud development and hoping for the best.