Sophronitis? - Orchid Board

greenbean · #1 01-26-2010, 01:43 AM

This plant is growing in a greenhouse at my university. It is labelled as Cattleya rex, but after looking at various pictures of the real Cattleya rex I am not sure what it is. Before I read the tag, I thought it was a Sophronitis, so that is what I'm wondering now.

Any ideas?

trdyl · #2 01-26-2010, 02:15 AM

To me it looks like Sophronitis cernua. It is deffinately not Cattleya rex. Well done spotting it.

RosieC · #3 01-26-2010, 04:20 AM

I'm no where near an expert, but it really looks like the pictures I've seen of Sophronitis cernua and that would have been my novice guess as well.

Magnus A · #4 01-26-2010, 06:31 AM

It definetly looks like a Sophronitis cernua. But it is "huge" with very large flowers. I did not think the cernua could get that large flowers but there are people here on Orchidboard from Brazil that has much more experience than me.

camille1585 · #5 01-26-2010, 12:08 PM

I have a Sophronitis cernua, but the leaves and blooms are nowhere near that size. Perhaphs it's because my plant is still young, but this one looks large for a cernua. But I don't know what else it could be!

Phantasm · #6 01-26-2010, 01:12 PM

It is definitely a Sophronitis and not Cattleya rex. I believe it is a hybrid, perhaps S. cernua x S. coccinea. The growth habit appears to be a combination of both species.

slipperfreak · #7 01-26-2010, 01:12 PM

It looks WAY too big to be S. cernua. The flowers look like it, but S. cernua is TINY. It might be a hybrid with S. cernua.

greenbean · #8 01-27-2010, 02:41 AM

Thanks everyone for your input!

The size and proportions of the flower threw me off. It does have the two fleshy-looking purplish appendages on the column that cernua has, though. I only have one picture of cernua in my book, and the flower is very different from this one, but I did see similarities. After looking at other examples online, I realized my book didn't really have a good representation of it.

But I agree with all of you, I don't think it is cernua. At most it is a hybrid with cernua in it. Still, I think I rather like this fiery little flower. I think I'll try to see if I can get a division of it! Anything I should be aware of?

Thanks again everyone for helping me ID this little fireball!