:I won this in a silent auction at my orchid society meeting. The tag reads SC. Crystelle Smith "Gold Throat"
My question is the C is obviously Cattleya, but is the S, Sophronitis? If so does anyone know which S and C are the parents of this lovely little plant? Does anyone grow him? What are his requirements? (sorry that's 4 questions)
I would appreciate any help, thank you.
C. Crystelle Smith = (Beaufort x loddigesii). The S used to stand for Sophronitis, but that particular Sophronitis species (S. coccinea) was reclassified to Cattleya in recent years.
Okay, so the parentage of this one is ([Soph. coccinea x C. luteola] x C. loddigesii), which translates to (Sc. Beaufort x C. loddigesii). So this breaks down to a plant that is: 25% Soph. coccinea, 25% C. luteola, and 50% C. loddigesii. I would say basic Catt requirements, with the temps being just a tad cooler due to the Sophronitis grandparent. Otherwise, this should be an easy plant to grow, and it already looks like you have a great head start. This is a BEAUTIFUL plant, by the way!
I have nothing to add regarding culture, but I just want to say that I love this orchid, it's too cute!!! Gold Throat is a very appropriate name for it. I'm happy you won it!
__________________ Camille
Completely orchid obsessed and loving every minute of it....