C. Hardyana (usual color)
 

Some time ago I bought seedlings of C. Hardyana, waiting for a yellow (or cream color) petals/sepals. This is the first one to blooming, and as you can see it has ordinary color:(
I have five more seedlings....and time to wait!

If you're unhappy with your plant's "ordinary color" blooms, Mauro, I know of quite a few people who would gladly do you the favor of taking it off your hands. :-)

Actually, I really would like to find a Hardyana one day--regardless of the color. I haven't seen a picture of one yet that I didn't think looked stunning.

Steve

This may not be the color that you wanted, but this is really beautiful in my eyes!! :drool: :D

Thanks for posting this classic primary. What an interesting form.

I think its stunning and would gladly take it off your hands, if you don't want it any longer.:evil::biggrin:

Hi Steve!

What do you mean calling me "Mauro"?:rofl:
I hope one day to have a yellow hardyana as him! Mauro's Hardyanas are probably the best Hardyanas I ever seen!

Hi Jan!

One third! WOW!!:D With five more seedlings I have a chance!! Thanks for this info!

Frederico, so sorry!!! I'm just so used to seeing you two Brazilians regularly showing off such fantastic plants and flowers that I sometimes get you confused. I promise to do a better job of reading the correct names next time.

And Mauro, I will gladly take one of your C. Hardyanas also, now that you've received such a nice endorsement from Frederico. :-)

Steve

STeve, did you forget my fierce dragon?:rofl:

Frederico, don't worry, I'm dividing some of my yellow/cream this year and a piece is yours! They are preparing to bloom and it's not good to cut now.

Hi Mauro!

Thank you!:banana:

but do not hurry, let them "ask" to be divided (usualy orchids do that!)

You gotta love orchids where even the 'average' varieties are stunning! I still can't believe I don't have this hybrid in my collection yet. That will have to change!

It's gorgeous!

I can understand though that if you wanted a particular colour you would be disapointed. But it's a gorgesous example of that colour.

Rosie, color in Hardyana is an interesting point.
Here's the thing: Hardyana is a primary cross between the yellow Cattleya dowiana and the lavender C. warscewiczii. Yellow in Cattleyas is recessive when crossed with lavender. So, when you cross dowiana and warscewiczii all the progeny will be lavender (a yellow might appear, but this is extremely rare).
Let's make y=the recessive yellow pair of genes in dowiana and P=the dominat lavender pair of genes in warscewiczii:
dowiana warsc. Hardyana
yy x PP = yP, yP, Py, Py (all lavender)

Now, pick two (no matter what) lavender Hardyanas from the first generation up and cross them, let's say the first and the last:
Hard(F1) Hard(F1) Hardyana (F2)
yP x Py = yP, yy, PP, Py

You see, one out of four will be yellow, or light cream (yy). This is the only way one can be 100% sure of getting a yellow Hardyana.
It is interesting to notice that if two Hardyanas from the second generation (F2) are crossed the thing becomes a little more complicated. If you are lucky enough to pick up two plants representing the pairs yP+yy, yy+Py yellow will be produced in a higher proportion; if you pick up as parents yP+Py, the same 25% proportion as in the F1 will be produced, but if you pick up one of the three following cominations yP+PP, or yy+PP, or PP+Py no yellow will be produced, all the progeny will be lavender.
The same general mechanism works for selfing a Hardyana.:)

Hi friends!

Thank you, very interesting infos! Mendelian vs. non-Mendelian genetics, and BOTH systems of inheritance are not mutually exclusive (if we look at "white", "yellow" and "intermediate" petals color).

Jan,

Sometimes a Mendelian model appears "polygenic" when some gene have incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity (I don't know this are the technical terms in english!). When I read Chadwick website infos I had that feeling...well, anyway thank you very much! And yes, I know Suamena C. Hardyana collection...I dream about it!! Unfortunately is not easy to import orchids (legaly) to Brazil, also I have written a few times for them (Suamena) and got no answer! Next time I'll write in "Portuñol", not in english, may be it works!