Fdk. Dark Matter
 

Can't take credit for these, it seems like its FDK season over at SVO and my d̶r̶u̶g̶ orchid dealer Tim Culbertson has been sending me pics of some select first bloomers. The overall quality is amazing, and it won't break the bank either.

This one is Dark Matter (After Dark ‘SVO Black Pearl’ FCC/AOS x Ctsm. Orchidglade ‘Jack of Diamonds’ AM/AOS). Really takes the color from the After Dark parent...

Stephen, only outdoor pics since I find it impossible to take indoor pics with flash on these dark ones!

Wow! They look a lot like black pearl! Definitely a keeper!

size is definitely larger than after dark, but not quite as big as some of the 2nd gen black catamodes (technically 3rd gen if you count dragons tail as gen 1). likely more flowers on the fdks though. black catasetinae have come a long way since millennium magic!

I love the photos with natural sunlight! So much better in terms of showing the real color! These look great.

Tim posted a photo on FB showing the current Fdk lines compared to the original with a flower from each in the palm of his hand. The new lines are easily 3x larger than those first black Fdk. Very cool!

yes it must be incredible for a catasetum fan to walk the greenhouses at SVO, he told me that Midnight Depth is probably the pinnacle of black FDKs at this time. I wondered how many times these can be backcrossed to dark Orchidglades to try to increase flower size further (and yet retain the black pigment). or perhaps at some point fertility becomes an issue...

I think fertility is an issue with Fdk, generally; which is why Catamodes could be an important lineage.