Ctsm. Frilly Doris - Male and Female Flowers (revised)
 

Earlier this month I observed two spikes on my Ctsm. Frilly Doris (Ctsm. Doris' Choice x Ctsm. Donna Marie). To my surprise, one spike appeared to have female flowers, the other male. The female flowers did not last as long as I understood female flowers do. So, I began to think that perhaps they were actually hermaphrodites.

The second spike has indeed produced some awesome male flowers. You can definitely see the influence of the fimbriatum and pileatum lines in the blooms. Consequently, Frilly Doris is one of my favorite hybrids.

Awesome Male Flowers
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...cture14184.jpg

Male Inflorescence
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ture14156.jpeg

Female/Hermaphrodite? Inflorescence
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ture14154.jpeg

Female/Hermaphrodite? Flower
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ture14157.jpeg

Inflorescence? Don’t you mean blooms( I don’t see any that aren’t open)
Sorry, I’m just learning and trying to get my understanding clear. Nice flowers though and definently of two different types.

Thank you for your great question :) My understanding of the term "inflorescence" in orchids is that the inflorescence of a blooming-size orchid includes the whole flower spike and all the flowers and/or buds growing on the spike. So, I guess "inflorescence" is a more comprehensive term in that is doesn't just refer to the blooms (open flowers).

Very cool that you got hermaphrodites!

Hey, Stephen! Welcome back from your adventure in Brazil!

Do you think my female flowers were actually hermaphrodites? A member in the Catasetinae Fever group didn't think they were. He said he didn't observe (in the pictures) fully functioning male and female parts. I'm not an expert by any means and I couldn't refute his assessment. However, this plant did have me a bit confused because of the colorful, spotted sepals/petals on the hooded flowers. They didn't look like the typical female catesetum flowers. Also, the hooded flowers lasted for only a week. Don't female flowers last much longer than that?

I know that you recently experienced both male and hermaphrodite blooms on your Catasetum Desmond Dreisewerd. Hence, your opinion in this case will be greatly appreciated :)

Female appearing flowers with pollinia and a short life sure fit the definition of hermaphroditic (i.e., exhibiting qualities of both male and female) flower to me!