Breeding tipo w/ coerulea

[mab3362]

Hi All,

What happens for instance if you were to cross a tipo Cattleya species with a coerulea variety. Do you expect all tipos? Is blue recessive?

Thanks Micah

[RosieC]

I remember a discussion with Mauro (Rosin_in_BR) about that and I can't remember what he said. He's the person who will know the answer to that though.

I think he said that when crossing two coerulea you can end up with a either a tipo or a coerulea. Which I think makes it dominant rather than recessive, but I could have remembered wrongly.

Hopefully someone else will know, or Mauro will see this.

[Royal]

Coerulea is almost always recessive, otherwise blue orchids would exist naturally. Typical color (tipo) is dominant - that's why it's typical.

For most genera, "blue" pigmentation is a faulty or incomplete expression of other colors. Pink and magenta will overpower coerulea. A coerulea x alba would have more promise for blues because the alba lacks pink or purple. But coerulea x coerulea is your best bet for more blue offspring.

[mab3362]

Thanks!