Cattaleya alliance cross

[wgama]

Hi, I currently have a nice pink Epidendrum 'Josephs Glow' seedling that is blooming for the first time and also a Rolfeara 'Rustic Spots' thats in bloom. I was wondering if anyone knows if this cross exists already or if it would even take?

[PaphMadMan]

No cross of Epidendrum Joseph Glow x Brassocattleya (formerly Rolfeara) Rustic Spots has been registered. Note: no s at the end of Joseph and no 'single quotes' anywhere.

But this kind of cross is certainly possible, and Joseph Glow has been crossed with one of the parents of Rustic Spots, Bc. Richard Mueller x Epi. Joseph Glow = Vaughara Good Boy, so there is a very good chance of success. We'll be waiting for pictures of the flowers in 5 years or so if things go quickly.

[wgama]

Thats great news, I am excited to try breeding some orchids. How about I do it in 3 years haha? This seedling bloomed in about 3 years from flask and that was in terrible home growing conditions, now I have a greenhouse to work with. Thanks for the reply! Sorry for my mix up in nomenclature!

[PaphMadMan]

A seedling that bloomed 3 years from flask is pretty good, but it could easily have been 2 years before that when the cross was made - time to mature a pod, sow seed, germinate, replate, grow. An Epi cross might go a bit faster if you can give it perfect conditions at every stage.

I admit I'm a freak about nomenclature at times, but when I go to look something up I am constantly reminded that if you don't have the right spelling you'll never find it, and if you aren't aware of the name changes you might not recognize when you find the right thing.

[wgama]

True. I didn't account for pod ripening time. (doesn't mean I won't try though ;p)

I aggee, nomenclature is important! It has set rules and they should be followed. Its just hard to keep up with. When I acquired this orchid it was widely known as Blc. and then it was changed to Rolfeara and now apparently its just a Bl. haha.

Coincidentally I have been considering trying to register this specific Rustic Spots as a cultivar/morph with an added bit that would have (' ') single parenthesis. It is much smaller in leaf and flower than the other rustic spots plant it came in a pot with (I bot them as unbloomed plants, meristem clones I think) and the blooms differ from the other (which I consider to be the standard rustic spots with a pink lip and petals/sepals opening reddish then fading to yellow). This one has a yellow lip instead of a pink one and just opens more yellow. I actually have no clue how the process of registering a cultivar though or what is required.