Phalaenopsis cornu cervi "Red"

[Royal]

Originally Posted by PaphMadMan

Your "Red" is var. chattaladae only if both parents were var. chattaladae (or the one parent if it is from a selfing) and it matches the official description of the var. Without further information I would guess that "Red" is meant to confirm the color that was desired from the cross, whether var. chattaladae or not. Only the person who produced the seedlings can clarify.

Joseph Wu recently made clones available of a cornu-cervi 'Red'. I picked one up from Big Leaf Orchids.

I was under the impression that these clones may be var. chattalade, but in the absence of specific information about the parents, responsible grower didn't want to make an unsubstantiated claim that it was for sure.

[pop]

Can orchid experts and experienced collectors address my post above on how the flower shape should be evaluated? I need to learn a bit here. Thanks.

[ronaldhanko]

Superb flower - used to grow the greenish one, but this really takes the prize.

[Royal]

Pop,

Flower quality is in the eye of the beholder. There is something to be said about shape and form, as illustrated by the two pictures. In general, rounder and fuller is better. BUT, you must take into account size, flatness, presentation, and more important in my opinion - vigor, ease of growth, fertility, and fragrance.

I know what you mean by trying to learn what traits are desirable. Looking at these differences can help you make better purchaces. But the bottom line is that it's you that will be growing it. Nobody else knows what you like better than you. Go with gut. Just my two cents.

[RosieC]

I agree with Royal, while some traits such as the flatness, roundness, fullness can affect flower quality, really it's all down to what different people like. The best thing to do is buy what you like most, because there's no point growing something you don't like yourself.

[quiltergal]

Pop, I would say the 2nd picture is more typical of the species as far as shape goes. Breeders are doing more and more line breeding selecting for color, shape etc. That may be why the flower in the first photo looks rounder. It's very pretty, but IMO isn't a good representation of the species because it's shape is so different. But, as everyone else has already said buy the one that pleases your eye the most.

[pop]

Thanks for your valuable inputs, guys. Really appreciate it.

I have to say I totally agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that said, I was eager to know how orchid experts judge a flower. I mean orchid judges at competition don't judge based on what they personally like but based on a set of commonly accepted traits.

I am asking also because while I personally do prefer the rounder type as illustrated in the first photo but as I googled more, I seem to feel that it is the second type, the longish type that is more preferred as far as cornu cervi is concerned. Quiltergal might have shed some light about the original natural shape of this flower being a factor.

Before I go out to buy one, I just want to be better informed of market norms. It is just like buying a house, sure, you buy one you like but you want to be aware of what the market generally values so you can make an informed decision.