Phal. speciosa var. 'alba' or something else

[OzPhal]

Hi Folks,

Some time ago I purchased what was labelled as a P. speciosa var. 'alba' - recently I purchased a P. speciosa - now I know there's issue about P. speciosa being P. tetraspis etc but I'm wanting to look simply at the growth habit of these two orchids at the moment - to me they look like two different species but I'm not sure which is which:

P. speciosa var. 'alba'

P. speciosa

[Ray]

You cannot tell anything from the growth habit. You'll have to wait and see the flowers to have any chance of confirming identities.

Sure, there are some differences in growth habits among species, but some are just too similar to use that as a diagnostic tool.

[OzPhal]

Originally Posted by Ray

You cannot tell anything from the growth habit. You'll have to wait and see the flowers to have any chance of confirming identities.

Sure, there are some differences in growth habits among species, but some are just too similar to use that as a diagnostic tool.

Thanks for your input ray...

[zxyqu]

Ray's spot on, especially given the plants aren't the same size and haven't been grown in your area for most of their "life." I have both tetraspis and speciosa (sic), and their growth habit is very similar.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

I believe that if there every was a true speciosa in cultivation, it was interbred with tetraspis, which gives us 'C#1', most likely an intergrated hybrid.

[OzPhal]

Thanks everybody for your input! looks like this little Phal grower is going to have to show some patience!

So are there any 'true' P. speciosa in existence?

[naoki]

Originally Posted by TheBlazingAugust

I believe that if there every was a true speciosa in cultivation, it was interbred with tetraspis, which gives us 'C#1', most likely an intergrated hybrid.

I've heard that C1 is a clone of a wild-collected. There seems to be a couple versions of these stories. So Cody, what story do you know about the origin of C1?

[quiltergal]

Yeah, inquiring minds want to know! C#1 sure seems to be shrouded in mystery.

[zxyqu]

Well I think it's shrouded in mystery because no one knows, and there are people on both sides who believe C1 is really speciosa, and others who think that C1 is a tetraspis and that speciosa, as originally described, is extinct or not in cultivation. I tend to lean on the side of speciosa being C1, but taht's an opinion based on the flowering of C1 vs tetraspis (short red barring pattern or white, vs random 1/2 to full sepal petal coloring of C1). Just my opinion and my 2 cents.