Double Orchids
 

Hi, I am a newbie to orchid growing, and have been looking for some nice different cultivars of orchids to keep. In my exploration of the net I have yet to come across a double variety of any species or hybrid orchid. I wondered if any members had any in there collection or had heard of any. Do they exist?

Not sure dagar. I guess that ----- if a double variety exists, then surely they can do a triple variety. But then ------ we just need to define 'double variety'. What do you mean by 'double variety'?

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I haven't seen any. Because orchids have asymmetric flowers, with one petal modfied into a lip, doubling of flower parts might be expected to produce unattractive flowers. I'm guessing any that have shown up were discarded.

I have a Cattleya, which bloomed with several small 'petaloids' in the center of the flower. I kept it, since it is different, and not unattractive.

I have since bloomed another from the same cross, which had the same defect/improvement, though to a lesser degree.

So now assuming the meaning is doubling up of tepals etc --------- it is certainly known that variations from the normal forms (of flowers) are seen ..... due to mutations. Also search for 'perloric' flowers ---- or 'perlorism' in orchid flowers.