Victory and defeat in the cultivation of plants of the Cattleya Alliance.
Autumn blooming
Published Tuesday, November 15, 2005 by Damon | E-mail this post 
Autumn has been an exciting period for my collection, I've had quite a few plants come into bloom. Blooms have been running the gamut from silly corsage style cattleyas to rare cool growing species.
At the left is Prosthecea vitellina, a cool growing species from Central America. The flowers are a magnificent shade of orange, have a waxy substance and are long lasting. The inflorescence is manageable and the flowers open sequentially from the bottom up. To my knowledge, it hasn't been widely used in hybridizing. This plant would seem to have excellent qualities for breeding brightly colored, cold tolerant plants.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lc. Nippon 'Livinza' finally bloomed. The spikes and buds took months to mature. The blooms were a bit disappointing and seem dated compared to the classic, simple lines of Prosthecea vitellina. The plant is huge vegetatively and a veritable space hog. Also, despite claims, this plant did not have a fragrance.
Finally, there are the blooms of Slc. India Rose Sherwood 'Kiilani'. A magnificent Cattleya Chocolate Drop hybrid that has a light fragrance reminiscent of lemon verbena. The lip has a velvety texture and the lovely flowers are held on nice strong stems. I look forward to many more years of growing this one.
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