Multi-leaved Cattleya

13 years ago

Hello everyone! I got this beauty on clearance at the local supermarket the other day. Unfortunately, without a name tag. What has me wondering is the number of leaves on two of the pseudobulbs - 5 on the largest one at the front (pinched at the top) and 3 on the crooked one right behind it. The other 3 smaller p.bulbs have 2 leaves each. Also, the stalks of the p.bulbs look quite strange for a cattleya - somewhat elongated and comprising several segments.
I would welcome any comments on what kind of hybrid this could possibly be and why there is such a variation in leaf count. My own best guess - some kind of Epicattleya? Or should I simply put this "aberration" down to some overexposure to growth hormones/fertilizers?
Another observation, looking at the flower stalk, I'd say it has bloomed without a sheath.
I would also greatly appreciate any advice on the growing conditions for this Cattleya, especially seasonal variation in temperatures. Thank you.

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Comments (4)

parodise
Original Author
13 years ago
A better view of the withered flowers...
arthurm
13 years ago
At the local orchid society these orchids are no longer benched as Cattleyas. They could have other Genera included or in some cases have no Cattleya ancestors at all.
Pity you do not have a name tag because then you get clues re, ancestry and growing conditions required.
Number of leaves. Again depends on the ancestors.
Contorted growth form, thicker leaves than normal? Maybe extra sets of Genes.
2n is normal, but 3n, 4n are common and sometimes result in better flowers

Here is a link that might be useful: Laeliinae Hybrid set of thumbnails.
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arthurm
13 years ago
Just a bit more, yes, some will bloom without a sheath, again, it depends on the ancestors. For sets of Genes above, read sets of Chromosomes.
Included the link above to show the diversity of orchids lumped under the title Cattleyas.
Maybe to get some growing advice, you could give some details of the growing conditions you can provide....indoors all year, under lights? Indoor winter temps etc. etc
parodise
Original Author
13 years ago
arthurm, thanks for all the info. Checked the link - all of plants are so diverse and oh-so-lovely... Do you think you could venture a guess as to what the potential ancestors might have been in this particular case?
As for the two contorted p.bulbs, have you ever seen anything like this happen because of the plant being overfed on fertilizer or some growth stimulant? Or I should rule out this possibility outright?
I have grown some 10 Catts for quite a while now, most of them typical uni- and bifoliates with some odd trifoliate growths popping up occasionally on different plants. From May till late September I keep the plants at the back of a south-facing balcony, in the wintertime the plants hibernate on a windowsill with southern exposure,temps are quite cool. All plants are sturdy and bloom regularly. Last flush of flowers came last December. Oh, I probably need to mention that I'm a big cactus fan, so most of my orchids get growing conditions that are more or less similar to those for cacti, the only difference being probably a bit less direct afternoon sunlight and slightly higher temps in winter (about 18-20C).