The violet might be Beallara Marfitch 'Howard's Dream'...lots of pics on Google.

Thanks! It may be a bllra but as I recall does blla have long leeds? I used to have one around somewhere...giggle. I have now taken to photographing the entire plant b/c I can't remember when I shoot only the buds.

Clara
Having a "Blonde Moment"

With four genera (Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia (or Miltoniopsis) x Odontoglossum) in the background, each cross and even plants within the cross could have widely varying growth habits, depending on what pops up in the genetic expression. These are incredibly complex hybrids, so it is really unreliable to generalize about habit. I will say that *most* exeamples of the species in thos four genera are not really known for being rangy, but there are exceptions (Milt. spectabilis, for example). However, even if a rangy species is in the background, it may not dominate for plant habit.

-Cj

Clara, can you post a pic of the first plant? I have Howards Dream, but the leaves seem to look different.

Jane

Do you mean the whole plant? I don't think this plant is a well built intergen. It has a lot of colour inconsistencies. I am keeping it cut from the pack just in case. It almost has a grey cast over it. Another bud opened today. The lip is bright violet but the rest is grey/violet. I don't like the looks of the colour breaks.

Clara

{{gwi:1119992}}

I think the colour break isn't so much colour break as it is just splotches of colour tht alomost coalesce. Those sort of blotches and things come from the Odontoglossum background.

Overall, it doesn't look too bad to me, it just has sortof a muddy pattern, rather than crisp, clear markings that you would have in a pure Odont. Things like colour clarity are sometimes sacrificed for a few generations in a breeding program to introduce warmth tolerance and hybrid vigour. Two of the background genera are totally cool-cold growing cloud forest denizens and depending on if you're dealing with Miltonia or Miltoniopsis, one of the others is as well. However, I think there is some Miltonia spectabilis v. moreliana in there, which accounts for the purple colour, overall and also for the muddiness and loss of distinct patterns.

-Cj