Name that orchid - part 1

[Piper]

This guy was my mystery orchid for years. It's a mini-catt that I picked up about seven years ago (untagged). My light was all right, but not awesome (windowsill) and it produced new leaves, but only spiked once or twice and those aborted. (I now suspect it was thirsty. I was so nervous about over-watering back then, I erred the other way.)

I've been in my current abode for a year and a half now and the light is incredible (for Massachusetts, it's incredible). New growth abounded, I was much more attentive about regular watering. Last fall it rewarded me with its first blooms. It's now blooming twice a year (this is the third go round).

It produces two spikes with a double bloom per spike (as you can see here). This time and the last, I only got one bloom on the second spike. A bit more water as the spike develops might help that.

The flowers start out very green, but over the first week, the color deepens into this very intense yellow-orange (the third picture shows the color best, although it's actually a tad darker and more vibrant than in the picture. I think the reflected flash lightened it in the photo.

The flowers are barely 4" top to bottom. The first two bloomings lasted about 2-2 1/2 weeks. This time I experimented with a more frequent watering schedule after the flowers opened and they're still going strong after a month! If I step that up during spike and bud formation next time, I might just get that fourth bud.

Now for the $64K question... Does anyone have any idea who this guy is?

Julie

[Tanya]

Hello Piper,

I can't help you with the ID but I want you to know that thats a beautiful mini catt. And I want one .

[Sue]

Looks/sounds to me like it's got some Richard Mueller background. I've no idea what it might actually be, however, and I despair of being able to get a positive ID, despite the green-to-orange fading being quite distinctive. A shame; it's a very nice bloom.

[Piper]

Thanks, Tanya!

This will make no sense, but just as I love the Odontoglossums for their bigger flowers (over the Oncidiums - guess I've seen too many of those), I love mini-catts for their petite stature. My grandmother raised orchids and loved the big catts for corsages. Been there, lived that.

Some mini-catts are pure splash and show. Whatever this one is, it has an understated elegance that I love. The color is intense, the lines delicate. It's not an overpowering mix of big features.

Well, here's to the base-born! (She raises her glass and drinks to the nameless orange mini-catt...)
Julie

[Piper]

Hi Sue,

I don't know Richard Mueller from Corn Flakes. Could you please shed some light?

I'm also curious about what you meant, "despite the green-to-orange fading being quite distinctive." Is that a bad thing? It was actually quite delightful for me - discovery after years of watching green leaves. I guess that's what orchid ownership is!

Thanks for you thoughts,
Julie

[Sue]

Hi Sue,

I don't know Richard Mueller from Corn Flakes. Could you please shed some light?

It's a good thing I'm here to straighten this out:

1. Richard Mueller is a famous Brassolaelia hybrid (Brassavola nodosa x Laelia milleri). It and its progeny are well known for their habit of changing colors over the lifespan of the individual blooms. Many also have spots on the lip, similar to those on yours.

2. Corn Flakes is a famous actor of the 1930's. He was well known for his high-wire act, in which he would juggle small dogs. He was four feet tall, and was born without a stomach. He died in 1967 in a tragic subdermal helium balloon incident.

I'm also curious about what you meant, "despite the green-to-orange fading being quite distinctive." Is that a bad thing? It was actually quite delightful for me - discovery after years of watching green leaves. I guess that's what orchid ownership is!

As I mentioned above, some minicatts do the color-change thing, especially Brassolaelia minicatts. Most, however, go from yellow to orange or red-orange. I've never heard of a shift from green to orange. This is what I would call "supa-cool," or perhaps, "damn nifty." I would only call it "bad" in the sense that Michael Jackson used the term in the 80's, and never "bad" in the sense that we might use to describe Michael Jackson today.

[Heather]

Ok, that was really funny. Good thing too, I'm having a rotten morning (I know! It's only 5!) and might have had to kill someome. So thanks for the laugh, Sue!

If anyone's interested in the history of Kellogg, let me know...

Very nice catt by the way - I like the laelia inspired ones as well.

[Piper]

Sue, I'm glad you straightened out my confusion on mini-catts, cereal and Michael Jackson. That's a valuable service you provide!

And I think you're dead on with the Richard Mueller. The colors are right, and I hadn't realized that the color change was a bit unusual. When it first bloomed I thought a greenish cat with hints of orange was weird, but then it morphed into such a lovely shade. Now I just wait for it to happen.

This URL is the best RM hybrid fit I could find to what I have. The spotting isn't the same, but it sure looks a lot like mine: http://www.pbase.com/orchid_maestro/image/541498

Thanks for the info! The babe at least now knows it's father!

Julie

[Piper]

Still ticking...

As of tomorrow, this dude has now been blooming for 7 weeks! The orange gets washed out by the camera's flash to a yellow, so I've been playing with no-flash shots. These are dark, but much more color accurate. (The yellow one was with the flash, for comparison.)

Julie

[bubba]

That's a stunning mini-catt. It must ot be easy to get it to do its thang in Massachusetts, of all the gray wintry places on earth (no offense meant).

I'll be eager to check out your other orchid pix.

Bubba