Dear Mr. Bhide
Thank you very much for your help. To be honest this plant is a C. warscewiczii var semi alba (Clone name Katia). This plant was discovered about 15 years ago in the forest of Uraba region (Antioquia-Colombia) I do not have right now a picture because I am not in my city, but I would like to show you the beautiful balance in the shape and color when I can do it. I got this plant from the native tribe Embera-katios. My friend a well recognized orchideologist named the plant. Nevertheless, warscewiczii alba and semialba clones are very difficult to grow. Additionally, I think they are no more than a dozen of people with this original plants from the rain forest(I do not know if someone has clonated this plant). I have visited people who has this plant, but they are in a bad condition. Moreover, because of the drug addicts, the rain forest is rapidly being deforested and the guerrilla and drug dealers make impossible to go to the forest. I guess in maybe 10 years warscewiczii will disappear.
I have others plants, but maybe this pest came from the forest. The funny thing is that the alba clones and semialba coerulescen are never affected despite they share same space. However, Hybrid cattleyas like your aliance and othesr red like Lia chin (Yellow-Red, Red) showed this fungus.

I will isolate these plants and cut the affected bulbs. I will them used a fungicide and see if I can save them.

These warscewiczii and another cattleyas species from colombia are a responsability for me because they are unique. This is not a business for me I have never gotten a coin for my natives species. Indeed I will never sell anyone. I hope I can reforest some day!!!

Thanks a lot

Carlos A.







Quote Originally Posted by Halloamey View Post
Hi Carlos, good that you added the pictures og the whole plant, and I am afraid to tell that the plant in the picture is suffereing from a systemic fungal infection and it can be really a pain in the ass to get rid of this. The typical symptom of the rot can be seen in the picture of the whole plant and the rhizome (part of the plant joining the pseudobulbs) As you can see the pseudobulbs and the rhizome is turning black and the colouration is spreading from the bottom to the top. As the base of the pseudobulb is rotted, the leaves do not get water and show dehydration symptoms.It is very much possible that the infection has spread to many of your plants. Thats all with the bad news, now comes the good part, the remedy. The only thing that you can do is demount your plants (yes the wood will be infected with the fungus) Cut away the blackened pseudobulbs with clean sterile sharp blades (sterlize blades between different plants). For eg, for the plant in the picture, only the new growth and the pseudobulb from which it has arisen can stay, everything else has to GO ! (you can keep the cut out pseudobulbs in a special quarantine area and see if any back bulbs sprout I would recommend this only if the plants are expensive and rare, otherwise it is best to get rid of all infectious material). Dust the cuts with a fungicide powder and let the plant stand in a dry pot in a bright spot with plenty of ventilation for a few weeks (no watering for atleat a week just mist the leaves leaving the wound dry), so that the wound dries out and heals. Do this for all the affected plants and thorougly spray your grow area with a good fungicide every week for atleast a few months. After about a month the treated plants can be remounted on new fungicide treated wood and regular care can commence. I love C. warscewiczii you have to save this one LOL!!