I see what they wrote, but I have never heard of a "5N" orchid. My guess is that it is simply a confusing name, or a mistake when typing the web page entry.Originally Posted by masum
Orchids are normally diploid (2N) - having pairs of genes (just like us), and occasionally in nature, and sometimes when chemically treated to do so, produce tetraploid (4N) plants, having double the genes. Those plants tend to be "sturdier" with more substantial flowers, excellent color, and any number of other "improvements". Sometimes they just don't grow very quickly...
When a diploid and tetraploid plant are crossed, one can get triploid (3N) plants, but they tend to be the "mules" of the orchid world - strong performers but incapable of breeding.
To get a "5N" plant, it seems to me that one would have to cross a 4N with a 6N (which does not exist, as far as I am aware). The chemical treatments used to induce polyploidy would attempt (and I suppose mostly fail) to produce 8N from a 4N...
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