My Cattleya Hail Storm is in bloom out in the gree...I mean out in the yard this morning. A primary hybrid of C. bowringian and skinneri, it tends to combine the unfavorable traits of each horticulturally...the growths are very long and gangly, while the inflorescence tends to be shorter and have fewer flowers than a well-flowered bowring. One plus, though, it has a fragrance...smelling somewhat like an uncorked bottle of vanilla extract.

It is hard to capture these flowers properly in pixels...the edge of the throat is much darker than it appears here, a rich dark purple that is almost black in appearance.

Personally, I would've traded this plant away, but it's become one of my wife's favorites...since I'm always trying to get her a bit more immersed in the orchid hobby, anything that she likes, we keep.





Enjoy!
---Prem