Dend. May Neal Uraiwan- Which group?

[Mark V]

I just got a dend. May Neal Uraiwan to bloom after near three years of trying. I don't know how I did it. It still hasn't put out any new growth in all that time. Following Ortchid Man's advice I have started reading C&M Barker's culture sheets but I am not sure which group it most closely fits into; nobile, phalaenopsis or biggibum. Does any one here know ?

[Piper]

Hi Mark,

First, congrats on blooming such a lovely plant! You mentioned that your color didn't photograph accurately. That's all about light. Flash or sunlight will often distort true colors. Play with bright indirect light, but you may also find the light imparts too much yellow into your pictures. Accurate color is a trial and error process, and may need some Photoshop correction in the end.

Your plant is known as an antelope type of Dend, because of its big antelopey ears (at least that's what those long twisty petals sticking up suggest. The correct name is Dend. May Neal. I suspect Uraiwan is its clonal name. If the naming conventions confuse you, read this post:
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/showthread.php?t=4163

Dend. May Neal is a cross between the species schulleri and the primary hybrid Hawaii (tokai x phalenopsis). Schulleri and tokai are both antelope species, more correctly called spatulata of the ceratobium section of the genus Dend. Phalenopsis is of the phalaenanthe section.

So the sections described in Murray's culture sheets are different. Hope this helps!

Julie

[Mark V]

Julie, I understand all of the Latin names are very infrmative to the truly initiated, but at the moment, it's all Greek , and a little overwhelming to me.

What I am looking for may be a little simplistic and possibly nonsense in a practical way. Now you have me thinking a new way. If I find the natural habitat of schulleri, can I base May Neal culture decisions on that? Or has the hybridizing taken it so far from nature that culture needs to be based on modern growers practice?