Show & Tell - Cattleya walkeriana, nobilior, Magairlin

[@angelaharrilal669]

Excellent teaching on walkeriana and nobilor,much to learn from.god bless you for sharing.

[@SVKLOrchids]

My pleasure!

[@charlesmckemie7274]

Beautiful plants and blooms. Very interesting discussion. I learnef something!!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thank you! I'm glad this is helpful!

[@patriciasorchids3999]

Even if it is a hybrid it is still beautiful. They are all beautiful. They look like happy healthy plants.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thank you!

[@CheeryOrchids]

All beautiful!🤗

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thanks!

[@rianmilit]

Beautiful plants! I appreciate a video on C. Dolosa, as very few details are present online. I actually bought one last year, and it's doing well, even without any growing tips founding abundance, like with other hybrids.

[@SVKLOrchids]

It’s such s great cross! I think you’ll like the flowers!

[@BBQNBLUES]

Stephen; *Thank You So Much* for taking the time to educate us on these little factors that *confuse* so many growers ! I've learned so much from your 'talks'. Will move my walkerianas' to an outdoor porch that _Doesn't get artificial light this year in hopes of stimulating blooms. Because of _YOU I just bought a Cat. coerulea walkeriana from Palmers :)

[@SVKLOrchids]

That walkeriana you bought is HUGE! That's a great score on your part! I think you'll very happy when it blooms.

[@euzebiojose9047]

The flowers are stunning!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thank you!

[@gracearbuckle3007]

Thank you for that info I would have never known that. The flowers are absolutely gorgeous

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thank you!

[@maureenswallow3054]

Lot's of useful information so thanks, Bill.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Glad to help!

[@Spencer_Plant_Projects]

i love seeing the potential of a large specimen plant when it really gets going, that alba nobilior is a treat for the eyes, and I'm sure for the nose when you are in person.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Yes, it smells great! Not as good as the walkeriana tho.

[@andredumas9547]

Hi Stephen, very interesting lesson on hybrids vs species. I was told that species may not be imported in Canada (?) Being a beginner orchid grower I don’t see the importance of species, but I was told that hybrids are often superior to species. Thanks for this interesting video Stephen.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Hi Andre, I suspect species can be shipped to Canada with the proper permits in place. Most people starting with orchids prefer hybrids and then drift towards growing more species as their love of the hobby progresses, my self included! I'm not sure why this happens, but it's very common!

[@Muffin21814]

Thank you so much for this video!!! I have a no id. Not sure what it is, now I can at least take a look and see something. 😊👍

[@SVKLOrchids]

It's always fun to guess the heritage of a NoID!

[@loho1125]

Amazing🤩🤩🤩

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thanks!

[@thedignator]

Hi Stephen, thanks for all the great information in this and your other videos! I really like the fact that you respond to questions! I have several seedling sized walkeriana's and nobiliors in my collecetion. I was on the hunt for a walkeriana alba, but I think now that there isn't such a thing? Do you know why I do see nobilior alba's but no true walkeriana alba's? Thanks!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Good question! There are walkeriana albas, jus that the breeding line has become polluted (especially in the USA) with the Pendentive line, which includes loddigesii in its heritage. At this point, I think you’ll have to import from Brazil to get back to the species for that color variety. It’s pretty frustrating!

[@kathleenhoughton6129]

Hi Stephen, I have purchased 2 different cattlaya walkeria this summer and want to know what you did about blocking light from your neighbors, my greenhouse back is east on fence line and neighbors carport motion light comes on.....I know 1 is hybrid but the new purchase is supposed to be a species....sure it is an import bare root semi alba, and it was definitely dehydrated much better now after a week.

[@SVKLOrchids]

I put up a board on the side of my growspace to block the neighbor’s light. I’ve got a bunch of nubbins popping out so hopefully I’ve got some spikes. Your import probably won’t bloom for a few years at least and the “hybrid” can bloom in fall or spring.

[@orchidhouse]

Great video! Thanks!

[@TheDanEdwards]

Especially like the cross with C. aclandiae. (btw, while only my Norwegian cousins still use the æ symbol, their pronunciation has strayed quite a bit from its use in latin-driven scientific publications. In older literature you will find species names that use the single symbol æ. A more latin-esque pronunciation is as a long A.) Regarding cryptic hybridization - since so many of these species readily interbreed, I think of any of the populations of these orchids as being admixed to some degree. Admixture over thousands of generations is likely what has led to the proliferation of varietal forms of species that exist.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Very true! I think understanding the subtle differences imported from such natural crossings helps people spot unscrupulous or even unintentional hybrid creation sold as species. So many awarded plants are labeled as species but have distinct influences from another plant, which then skews judging standards! It’s frustrating!

[@TheDanEdwards]

​@@SVKLOrchids Yes, but I am hinting at more fundamental problems for taxonomists and understanding evolution. Hobbyists almost never collect from the wild (which is illegal pretty much everywhere these days), though poachers today still do (and orchids in general are at high risk of extinction.) But in the past, collecting from the wild by the thousands (to hundreds of thousands) brought to the collectors plants whose histories were parts of populations where admixture would have been part of the history of the genus. The idea of a plant being a "true" species is problematic. If one means that a plant is 100% identical to the lectotype, then fine. But who is to say the lectotype was sufficiently representative of the population from which it was plucked? Populations, of orchids especially, undergoing speciation can exhibit quite a bit of variation. I suspect this (along with admixture) is what is causing a lot of unnecessary proliferation of species named. I'm thinking of what is happening in taxonomy of the Encyclias, some of the Epidendrums, and even the Mexican Laelias. Many variations are being defined as species, while others are being declared as natural hybrids (example: L. crawshayana) when, at least to me, such decisions are at best premature and may even be detrimental. And hybridizers of the past were not necessarily malicious in their crossings of what they thought were the same species but today are recognized as not so. Examples are many, such as with C. guttata/C. tigrina .

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@TheDanEdwards Yes, there are certainly some inherent difficulties in taxonomy. However, the pursuit of understanding relationships between the different should not be hampered by those difficulties. I certainly don't envy any taxonomists that deal with Encyclias!

[@toddstropicals]

I guess there's some growers in Brazil that these are what they specialize in. Just got a semi alba walkeriana.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Yes, there are entries nurseries and even societies dedicated to these guys!

[@plantreviewsuk1204]

Hello, I love fragrant flowers and wanted a walkeriana for a while: I found on offer in UK two forms, a purple and a white (alba) variety. Does the intensity of the frargance changes according to the colour? I read once that generally in Cattlya species, the pink and lavander forms are more fragrant than the white and the caerulea forms, but I can see you have direct experience, so I really wanted to ask you

[@SVKLOrchids]

I haven’t noticed any difference in scent of walkeriana (or any Cattleya!) based on color. I’d recommend getting both color varieties just so you have both in your collection!

[@plantreviewsuk1204]

@@SVKLOrchids I wish I had enough space for getting any orchid I wanted lol !!! Thanks for your reply, maybe I will go with the purple, I love strong colours!!!

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@plantreviewsuk1204 enjoy and let me know if you have questions!

[@plantreviewsuk1204]

@@SVKLOrchids thanks very much, looking at the pseudobulbs of the purple plant on offer, I tought they weren't much spherical and thought maybe might be a hybrid, so I decided to go for the white, whose pseudobulbs looked very spherical. Also, I have already Brazilian Jewel Cute, which is pinkish purple like many walkeriana varieties. I decided to wait for a purple walkeriana until I find a very dark purple variety. Hope the purple walkerina is actually not a Dolosa Gorgeous, but this was listed as a separate variety, so I hope that at least the white walkeriana is a real pure walkeriana

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@plantreviewsuk1204 I bet you’ll love the blooms regardless! Hopefully you get Brazilian Jewel and the walkeriana blooming at the same time!

[@toddstropicals]

I actually purposely got some hybrids which one should be blooming soon the jungle nobility. And I have that cross the nobilior x aclandiae some nbs seedlings (4)

[@SVKLOrchids]

Where did you get them from?

[@miche7032]

👍🏼👍🏼

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

unscrupulous vendors? There aren't any of those around 🤣 🤣 🤣 It's like the seedling I bought as walkeriana 'Pink". It is a ways from blooming, but if that is a pure walkeriana, I'm the queen of England.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Ha! Let me know if I ever need to start calling you "His Royal Highness"