SITF Blog

Cattleya-cardimii-2023-08-20 *SITF has determined this plant to be Cattleya bradei, not Cattleya cardimii (Aug 2023).
Withner describes C. cardimii with a photo (as Laelia cardimii) in his series "The Cattleyas and their Relatives Vol. 2-The Laelias". It carries three pale yellow flowers on a relatively tall, thin inflorescence with nearly 12 cm to the first flower. Cattleya bradei carries two to four flowers on much shorter inflorescences than C. cardimii on smaller plants like the plant in this submission. This is an excellent match to photos in the IOSPE, OW, orchidroots and the Withner book.

Posted on Aug 20, 2023

Description is as follows: "Three flowers and three buds on two 3-cm inflorescences emerging from the apex of 2-cm pseudobulbs, ovoid, erect, rigid; leaf fusiform, succulent, coriaceous; sepals and p...

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Cattleya-mendelii-2023-08-07 *SITF confirms that this plant is Cattleya mendelii (Aug 2023).
The pseudobulbs are ribbed and more or less cylindrical; photos show a single leathery leaf, which is held nearly vertical and the lip markings fit the description and the photo in the IOSPE. This is a good match to many of the "semi-alba, coerulea" forms of C. mendelii shown in the orchidroots.com.

Posted on Aug 7, 2023

Awarded 78 pt HCC and 88 pt CHM 5-13-2023. Description as follows: "Fourteen delicately and unusually hued semi-alba cerulean flowers on seven 13-cm inflorescences; sepals narrow lanceolate, rolled a...

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C-nobilior-alba-2023-06-07 *SITF confirms that this plant is Cattleya nobilior f. alba (Jul 2023).
This plant is an alba form of Cattleya nobilior, which is a validly published subspecies in Orquidologia Sul-America (2004); it matches the key characteristics of having full side lobes which close over the column and extend to the full length of the column and bifoliate leaves which separates this species from Cattleya walkeriana, which is rarely bifoliate. A very good matching photo of Cattleya nobilior f. alba (Joe Panozo) can be seen in the IOSPE.

Posted on Jun 7, 2023

Two flat, stellate flowers on one 20.3-cm inflorescence; plant with crawling growth habit measuring 10.5cm wide x 6.5cm long; pseudobulbs cylindrical tapering apically, 6.7cm long x 1.8cm in diameter;...

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Cattleya-lawrenceana-f-albescens-2023-05-02 *SITF confirms this plant as Cattleya lawrenceana (May 2023).
This plant matches the description of Cattleya lawrenceana; shape of the lip of C. lawrenceana is very distinctive. There is no published taxonomic description to subspecies of C. lawrenceana for the albescens color, so f. albescens cannot be used in this case. This is an uncommon, lightly colored form of C. lawrenceana. This plant may be a line-bred color mutation that came out of Chadwick's stock.

Posted on May 2, 2023

Plant was awarded as f. albescens but there are no previous awards to this form.

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Cattleya-nevesiana-2022-09-30 *SITF has determined this plant to be Cattleya bradei, not C. nevesiana (Aug 2023).
Plant identification was aided by Francisco Miranda, a noted Brazilian taxonomist, who identified this plant as a "textbook Cattleya bradei". Cattleya nevesiana shows an elongate inflorescence with flowers laxly arranged and a lip with a triangular extension at the end of the midlobe and none of the crisping of the margin as in this flower. The form of this flower is fuller and rounder than C. nevesiana and more closely matches C. bradei.

Posted on Sep 30, 2022

Fusiform pseudobulbs are 5 cm long x 1 cm diameter. Unifoliate caniculate leaves are 7 cm long x 1.5 cm wide. 9 tightly clustered pseudobulbs with short rhizomes in a 7 cm square plastic pot.

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Cattleya-violacea-f-alba-2022-08-29***SITF confirmed this plant is Cattleya violacea f. alba (Aug 2022);
C. violacea has been known to have up to seven flowers on an inflorescence grown on a vigorous plant; this is a colchicine treated plant and could easily have five flowers on one inflorescence; this plant has all the key attributes of C. violacea; it is clearly a Cattleya violacea; forma alba is also a validly published form of C. violacea.***

Posted on Aug 29, 2022

One of the judges on the team, questioned this as a true species since there were five flowers. This plant is a selfing of a plant off of a tree belonging to Ursula Ploch in Venezuela, and was colchic...

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Cattleya-liliputana-2022-08-29 *SITF confirmed this plant as Cattleya liliputana (Nov 2022); the form, color and flower size match the description of C. liliputana; C. liliputana is usually one to rarely three flowered; key characteristics are in the lip with a bright egg-yolk yellow disc, porrect side lobes and midlobe recurved with rose colored margins.*

Posted on Aug 29, 2022

No SITF form completed at judging. See award form for flower measurements. Exhibitor will upload plant photos/measurements at later time. Please contact exhibitor with questions about plant specifics...

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C. warscewiczii-hv-concolor-2022-06-13***Confirmed as Cattleya warscewiczii (Concolor) (Jun 2022); the form of the flower, leaves, and deeply grooved pseudobulbs fit the description of C. warscewiczii; however, hv. concolor is not accepted by Kew WCSPF as a valid subsp. name; but the unique color form should be recognized; Reichenbach coined the term "concolor" for a form of lueddemanniana where the lip disk color is the same as the sepals and petals and Menezes continued its use when describing C. labiata var. concolor; (Concolor) is used here to indicate this plant is in this color group.

Posted on Jun 13, 2022

NO SITF form completed to include with submission. Contact exhibitor (Ben Oliveros) for plant measurements.

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Cattleya-x-hispidula-2022-03-30***Confirmed as Cattleya hispidula (Apr 2022); recognized by Kew as a species (not a natural hybrid); identification aided by Mario Rosim; photos show a range of color forms; the key features are the hairs at the base of the lip, the tall pseudobulbs with tall leaves which have more or less flattened blades; distinctly clawed midlobe margins in contrasting red or orange with the rest of the midlobe and claw white.***

Posted on Mar 30, 2022

Vendor unknown, source Brazil (Redlands Festival 2017) 13 cm wide clay pot, grown in sphagnum, bloomed from 8.5cm green sheath Mauro Rosim made identification as xhispidula, plant originally purchased...

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