Orchid of the Week

This week’s Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Via Horizons ‘Simplicity’

Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. Reginetta x Cym. Calico Horizons

Registered: 1999

The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:

This week we feature a bit of an enigma in the Orchid Wise Orchid of the Week…..and I hope others can chime in and assist in answering the question…..Where did those spots come from?!

One might look at the spots on this flower and be forgiven for thinking this is descended from Cym. tracyanum. However, there isn’t any Cym. tracyanum in the genetic makeup at all! Cym. insigne accounts for just over 50% of the genetic makeup with Cym. lowianum contributing another 22%. I haven’t seen photos of many of the ancestors to know if spots are a feature, but to me, I might suggest this is a mislabelled plant, descended from Cym. tracyanum.

Is this plant the real deal?

That might not be a popular opinion, but how else can you account for the way it looks? There are of course some similar (but not the same) flowers out there and Cym. Pywacket come to mind as the closest possible match.

But, maybe, it is the real deal! Strange things happen in nature!

Whatever the parentage, this plant has sold in great numbers around the world, and seems to be a popular novelty plant. Unfortunately it won’t find a place in my shade house, at least not until I am convinced as to exactly what its name really is.

I’d love to be able to remake this grex to see what the outcome is, but I doubt I will ever see the parents in order to do this. If anyone has the parents and can remake the cross I’d love for you to get in touch.

Looking back at the original species ancestors of Cym. Reginetta and Cym. Calico Horizons, using Orchid Roots, Cym. insigne, Cym. lowianum and Cym. eburneum are the major contributors in the distant background.

The above photo was taken from Flickr.