New candidate for this week is a Cattleya Bouncing Rosie (Cattleya loddigesii x Cattleya Haiku Rose).

Cattleya Bouncing Rosie was originated by Exotic Orchids of Maui and registered by Kim Feddersen in 2014. Cattleya Haiku Rose is the cross between Cattleya Ruth Gee and Cattleya Horace. This cross has many species in background, most important are C. loddigesii, C. trianae, C. mossiae and many other.

Previous Awards:

There is no awards for this cross.

There is no AOS awards for Cattleya Haiku Rose.

There are 10 AOS awards for Cattleya Ruth Gee and 3 AOS awards for Cattleya Horace (just one cultivar 'Maxima' AM/AOS).

There are 71 AOS awards for Cattleya loddigesii. The most recent award was in March 2021, cultivar 'Mirtha Isobel' AM/AOS 80 pts.

Description:

The candidate plant has 16 flowers and 4 buds on 8 unstaked inflorescences up to 19 cm in height. Plant has 19 growths and growing in 20 cm (8 in.) clay pot. Plant is 71 cm wide and 42 cm in height.

Flower Measurements:

NS H - 13.1 cm; NS V - 13.0 cm;

Dorsal Sep. W - 3.0 cm; Dorsal Sep. L - 7.2 cm;

Petal W - 6.0 cm; Petals L - 7.1 cm;

Lat/Sepal W - 2.8 cm; Lat/Sepal L - 6.2 cm;

Lip/Pouch W - 4.5 cm; Lip/Pouch L - 6.7 cm.

Judges' Comments

Al Messina (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Criteria/standards for awarding Cattleyas have risen over the years to be quite high. AOS judges encourage overall improvement relative to ancestry. While this candidate presents with twenty flowers and buds, and can be enjoyed by many as a pretty potted plant, certain features negate an AOS award on this bloom: flower count (per inflorescence) is suboptimal (less than parent/grandparents); flower size is considerably smaller; arrangement is not pleasing; inconsistency of form (petals). I suspect that one or two more weeks of increased watering and, perhaps, earlier careful staking (important for exhibition) would improve the overall presentation as well as removing the distracting wire hardware prior to photography.

Kris Mason (Accredited Judge, Cincinnati Judging Center)

Lip shape and color are beautiful and appear to be consistent nice medium lavender. Random darker spotting that comes from loddigesii is not dark enough to be distracting and does not detract from flowers. Ruffling on petals is nice but inconsistent from flower to flower with some flowers having notching. Petals are flat compared to parentage. Sepals on fully open flowers have a nice presentation. Overall display is crowded. Flower count is slightly low per inflorescence but makes up for it with number of inflorescences. Natural spread is above the geometric mean. Petal width is above the geometric mean. Sepal width is below the geometric mean. Lip width is at the geometric mean. I am close for a quality award for this lovely plant and pointed at 73 points if in person and texture could be better evaluated I could see this being a low HCC. One addition that would help with evaluating texture would be to take a close up picture with bright light shining on the flower (and because different parts can have different texture, if a difference is seen, multiple pictures). With substance, although it is not the same as in person, if in the video substance was demonstrated similar to what we do in person, it could help evaluate that feature. I do not feel that this plant quite reaches the level of consideration for a cultural award on this flowering.

Ramon de los Santos (Accredited Judge, California-Sierra Nevada Judging Center)

To me this a very well grown plant. The flowers are well presented, and color is very pleasing. They are quite flat which is typical for first generation C. loddigesii crosses. The form is good but could be fuller since the parents C. Hiku Rose is a very full and most of the newer C. loddigesii have very full shape. I do like the lip. This cross should have good substance because of C. loddigesii. I'll give this plant a border line AM and a cultural award of CCM.

Regard,

Ramon de los Santos

Ken Jacobsen (Accredited Judge, Pacific Central Judging Center)

This candidate, Cattleya Bouncing Rosie, is very well grown and bloomed and has been well displayed by the exhibitor. Despite the large number of flowers, I don’t think a cultural award can be considered on this blooming, as there simply aren’t sufficient flowers to compete with a well-bloomed loddigesii. If there are significantly more flowers next year, and the culture is similar, I think it could be considered then for a cultural award.

To consider a quality award, we should look not just at the parents, but also other similar crosses. Since loddigesii has been a popular Cattleya parent, it isn’t difficult to find good examples. One that has quite a few awards is Cattleya Heathii, which is loddigesii (or harrisoniana, which was part of loddigesii when Heathii was registered) x walkeriana. Although most walkeriana flowers are smaller than those of Haiku Rose, some of the Heathii flowers (now listed in the AOS awards program only as x dolosa, even the man-made version) are of comparable size, and have far fuller segments with better carriage of the petals. Perhaps a better comparative is Cattleya Beaumisnel, which is loddigesii x Culminant, since the Culminant parent would have a similar size and flower count to Haiku Rose. Although this hasn’t been awarded, the flowers are very similar, although a bit larger, than the Bouncing Rosie up for consideration. Beaumisnel also has the upswept petals that can be seen on Bouncing Rosie, which I think present a bit of a balance issue for this flower.

I would not consider this plant for a quality award, but I would think it has the potential for a cultural award on future blooming.

Deb Boersma (Student Judge, Great Lakes Judging Center)

Cattleya Bouncing Rosie

A very charming flower and a nicely grown plant. The picture showing the side view shows how flat the flowers are. The flower is full and round, the petals are wide. The flower looks very symmetrical and the lip is nicely shaped and beautiful ruffled margins. The petals have inherited some slight ruffling from the Cattleya Haiku Rose parent and great form from the C. loddigesii parent.

The soft lavender color is pleasing and the lip with the light lavender blushing along the margin and bold yellow contrasting throat is quite appealing. It is an elegant flower.

It has 2 flowers per inflorescence with 2.5 possible with buds opened, floriferousness is within the range of the parents/grandparents. The arrangement could have been improved with staking of the inflorescences, flowers seem to be crowded and slightly tilted. Flower size is within the same range as the C. loddigesii parent with a broader lip passed on from the other parent. I would have thought the natural spread and flower segments would have been increased more with the Ruth Gee and Horace in the parentage but size is only 10 points.

I would be willing to nominate this plant for a quality award and point it at an HCC of 76-77 perhaps more with better presentation of the flowers.

Thanks Deb

David Edgley (Accredited Judge, Western Canada Judging Center)

C. Bouncing Rosie appears to be an attractive well-grown and flowered plant. As Haiku Rose has no awards, my knowledge of it comes from OrchidWiz. Although quite attractive, I find the form a bit unbalanced with the petals help up at such an angle making the flower seem a bit top-heavy. This leaves the lateral sepals prominently displayed which are not the most attractive parts of the flower. C. loddegisii does this sometimes but the Haiku Rose parent has rather attractive standard Cattleya form. The flower size is good but the lip is small as one might expect. Two flowers per inflorescence is reasonable but could be more. I would not recommend a quality award for this flowering. I don’t think there are enough flowers to consider this plant for a cultural award based on what I see in the record for C. loddigesii.

Ginna Plude (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

I don't think I can say one way or the other on whether this might be an awardable plant or not. I feel like this is one I would really need to see in person to confirm what I'm seeing or not seeing. The flowers are lovely and with the flower count, a lovely overally display. Some of the flowers seem a bit crowded on one end of the plant, and some flowers have petals that look to be angled up very high. In one photo there looks to be some spotting on one another flower. As I said, I think this one needs to be seen in person.

Ettore di Giovanni (Student Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy)

Beautiful plant with over 17 growths. The flowers have an excellent general shape and a beautiful mauve color, as well as considerable size. The petals are large and well arranged but could be more flattened at the edges. The sepals are arranged at the vertices of an equilateral triangle in a practically perfect way and constitute an ideal background for the lip which is well proportioned and symmetrical. The many inflorescences bear numerous flowers well arranged throughout the crown of the plant, giving it a magnificent and florid appearance. As far as cultivation is concerned, I believe that the pseudobulbs could be cleaned of their now dry sheaths. If I had to give it a score it would be around 82.

Filippo Pilloni (Associate Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy)

A beautiful, vigorous and exceptionally grown plant: immaculate leaves and 8 new growths in one season out of a total of 19 vegetations make it a candidate for a CCM; the contribution of C. loddigesii (50% of the DNA) is clearly visible, the flowers are very full, in some cases with overlapping petals, flat and well open. I really appreciate the slight ruffling of the petals that gives lightness to the whole.

The color is very intense and uniform, with a wider lip thanks to the other parent, pleasantly colored. The number of flowers per stems is a bit low, given the ascendents and also the size is more reminiscent of those of C. loddigesii (about 13 * 12 cm) than those of C. Haiku Rose (about 16 * 16cm). Basically I consider it an improved C. loddigesii in flower shape and size of the lip. However, I believe the plant deserves to be judged and my vote is 86.

Alejandro Capriles (Accredited Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy, retired AOS Judge)

The overall quality of the flowers is slightly less than what could be expected from the cross, with the C. loddigesii being more dominant in form, color and size than C. Haiku Rose. The petals in some of the flowers are slightly asymmetrical. I would’ve preferred a more balanced flower; nevertheless, an overall very pleasant effect and a beautifully grown plant. My score would be around 78 points plus a CCM of 81-82 points.

Deb Bodei (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Cattleya Bouncing Rosie

Observations

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to judge this beautiful cattleya cross. All the flowers are displayed very well, nicely spaced and above the foliage. With the major species in its background, I would expect a flower count closer to three, but the plant is making a nice presentation.

The flower form is full and fairly flat with petals a little 'thrown forward' (mossiae) along with some notching on the upper margins of the petals. The notching is more distracting on some of the flowers, but not all. There are some dorsal sepals reflexing. The lip is nice with good symmetry and proportionate the rest of the flower.

The overall color and color combination is lovely. There is some faint pigment spotting on some of the petals and sepals (from loddigesii) but not enough to be distracting. The size of the flower and its segments fall between loddigesii and the other larger sized species as expected.

Nominations

I would nominate this plant for a flower award and expect it to receive an AM of 81-82 pts. With the lower flower count per stem and weeds present in the pot, I am not ready to consider it for a cultural award on this particular flowering.

Thank you,

Deb

Elena Skoropad (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

It is a very fine cross from looking at the pictures and video. This cross has excellent color saturation and very good and proportional form; nice round petals; contrasting lip. I like yellow throat and a splash of magenta on ruffled lip. The flowers are flat and round and have a good NS of 13 plus cm.

What is interesting that one of the grand parents C. Ruth Gee has pure white petals and sepal and yellow throat. Ruth Gee has 10 AOS awards. Other grandparent C. Horace has 3 awards and it is pink. C. loddigesii is highly awardable and has 72 awards. It looks like the color is coming from loddigesii and Horace and the color is very consistent and deep in our candidate.

The flower count is good; the presentation is good, all flowers held well, flowers are not staked. I think this cross should be recognized taking into consideration flower form, consistency of color and overall pleasing presentation. If I would be scorings would be in low AM range 80-81 point. The score maybe even higher if we would see this plant in person.

Thank you,

Elena

Keith Davis (Keith Davis Orchids, NC)

keithdavisorchids.com

This entry is certainly a fine example of what can happen when breeding with something that contains such stud plants as Ruth Gee and Horace, as combined with the parent called Haiku Rose. Ernest Hetherington discussed the potential of Ruth Gee being able to allow other colors to come through, especially pink, when used in breeding. This, he stated, was due to the fact that the C. trianae used in making Ruth Gee was a tipo colored parent. The Bouncing Rosie shows how true this is as the color on the segments very closely parallels the tipo forms of many clones of loddigesii, ie. the shell pink we so love and admire. The Haiku Rose parent is about 35% trianae. Also, quite notable, is that the subject flowers have a pleasing labiate Cattleya type lip, far removed from the lip so often seen when breeding with loddigesii or harrisoniana. The Haiku Rose is made up entirely of labiate Cattleya species in the background which overwhelms the tendency to have a cut lip or spade type lip. Notable also is that the Haiku Rose would almost for certain be a tetraploid as both Ruth Gee and Horace are. This fact makes Haiku Rose even more likely to dominate. It would be interesting to know if the loddigesii parent was 4N or 2N. Noticing the nice shell pink color without spots, I would guess the loddigesii was a 2N. Seems most 4n loddigesii that I have seen are not clear shell pink in color and very often have some spotting or stippling. If indeed a 2n was crossed with the 4n parent, this subject would most likely be a triploid and this might be one reason no progeny from this grex has been recorded over the ensuing years since it was registered. Another interesting fact is that the loddigesii kept the flower count up but not over crowded which is a great trait. I would bet that some of the other sibblings did not exhibit this trait but tended more towards the lower count found on the majority of the labiate species in the background. From the photo it also appears that less than half the growths are bifoliate, again the 4N parent ruling. I like the proportions of the flowers to the plant size and how the flowers carry well without staking. Also, the multiple leads all in bloom at about the same time is a great bonus along with a tight internode growth space that allows for a specimen plant in a relatively small pot. The flowers seem to be well proportioned, good shaped, especially considering the bifoliate parent, color is outstanding with the segments quite evenly saturated and the contrasting yellow in the lip is pleasing. The lip on this plant is way more than one could normally expect. To me, it would be hard to deduct a lot of points from this if you started at 100 and went down. I would say this should score at least in the mid 80’s.

I do want to share a photo of another plant that has Ruth Gee as a parent and is called Easter Morning. The other parent was C. skinneri ‘Carpinteria’ FCC/AOS. Again, look at what a white with a lot of pink trianae in the background allowed to come forth. It even let the “eye’ in the upper part of the lip come through from the ‘Carpinteria’ clone. It is almost unbelievable that one parent of this was a large white Cattleya. It just goes to show you how important it is to know what is in the background of your breeding plants. Research is critical, yet so much more easy to do in this day and time, if one just has the desire.

Good growing to each of you…

Keith Davis

Exhibitor - Kim Feddersen - Fair Orchids, NJ

Virtual Award Description

Sixteen full, round flowers and four buds nicely presented on eight strong, upright inflorescences; sepals and petals lavender, speckled dark lavender distally, sepals lanceolate, petals ovate, margins finely ruffled; lip broad, white, side lobes closed over column, overlaid pink, midlobe throat cream-yellow, apex dark lavender, margins ruffled, lavender; column and anther cap white; substance firm; texture diamond dust.

Grower's Advice

I bought 5 plants (from Exotic Orchids of Maui), and grew them to BS. All 5 were interesting, Kyle bought one and I kept the other 4. All of these plants died in the Dec 2017 freeze at the former Tewkesbury Orchids. However, I had sold one backbulb division to Bill Stender about a year before the freeze. Later he gave that plant back to me, and I have since given him a piece back again; this is a source of the sole survivor.

The plant is extremely vigorous. It produces a spring growth from each lead, and that growth then produces two more growths in the late summer/early fall. When I divided my plant one year ago, it produced 3 main divisions plus 4 backbulb divisions. Right now every division is in bloom (incl. all the BB divisions).

Best,

Kim