First Place and Speaker’s
Choice: Clowesetum Black Jade
‘Green Back’ AM/AOS

Grower: Mary Anne DeGrazia

This striking green
flower comes from a cross of
Clowesia russelliana by
Catasetum expansum. The
plant shown is a division of the plant that Bill Timm showed when
earning the AOS award. Mary
Anne’s division is a young plant just reaching blooming size.

Second
Place: Rhyncholaeliocattleya
Susan Fender ‘Cinnamon Stick’
AM/AOS

Grower:
Tony Nacinovich

Rlc. Susan Fender is probably the most frequently
shown plant on our plant table.
It is a beautiful orchid and was selected by Greg Allikas and Ned
Nash as the cover image for their book,
The World’s Most Beautiful
Orchids. They state
“Often blooming more than once a year, Pot. Susan Fender ‘Cinnamon
Stick’ AM/AOS can produce flowers that very in color depending on the
temperature and light conditions of the blooming season.”
The plant shown had exceptionally dark, even color.

Third
Place: Dendrobium Emma Lai

Grower:
Carol Wood

Carol showed this unregistered, mid-size dendrobium
with lots of flowers. The
pure white flower has as nice lavender-pink throat in the lip.
An online search didn’t provide any further information about the
origins of the grex.
Regardless of the name tracing difficulties, it makes a very good lanai
growing plant for our area – dependable, showy and of moderate size.

Members
Choice: Rhyntonleya Jane
Fumiye

Grower:
Jane Camarota

This plant was entered as
Otaara Jane.
Orchid registration records do not have such a plant.
As an Otaara (a genera
probably no longer valid) it had
Brassavola, Broughtonia, Cattleya, and Laelia in its background.
Although this group has several name changes, the flowers show
the influence of Broughtonia.
Further research found a plant,
Rhyntonleya Jane Fumiye that strongly resembles the plant shown.
The background reflects the breeding of an
Otaara, and the addition of
Fumiye is needed to correct a missing part of a tag.

This is another case when naming the orchid is much
harder than appreciating it. Members found the cluster of bright pink
flowers held well above the foliage very attractive.

–Ted Kellogg