I, like......

Registered name is Hsinying Max-walker. Beautiful colour. Endless confusion here because of the Benching Class name. "Seedling" meaning raised from seed. Though some people rightly think it also means a small plant flowering for the first time so they put mericlones in that Class.

I know, I know! No one wants to bench their plants!

So do they use the same dumb class name over there?

Thanks Arthurm, I don't know what they do over here, I've never been to a plant judging.

I don't remember if I bought it as a mericlone or seedling, but I looked up Hsinying Max-Walker and it looks different. Would that mean it's a sibling to the named cross or a remake of the cross? I know you've explained this a hundred times but I tend to gloss over on the technicalities.

James, Seedlings are like children, they both have a mom and a pop, but none look or act exactly like either mom or pop. the walkeriana parent of your plant is a "blue" (coerulea) form of the parent...there are many others that look very different. Someone using another variety of that parent in another cross with the same C. maxima will produce much different seedlings (children).

Clones are exact genetic copies of a particular plant. Every one of them should look and act exactly like the plant they came from.

Generally the term "first bloom seedlings" is reserved for seedlings of a cross that are blooming for the very first time. Clones, being exactly like the plant they came from have technically bloomed before, probably many times. This term is considerably abused, though.

That help?

Bill

I understand the genetics, the thing that gets confusing is the name. If you cross 2 plants , do you select the best plant from the batch, name that one and sell mericlones of that one so all plants with that name are the same, or are all of the siblings of a registered cross given the same name. Children with the same mom and pop will have the same last name but a different first name ( unless George Forman is one of the parents) to separate individuals. Also if the cross is remade do they automatically get the original registered name or can you register a new name since they will be different.

James, the orchid hybrid names are recorded in the hybrid register at Kew. It costs ten english pounds to register a hybrid name.

Here is the entry for your orchid. Sorry it scrunched up...size problems

GenusCattleya

EpithetHsinying Max-walker

Registrant NameChing Hua

Originator NameChing Hua

Seed parentPollen parentGenusCattleyaCattleyaEpithetmaximawalkeriana

Hsinying Max-walker is known as the grex name and every time the crossing of Cattleya walkeriana x Cattleya maxima is made that is the name to be given to every plant that grows from the seed. Cattleya maxima x Cattleya walkeriana gives the same result.

Because your plant is unique, you can give it a clone name if you wish. Something like

Cattleya Hsinying Max-walker 'Blue James' the bit in quotes is entirely up to you.

I have shelled out the ten english pounds five times and because you will get hundreds of plants from most seed sowings I do not bother giving clone names to each baby.

There is nowhere to register the 'Blue James' bit unless your plant gets an award. If you took your plant to a show and and it got an AOS award, you would have to give your plant a clone name so the AOS records would show which particular plant of Cattleya Hsinying Max-walker got the award.

Don't worry about it too much.

James, If you cross two plants that have never been crossed/registered before, you have to wait until the cross begins to bloom, then the person who originated the cross has the right to name the cross. See Arthurm post above.

There may be literally thousands of these plants. Each will be slightly different. Some will favor mom, some pop, most will fall in between someplace, and some will exhibit perhaps grandpaw's old hooked nose (if you know what I mean) Every one of these plants will carry the name registered to the cross.

Now, As these things bloom, the originating nursery, and most of their customers who purchased plants of this cross will be looking at the blooms to see if they have a plant that blooms with superior quality blooms.

Plants that do exhibit these exceptional blooms can/will be entered in judgings, or shows where official judges will look at them.

Arthurm has determined that your plant is registered as C. Hsinying Max-walker, so lets say you took it to a show that was sanctioned by the American Orchid Society, and that the AOS judges there determined that your plant's blooms warranted an Award of Merit. Now, your plant (and only your plant) of C. Hsinying Max-walker is allowed to be recognized as having been awarded with an AM AOS. Along with this award, you are now given the privilege of assigning a clonal name to your plant. Lets say you chose to name it James. Now your plant, and only your plant will officially become C. Hsinying Max-walker 'James' AM/AOS. It is now singled out as being distinct from all its brothers and sisters.

Should in the future you were to decide to clone your plant, and make a thousand copies of your plant, they all would be C. Hsinying Max-walker 'James' AM/AOS, since they all are exact genetic copies of your plant.

Is that clear as mud?

Bill

"Arthurm has determined that your plant is registered as C. Ching Hua" no I didn't. Ching Hua is the name of the nursery that registered the cross.

Okay. Thank you for the info.

I bought it from Exotic Orchids of Maui and I know they make their own crosses. In some of their descriptions they will say we are expecting it to look like xyz. The slim chance of getting something spectacular makes it a little more interesting, like buying a lottery ticket.

To me it would make more sense to register a particular plant instead of a the larger cross. If I went looking for a plant based on the photo that came up for Hsinying Max Walker and waited a few years to get it to flower. I would be annoyed that it didn't look like expected.

James, there are about 100,000 registered orchid hybrids (grexes). The fun part in buying seedlings rather than mericlones is seeing how they will turn out. Some grexes show a wide variation in results and sometimes you get to own a lovely unique orchid.

Though this is a species orchid...it is a seedling, produced from seed. Originated by H & R in Hawaii.

Again, apologies for just giving a link.

Cattleya maxima x sib

I agree, like buying a lottery ticket. In general it's not a big deal for me since I don't breed or show plants. It is good conversation which I enjoy.

James, There are plants and entire crosses out there that have prenominal breeding records.....Some crosses have produced hundreds of awarded clones, and some plants produce many awarded offspring when bred to good quality mates. Choosing some of these can take a lot of the gambling out of choosing really quality plants. As arthurm says, growing seedlings is really lots of fun.

One that comes to mind is BLC Oconee 'Mendenhall' AM/AOS.

I like the color of this bloom. It's addicting. I will have to put this onto my wishlist for the future.

But, but , didn't you read the mountain of text. The plant is unique, a one off, that only James has.

Orchid Nurseries are always offering "coerulea" crosses on Cattleyas listings.

Put C. walkeriana var. coerulea (mericlone) or

C. walkeriana var. coerulea x another "Cattleya" on your list

Ok. Doesn't mean that I can't dream. I did read all of it. But I will do that. However, I can always ask EOoM if they have a cross like that. Thanks for the heads up.

All of that very interesting, guys