Erik

C walkeriana var coerulea is probably the best candidate for deep rich
uniform coerulea in the Cattleya genus. For Cattleya hybrids the C
Valentine var coerulea is a good overall blue
http://personalpages.bellsouth.net/f...ntinecoer1.jpg

I just bought (via a Brazil connection) some C violacea var coerulea "Fabio
Nahas" x self in flask which I am coincidentally replating into hobby flasks
this weekend. I have high hopes that this grex will grow out blue true to
its parent. And, I offer a lot of coerulea Cattleya species in my flask
catalog www.OrchidFlask.com ... but it is true, we don't see a lot of good
vibrant blues in orchids. In a few hours some nerdy orchid scientists will
enter this thread and explain why that pigment/gene is so hard to
find/stimulate in orchids. That discussion bores me to sleep so I won't get
into the genetic shortcomings/failures of orchids in the blue range now.

Some Cattleya species have a good dose of blue in the lip. Cattleya
lawrenceana var coerulea Aulisi is the best example of that type of
coloration
http://personalpages.bellsouth.net/f...oer_aulisi.jpg
Armando Mantellini sells 2" seedlings of this beauty for $200 each.
http://www.orquideariocerroverde.com/lawrenceana.htm
I have these in flask also.

One of the more blue Phalaenopsis is Krull Smith's P violacea var coerulea
Krulls Navy Blue
http://krullsmith.com/assets/phalaen...y_blue-200.jpg
I just saw Jim Krull at the Redlands this morning and he was selling 3" leaf
span Phal violacea var coerulea (Krulls Navy Blue AM/AOS 82pts x Crystelle
HCC/AOS) at the show. These should be good blues.

Blues are nice. We certainly all covet them. They are a challenge to
replicate in breeding, and I hope someone (mostly, I hope for myself)
eventually breeds some great "vibrant" blues one day.

Mick

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"erik" wrote in message
. 97.131...
Why is it there are no Blue orchids. With all the hybrids and such. I have
seen every color of the rainbow but i have never seen one that is a nice
vibrant blue

Erik