This looks like a hybrid to me. Possibly a cross between a Cattleya and a Dendrobium.

“Now comes the hybridizers!! Hybridizers are growers that mix and match all of the different orchid genera to create crosses into one plant thereby creating a new hybrid. As each genus is used, the abbreviation for the genus is added to the new orchid’s name. For example, if you were to cross the genus Cattleya with Laelia you would have the new generic hybrid Laeliocattleya and then crossing this new hybrid with genus Brassavola, you would end up a generic hybrid called Brassolaeliocattleya.”

http://www.orchidlady.com/pages/encyclo … aming.html

Peace,
sabrina

The only way I know about flowers is from working in flower shops. 😀

Nothing formal or anything like that but as soon as I looked at the pic, I immediately thought demdrobium but the color was not consistent with what I am familiar with. Now the cataleya (sp?) orchids are consistent with this color (not size though)and the petal in the middle is as well. Look good and you can see the ridges on it and it is not smooth like a dendrobian would be.

So, the question is can plants hybridize in the wild? I am not 100% positive but I think so. My Grandmothers irises have changed colors throughout the years. The black ones get more purplish and the yellow ones have even taken on some purple color. She even said that she had purple ones turn completely yellow.

What is the difference between cross pollination and hybridization? Perhaps it is only cross pollination that we are observing with the irises?

A google search provided this link.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/nati … 14046.html

“It should be noted that hybrids may be created artificially (Taxus x media), but many also occur NATURALLY in the wild where the ranges of two closely related species overlap (Dryopteris x australis).”

Looks like they can. 😉

Peace,
Sabrina