The Orchid Source - Orchid Forum

I bought this cattleya last year bare root from Hausermann's. This is its first bloom. It has two flowers. The other flower looks the same and but developed only 1 petal, so it is actually missing a petal. It has 3 sepals and 1 petal and looks really odd. I suspect it has a virus. It is tagged as Slc. Maria Nohava Hollowed 'Serenity'.

Does this plant look diseased to people in this forum?

I would have to see a few more to make a better decision, but at first glance it sure looks virused to me.

I have no doubt that it's virused.

Is that little speck on the left sepal a thrip? It may have thrips, but the dark streaking on the outer part of the lip suggest virus, too.

'Looks virused to me...no doubt in my mind either. Get rid of it.

I don't think the speck is a thrip, though I don't see anything there now. It might have been a piece of dirt that has since fallen off.

Thanks to everyone for the second opinions. This would be my first obviously virused plant and I didn't want to be jumping to the wrong conclusions.

I'd pitch that plant into the nearest fire and be glad it's gone. It sometimes kills me to do it,but it's the safest thing to do. Remember
to remember from whom you bought it too.

I'd pitch it immediately, also.

(and show the seller this photo)

I have a question for the pros:

Let's say I purchase a clean plant and unknowingly expose it to others that are virused, but not noticeably so. Assuming my new plant wasn't the healthiest or was struggling to get established (I figure weakened to some degree would help the disease), just how fast could the plant get to the state of this one?

i ain't no expert but one stat i've heard is that it takes up to seven years for the orchid to show signs of virus

i may be very wrong though

Ray,

Many years ago as a graduate project I remember infecting some Cattleyas. All showed floral symptoms on the blooms carried on the next growth. But that being said, some plants seem very resistant to either of the major orchid viruses. I sourced an old Bc Mrs Leehman once, confident that it would be riddled with virus, yet it was squeaky-clean. Even under the electron microscope. Most of the Cattleya Alliance seem very virus-prone for whatever reason.

I wrote Hausermann's and asked if they would be willing to let me bring the plant in and swap it for a non-diseased plant. I also sent them a copy of the photo, but no reply after 24 hours.

Thanks Mr Cym! I had wondered the same thing.

Well, I took my plant into Hausermann's today and they replaced it, though they pointed out that my mix was rotted and the majority of roots were dead. I completely admit that this plant was doing poorly. I think the roots were dead/dead-ish when I got it, but I did have new growth with some new roots, so if it was diseased, its sad state definitely made it easier for the virus to spread.

Anyways Hausermann's tossed the plant in the trash and allowed me to exchange for a new one. We couldn't find the original clone, so I got a different clone. It is smaller, but blooming size, so I'm happy. And, of course, since I was out there, I treated myself to another plant, too.

That's why Hausermanns have been around for so long. Virus can happen, it's how you solve the problem that makes your business.

Just curious, but your potting mix was less than a year old and totally rotted and roots were dying. What were you using?

I had it in a bark/charcoal/rock/sphagnum mix that I use with some of my other cattleyas due to the extreme dryness of my house last year. The other ones are fine. However, I'm planning to move all my cattleyas into S/H this spring. I'm not very fond of the mix and generally only use it with cattleyas that seem to have shrivelling problems and when I got this plant bareroot, the PBs were all shrivelled.

SA, you will like s/h culture. I have almost all of my Cattleyas in it - I have moved them few at a time into it - and this spring the last two will go into s/h culture. I've only had one so far that didn't like it, was a Slc or a Pot, can't remember off hand. But rest have been great.

About a quarter of my cattleyas are already in S/H, but I had to take 2 out because they got too big and I didn't have S/H pots large enough for them. They are now temporarily in this bark/charcoal/rock/sphag mix until I get enough stuff to do a complete move.