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jujujojo_gw

New purchases of mature AVs, how to keep the strains

jujujojo_gw
10 years ago

I do not have official names. Please advise what they are based on your experience. So many similar ones and they are all wonderful.

1. I really love this one. Although it is depicted as blue by many, the real color is as shown in picture.

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2. This looks like a Cattleya Blc! Now, the shipping must have caused stress for the yellowing. Not sure if it will bloom like this next time.

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3. This one is white with a very faint pink chimera pattern. I am desperate to keep them blooming this way.

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4. Is this called purple Geneva edge?

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5. I desperately intend to keep the blooming pattern of this one. They look very blue under natural light.

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6. This is very simple and lovely.

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Comments (21)

  • tommyr_gw Zone 6
    10 years ago

    Nice! Congrats!

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Juju,

    The color of your first picture (a light purple) is referred to as blue in horticulture.

    Number 4-yes, that is a geneva edge, so-called because the first plant to display that coloring was named 'Geneva". This is akin to 'Tommie Lou' variegation because that form of variegation was first on AV 'Tommie Lou'.

    Number 5 looks like 'The Alps', a chimera. If it is, the color pattern should stay.

    Linda

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    My Chimera Alps has slightly more white on it, but I like mine a lot. It is so (old school verbiage) "cool"!

    Yours looks Alpine to me too.

    I very MUCH like No.s 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6 ... oh, and No. 3 too!

    ÃÂ.ÃÂ --~

    Dave

  • jujujojo_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Posted by whitelacey 6 (My Page) on Sat, Oct 5, 13 at 14:19

    Thank you so much. On horticulture colors, I have noticed both horticulture blue and red are purple for daily life. Is there a website or resources (possibly with pictures of colors) that can teach newbies what these horticulture colors really are?

  • Begonia2005
    10 years ago

    No 5 is gorgeous !! If it's called alps - I want it! After all, I have no chimera. :)

    You can always find a good ol excuse. ...

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Alps or Alpine is gorgeous ... we are all lining up for
    leaves when you decide to propagate!!!
    Joanne

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    A chimera cannot be grown from leaves, you have to make them sucker, and then harvest the suckers .... which is why they cost more.

    Never buy a chimera that is not in bloom.

    dave

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Juju,

    Not that I know of but let me look around a bit and get back to you.

    Linda

  • robitaillenancy1
    10 years ago

    I believe the blue and white chimera is Lyon's Monique. The Alps is very similar but has a more delicate, paler color.

    Geneva edge can only by white. All other colors are just called purple edged, raspbery edge, etc. I think the first geneva edge was from a plant called Lady Geneva but not certain of this fact.

    Nancy

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    I have a picture of the Alps from the Ohio State show. If I can dig it up, I will post it for comparison.

    Linda

  • jujujojo_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Posted by robitaillenancy1 zone 5 (My Page) on Sun, Oct 6, 13 at 4:00

    Thank you for your expert opinion :)

  • LunRTwilight
    10 years ago

    Dave,

    What is so different about chimeras that they won't propagate by leaves? I've heard this, and I don't doubt it, but I was thinking about adding a chimera to my collection in the near future and I don't understand the difference between chimeras and let's say a standard violet besides the bloom pattern.

    Fancy Bloomers states that it only sells chimeras that have bloomed true. When you can't see the plant for yourself, would you still buy it? Donna seems to have a pretty good reputation.

  • Begonia2005
    10 years ago

    I think no 5 is too strongly colored to be the Alps, That one looks much paler in all pictures I have seen.

    I love this one much more.

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    early on, i ordered several chimeras ... once i got a gift of a chimera leaf.

    As I learned more, I learned.

    The do not buy tip is just that. I like to see what I gets. I also am old, crotchety and picky ... and get pissy when I don't get what I ordered.

    I know how to rock a boat, which is often more fun than any end result ...

    look for the chimera posts over the years on this forum ...

    go back to the last page, and work your way forward

    lots of great info

    dave

  • Begonia2005
    10 years ago

    Jujujojo,

    May we ask where you purchased these beauties ?

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    HI Lisa
    I read that if you try to propagate a chimera from a leaf,
    you won't get the chimera, you will get one of the parents.
    I also found chimeras difficult to grow. I think the same
    might be true of fantasies, if you try to propagate from
    a leaf, you are likely to get only one of the parents.
    Some violet hybrids can have "grandparents," so to
    speak, so you might get almost anything, but not
    the chimera. I will take Dave's advice and read some
    of the older threads on chimeras. But now, I just
    avoid them for the most part after some disappointing
    results in trying to grow them.
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Lun,

    The reason a chimera cannot be propagated is due to our old friend genetics. It's complicated but in a nutshell, chimeras have two sets of cells instead of one set. The second set can be as a result of accidental mutation or deliberate action like chemicals. If the mutation occurs near a meristimatic site: roots or stems, the mutation will continue and the plant will continue to have two sets of cells. You must essentially take an entire plant, like the crown or a sucker to get both sets of cells to have the chimera bloom true.

    If you try to grow a chimera from a leaf you won't exactly get its parent. You will get the genetics of its parents but not the exact copy of the parent because sexual reproduction involves the mixing of genes. This could result in a totally different plant, (due to recessive genes expressing themselves) or a similar plant. I was told by a grower who raises chimeras by leaf that she usually always gets the background color and not the pinwheel color. But she never did explain to me why she was growing chimeras from a leaf. Something about never having any competition in a show category or some such thing.

    Chimeras pop up all throughout the plant and animal kingdom. Have you ever seen anyone with two distinctly different colored eyes? This can be due to chimerism: two different sets of cells for eye color.

    If you want to make sure you are buying a true blooming chimera, you must wait until it blooms as sometimes the babies will not bloom true.

    Factoid of the day: Chimera was creature in Greek mythology who was both male and female which only means it could argue with itself over who was going to do the dinner dishes.

    Linda

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Here's an interesting article about buying 'true' chimeras. It's on the left hand side of the page. This is a good web-site over-all about chimeras.

    Linda

    Here is a link that might be useful: Chimeras gone wrong

  • Begonia2005
    10 years ago

    Have people had experiences with chimeras similar to those expressed by forty seven ?

    Are they really more difficult to grow than regular AVs-s ?

    Not to propagate - but to grow.

    I would hate to spend so much on a plant and then not be able to grow it.

    The chimera in this thread looks spectacular...so many blooms and so striking; I wonder whether this was difficult to grow.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Begonia,

    I've never had difficulty with them. The unusual genetic structure really only affects the coloring.

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Hi Linda ....
    (Or take out the garbage ...)
    Thanks for all the fascinating information. I really enjoy
    the scientific explanations and appreciate your taking
    the time to educate us readers! The blog you sent is
    also fascinating. It was interesting to read about the
    grower who raised chimeras from leaves to "grow
    for show." I had thought that plants entered in shows
    should ideally be registered. I have to wonder if a
    chimera raised from a leaf that blooms as a solid
    color is technically a chimera ... Anyway, just
    speculation.
    Joanne

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