Blc. Owen Holmes 'Mendenhall' AM/AOS is already a Cattleya classic. Reputed to be difficult, I find it a steady grower and it flowered for me last year for the first time. The flower is close to the Holy Grail of a true red in a large Brasso type, however it has tinges of magenta along the petal ribs and appears as a fuschia colour. The main page photo does not show it at it's best, the flower had aged before I took the photo. The plant is a bit willowy, with growth coming sideways somewhat and the leaves tend to twist a bit.
The flower itself is magnificent, along with the Chia Lins these are the state of the art breeding in red cattleya clones. Their progeny will also be very interesting.
Because of the somewhat horizontal growth the plant is quite short.
The closeup below of a newer flower shows the true flower color. The substance is like leather. You might note that this closeup flower has only half a lip, this occasionally happens with a flower, in this case a first flowering and almost certainly will not be repeated next time.
Recommended for flower quality, but patience is required!
