Hello, would most appreciate an educated guess as to what this Nursery tag is trying to tell me about my Orchid: Blc.Alma Kee "Tipmalee" If the species is Alma Kee, and the variety is "Tipmalee", then What in heaven's name is the genus?
Doesn't have a specific epithet, as it is a complex garden hybrid. Blc. is short for the hybrid genus, probably X Brassialaliocattleya (not quite the right spelling, I am sure). The second name is probabaly a grex (group of seedlings), the third a clone.
Almost Exact... B...L...C If you google "Blc.Alma Kee" you will probably find a link to its exact lineage. Alma Kee is a registered name for a specific cross of B-L-C plants, some of which may be hybrids in themselves. "Tipmalee" indicates a specific plant. You may have that plant (very unlikely), a division (less unlikely), or as indicated, a clone, one of thousands produced from this assumed to be very marketable one plant (most likely). "Description of Blc Alma Kee : Blc Alma Kee = LC Alma x BLC Cheah Bean-Kee. A standard sized Cattleya with bright yellow flowers with a velvety red lip that has the yellow dowiana veining. VERY EYECATCHING! The flowers are held well above the foliage on tall spikes. " (from>http://www.orchidsonline.com.au/species1373.html) So it is a cross between hybrids, a L-C, and another BLC. You can "thread"this search on down to its species parents.