Plant Offerings
Sunset Valley Orchids Catasetinae Plant Offering
For 2022-23, I am pleased offer this comprehensive selection of Catasetinae hybrids and species. Through the ongoing process of collecting, selecting, and developing our parental lines, the quality of the breeding stock is now without compare. These new hybrids will set the standard for flower quality, plant vigor, and your enjoyment.
This season we have focused on five areas:
Species: We have been collecting and selecting the finest species for many years. Breeding sexually dimorphic orchids is challenging, for example it been 9 years since we last offered Cyc. cooperi! This year's list is impressive.
Cycnoches: The elegant swan-shaped blooms of Cycnoches are simply breathtaking. Our Cycnoches breeding program has reached new heights, and this year's offering has brought together the results of evaluating 100's of potential parents and selecting for plant vigor and excellent flower color and quality. These new crosses will grow fast and reach blooming size in 3” pots. This is the year to 'stock up on these' - it's a truly spectacular offering.
Mini-Catasetum: The success of “mini-Catasetum” crosses and positive feedback by collectors have inspired us to step up the development in this category. Besides being compact growers, these plants consistently flower 2-4 times a year! This new list is by far the deepest and broadest we have offered, and there are many promising new crosses to select from.
Mormodes: Commonly called the goblin orchid, this genus has been getting lots of attention from my toothpick! These are the some of the last Catasetinae to bloom each season, and they look fantastic with their bare bulbs and upright spikes of strange-shaped flowers in fantastic colors! These new crosses are super exciting, and I can hardly manage my anticipation while waiting to see these bloom.
Clowesia: The benefits Clowesia brings to its offspring are surprising: flower longevity, reduced plant size, fragrance, multiple cascading inflorescences, full flower shape and more. We are capitalizing on these benefits in a wide variety of crosses. How many of you have wanted a Cl. Rebecca Northen or Cl. Grace Dunn? These are now available, and we have both a sibling cross and a remake of the original cross. Get them now!
Of special note: Are the Catamodes at the end of the list. We are again breaking new ground with Catasetinae breeding. Take a look.
SVO 8190
Cl. Rebecca Northen
(Cl. Grace Dunn 'Live Oak' HCC/AOS x Cl. rosea 'Fantastic Andy')
In this remake of Rebecca Northen, we have used the best possible parents. Grace Dunn (warczewitzii x rosea) 'Live Oak' produces 15 or more fragrant pink and green flowers with cute frilly lips on 3-4 pendulous inflorescences from leafless bulbs in mid-winter. Cl. rosea 'Fantastic Andy' is truly an outstanding cultivar, exhibiting the best quality flowers I have seen on this species. It blooms profusely in early winter on deciduous bulbs with 3-4 pendulous inflorescences carrying 15 or more soft pink flowers with frilly lips. These will quite possibly be the best Rebecca Northens ever produced. Flowers will be carried on multiple pendent inflorescences and will be frilly and pink with a marvelous citrus fragrance.
Cl. Rebecca Northen Photo . Have you ever wondered about these differences between pod and pollen parents, here is a great opportunity to see for yourself, this is the reciprocal to the cross is SVO 10094.
3” pots $20
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SVO 9508
Ctsm. Mem. Dorothy Wells (Ctsm. Dentigrianum 'SVO Excellence' x Ctsm. Chuck Taylor 'SVO Sunshine')
Ctsm. Dentigrianum (denticulatum x tigrinum) was a breakthrough in mini-Catasetum breeding. What this primary hybrid lacks in genealogical complexity it makes up for in charm, with beautifully-formed flowers in white, uniformly spotted with burgundy, and a soft yellow lip with a dentate margin. Chuck Taylor (denticulatum x Portagee Star) was a match made in heaven, and this cross resulted in many great plants. ‘SVO Sunshine’ has the most beautiful yellow lip and has been a solid parent, giving rise to several nice crosses so far. Since both parents are mini-Catasetums, the plants will stay under 6” tall, produce 15 or more flowers per inflorescence, and bloom 2-3 times a season. Flower colors will be light yellow with varying degrees of spots, with lips in shades of yellow and red. Check out this first bloom PICTURE Easy to bloom in 3” pots.
3” pot $18
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SVO 9592
Cyc. cooperi (Cyc. cooperi 'SVOIII' FCC/AOS x Cyc. cooperi 'Mem. Pat Worthington' AM/AOS)
Cycnoches crosses require both male and female flowers; this doesn't happen every season. After 5 long years of waiting, we offered this species in 2021 and they sold out fast! Fortunately, we 'discovered' a misplaced mother flask in the lab and now we have more for 2022! The high-quality awards to the parents are a good indication of flower quality. The flowers from 2021 were a rich dark cordovan brown of excellent shape. Very limited.
3” pot $25
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SVO 9598
Cyc. Cygnus Atratus
(Cyc. Richard Brandon 'SVO II AM/AOS' x Cyc. Dark Swan 'Black Swan')
The common name for Cycnoches is the swan orchid, and we know how unusual black swans are. There is even a scientific name for the rare black swan, Cygnus Atratus, translated as “swan dressed in black”. What if a Cycnoches had black flowers? For some time now, we have been breeding toward that goal. There's just one thing, so far, we have been getting close. With this cross we are breeding for the darkest color yet using Cyc. Richard Brandon (warscewiczii x Jean E. Monnier) 'SVO II', which has dense spotting on very large flowers from robust-growing easy-to-bloom plants, and Cyc. Dark Swan (Cyc. Richard Brandon x Cyc. Chloroge) 'Black Swan' with flowers in an unbelievably dark color never seen previously in Cycnoches. You can guess what I am expecting with a cross name like this, yes... some of these will be the elusive Cygnus Atratus, the black swan! The anticipation while waiting to see these flower is killing me!
3” pots $20
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SVO 9681
Clo. Amazing Grace
(Cl. Grace Dunn 'Live Oak' HCC/AOS x Ctsm. Orchidglade 'Davie Ranches' AM/AOS)
When a Clowesia (Cl.) is crossed with a Catasetum (Ctsm.), the hybrid genus Clowesetum (Clo.) is created. The flowers become 'perfect', meaning that flowers have both male and female parts, and bloom longevity is extended to 3-4 weeks. Cl. Grace Dunn (Cl. rosea x Cl. warczewitzii) blooms in mid-winter on leafless plants carrying 15 or more pink and green flowers with cute frilly lips and a wonderful citrus fragrance on multiple pendent inflorescences. Ctsm. Orchidglade is a trusted breeding plant that has been proven many times over to impart to its offspring the tendency to produce many large, well-shaped, spotted burgundy flowers several times a year. These will have long-lived, shapely flowers, generally soft pink in color with fine spotting and frilly lips. We've made this hybrid before, and are making it again because the flower quality is just so high! This is an excellent hybrid and will bloom reliably in December.
3” pots $18
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SVO 9732
Clo. NEW HYBRID
(Cl. Rebecca Northen 'Grapefruit Pink' x Ctsm. Chuck Taylor 'SVO Sun Shine')
Here is a mini-Clowesetum cross! Clowesetums have good flower longevity and we are predicting these will last in excess of 3 weeks, and the plants will produce multiple inflorescences at each flowering! Rebecca Northen (Cl. Grace Dunn x Cl. rosea) is a great parent producing many very nice hybrids. The cross of Chuck Taylor (denticulatum x Portagee Star) was a match made in heaven resulting in many great offspring. The pink flowers of 'SVO Sun Shine' have the most beautiful yellow lip. This cross will be mostly soft pink with light yellow lips but some may be spotted or even be pure white. The form and flower count will be excellent, and the compact plant size will ensure that everyone has space for one or two of these new mini-Clowesetums!
3” pots $18
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SVO 9951
Cl. NEW HYBRID
(Cl. thylaciochila 'Wide Petals' x Cl. russelliana 'SVO')
Here is a really special and unique offering, starting with this seldom-seen Clowesia species which has a name that is a bit complicated to pronounce: thylaciochila (thigh-lass-ee-OH-kye-lah). Its flower production is incredible: hundreds of light green flowers with darker green stripes cascade over and cover all sides of the big hanging baskets of this beautiful species at the nursery. The flowers are produced in late June with the developing new growths, making them the first Clowesia species of the year to flower, and the fragrance is amazing! Cl. russelliana 'SVO' is exceptionally floriferous. Mature plants produce 2 or 3 inflorescences per bulb, each carrying up to 40-45 flowers! These bloom in the early summer with light green flowers, striped dark green and with an amazing fragrance! These hybrids will be very floriferous with long cascading inflorescences of lime green flowers with darker green stripes. The fragrance will be delicious and the flowers will perfume your whole growing area. Mature plants will be “show stoppers!” Get yours now so you won't be begging for a division from someone else later!
3” pot $20
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SVO 10010
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Portagee Star 'Brian Lawson's Sunrise' HCC/AOS x Ctsm. ivaneae 'Purple Fantasy')
The successful hybrids created by Ctsm. Portagee Star (Ctsm. pileatum x Ctsm. Black Knight) are numerous; it breeds for large, flat lips and a full overall shape. Ctsm. ivaneae is new to our collection; we were so impressed with the photos of the hybrids being produced by the Brazilians I just had to begin to work with it as well. Sourcing plants was nearly impossible, they are tightly held by a few collectors. We were able to acquire a single back bulb of 'Purple Fantasy'. Wow, were we impressed when it bloomed! This new breeding direction looks to hold much promise, we are expecting bold colors, and tightly arranged clusters of well sized flowers. Yes, the anticipation is not easy to manage.
3” pot $20
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SVO 10011
Ctsm. Jamie Lawson XOXO
(Ctsm. Jamie Lawson XOXO 'SVO' x Self)
When we first made this cross years ago, I recall how uniform the flower quality was: it was like every plant to bloom was a winner! From that first offering, there were 5 AOS quality awards given to the owners of the plants! The excellent qualities can be seen in the picture of 'SVO': the large flowers have beautiful full lips and wonderful color! The parents of Ctsm. Jamie Lawson XOXO are (Ctsm. pileatum x Ctsm. John C. Burchett). This selfing will produce the same high-quality results.
3” pot $18
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SVO 10012
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Portagee Star ' 'Brian Lawson's Sunrise' HCC/AOS x Ctsm. Dagny 'Windy Hill's Falkor' FCC/AOS)
Ctsm. Portagee Star (Ctsm. pileatum x Ctsm. Black Knight) breeds for large, flat lips and a full overall shape, it has proven itself in many successful crosses. The FCC/AOS award to Ctsm. Dagny 'Windy Hill's Falkor' (Ctsm. pileatum x Ctsm. Brent's Black Hawk) is top honors for a hybrid. It produced 20 flowers measuring over 4” across on 2 inflorescences when awarded! This is one impressive hybrid: plants will produce high flower count and huge flowers with broad flat cream-yellow-colored lips!
3” pot $18
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SVO 10013
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Millie's Frilly Dragon 'Chocolate Frills' x Ctsm. Dagny 'Windy Hill's Falkor' FCC/AOS)
Millie's Frilly Dragon (Frilly Doris x Voodoo Dragon) was such a fun cross. The flowers of 'Chocolate Frills' look just like the name, excellent frilly lips in a rich chocolate color. The plant is a robust grower and produces many flowers several times per year. Ctsm. Dagny 'Windy Hill's Falkor' (Ctsm. pileatum x Ctsm. Brent's Black Hawk) received top honors from the American Orchid Society, when awarded there were 20 flowers measuring over 4” across on 2 inflorescences! The flowers from this cross will be shapely with broad lips and we're counting on many to have those awesome lip frills, all in richly colored brown and burgundy.
3” pot $18
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SVO 10022
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID Ctsm. vinaceum 'SVO' HCC/AOS x Ctsm. ivaneae 'Purple Fantasy'
Ctsm. vinaceum is named for its wine-red flower color, and the flower of the cultivar 'SVO' are of a particularly rich burgundy color. Ctsm. ivaneae is new to our collection; after much searching, we were able to acquire an outstanding cultivar named 'Purple Fantasy' 6526. It is a strong growing plant, flowering with dense clusters of shapely well-arranged flowers in an almost purple color, a very unusual color for Catasetum. I might be fantasizing, but…what if this cross produced purple flowered offspring?
3” pots $20
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SVO 10025
Cyc. warscewiczii (Cyc. warscewiczii 'SVO Best Swan' x Cyc. warscewiczii 'Xtra Wide Petals')
At SVO we are in the 20th year and fifth generation of line breeding this species. The improvements in shape, size and flower count really have been impressive. This next generation promises a continuation of further developments by combining two of our most impressive cultivars. We have carefully selected these two distinct breeding lines as not to create unwanted 'inbreeding', the cultivars behind the parents used to make this cross are: 'SVO Best Swan'('Giant Swan' x 'SVO' AM/AOS) and for 'Xtra Wide Petals'('SVO Jumbo Super' AM/AOS x 'OMG'). Besides outstanding flower qualities these smell just like banana bubblegum!
3” pot $20
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SVO 10030
Fdk. NEW HYBRID
(Fdk. Upgrade 'SVO' x Ctsm. Susan Fuchs 'Burgundy Chips' FCC/AOS)
The flowers of Fdk. Upgrade (Mo. Jumbo World x Ctsm. spitzii) always impress me when the plants bloom in December: the well-arranged, bright yellow flowers cascading over the sides of the pot with their broad lips garner my attention. Little introduction is needed for Ctsm. Susan Fuchs (Orchidglade x expansum); it is a well-known hybrid, and the cultivar 'Burgundy Chips', with its large yellow flowers and bold burgundy spotting, is a proven breeder, with many successful hybrids to its credit. The expectation for this cross is long lived flowers (as with all Fdk. breeding) of large size, which will cascade over the sides of the pots in shades of yellow with bold burgundy spots, with broad and full lips, making for a very attractive display. Limited availability.
3” pot $20
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SVO 10031
(Cyc. warscewiczii 'OMG Giant' x Cyc. warscewiczii 'SVO Jumbo Super' AM/AOS)
At SVO we are in the 20th year and fifth generation of line breeding this species.
We have carefully selected these parents to avoid unwanted 'inbreeding'. The cultivars behind the parents used to make this cross are: 'OMG Giant' ('Jumbo Mutation' x 'OMG' ) and for 'SVO Jumbo Super' AM/AOS ('SVO' AM/AOS x ('Jumbo Mutation' ). Besides outstanding flower qualities these smell just like banana bubblegum!
3” pot $20
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SVO 10086
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Susan Fuchs 'Burgundy Chips' FCC/AOS x Ctsm. ivaneae 'Purple Fantasy')
Ctsm. Susan Fuchs (Orchidglade x expansum) is a well-known hybrid, and the cultivar 'Burgundy Chips,' with its large yellow flowers and bold burgundy spotting, is a proven breeder. Ctsm. ivaneae is new to our collection; the outstanding cultivar named 'Purple Fantasy' is a strong growing plant, flowering with dense clusters of shapely well-arranged flowers in an unusual almost purple color. We are expecting the large flower size of Susan Fuchs to play an important role is the quality of the offspring: we have seen this before, with the highly successful grex of Ctsm. Karen Armstrong (Ctsm. Susan Fuchs x Ctsm. denticulatum). We hope for similar, but with purple! Loads of potential with this promising cross.
3” pot $20
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SVO 10090
Mo. NEW HYBRID Cl. Grace Dunn 'Live Oak' HCC/AOS x Morm. Aftermath 'SVO Nuclear Fallout' AM/AOS)
This year we're offering just one Mormodia (Mormodes x Clowesia). Grace Dunn (warczewitzii x rosea) produces 15+ pink and green flowers with cute frilly lips on 3-4 pendulous inflorescences from leafless bulbs in mid-winter. We know that Mormodes are often dominant for color transmission and we are hoping that Morm. Aftermath (Mark Mills x Midnight Hooker) with its orange color with bold red spotting will transfer to their offspring. This cross will bloom late in the year with cascading inflorescences carrying 12-16 flowers in shades of orange with spots. They will also have a very intoxicating fragrance during the day. Mature plants will be spectacular.
3” pot $20
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SVO 10094
Cl. Rebecca Northen
(Cl. rosea 'Fantastic Andy' x Cl. Grace Dunn 'Live Oak' HCC/AOS)
In this remake of Rebecca Northen, we have used the best possible parents. Grace Dunn (warczewitzii x rosea) 'Live Oak' produces 15 or more fragrant pink and green flowers with cute frilly lips on 3-4 pendulous inflorescences from leafless bulbs in mid-winter. Cl. rosea 'Fantastic Andy' is truly an outstanding cultivar, exhibiting the best quality flowers I have seen on this species. It blooms profusely in early winter on deciduous bulbs with 3-4 pendulous inflorescences carrying 15 or more soft pink flowers with frilly lips. These will quite possibly be the best Rebecca Northen ever produced. Flowers will be carried on multiple pendent inflorescences, be pink, frilly with a marvelous citrus fragrance. Cl. Rebecca Northen Photo 1883 Have you ever wondered about these differences between pod and pollen parents, here is a great opportunity to see for yourself, this is the reciprocal to the cross is SVO 8190.
3” pots $20
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SVO 10095
Clo. NEW HYBRID
(Clo. Sandy Kasner 'Gramma Susan Price' AM/AOS x Ctsm. expansum 'SVO Midori' AM/AOS)
Solid green flowers are always in fashion! Clo. Sandy Kasner (Cl. dodsoniana x Ctsm. Alexis Pardo) has green petals and sepals with a white lip and the pendulous flower spikes can carry up to 30 flowers each. By crossing this with the deep green color and large lip of Ctsm. expansum 'SVO Midori' AM/AOS it will strengthen flower color and flatten the lip of the offspring. If you have ever desired deep emerald green flowers, here is your best opportunity.
3” pot $20
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SVO 10121
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Dark Odyssey 'SVO Black Cherry' AM/AOS x Ctsm. John Burchett 'Ursa Major' FCC/AOS)
Ctsm. Dark Odyssey (Ctsm. Karen Armstrong x Ctsm. Darkness) is a smaller-growing plant that flowers 2-3 times a season. The cultivar 'SVO Black Cherry' has surprisingly large flowers with huge flat lips in a rich deep red/burgundy. Ctsm. John C. Burchett (João Stivalli x Susan Fuchs) is a spectacular hybrid! The huge, flat, nearly black lip of the cultivar 'Ursa Major' really impressed the judges, and FCC/AOS says a lot about its qualities. This type of breeding will develop compact-sized plants and produce plants that flower reliably 2-3 times a year. The flower will be large in colors of a dark cherry red with an even darker lip: outstanding!
3” pot $20
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SVO 10128
Cl. Grace Dunn
(Cl. warczewitzii 'SVO' x Cl. rosea 'Fantastic Andy')
This is our first offering of this darling hybrid; we have patiently waited until we had the best possible species to make it again. Cl. Grace Dunn blooms in mid-winter on leafless plants carrying 15 or more pink and green flowers with cute frilly lips that cascade over the sides of the pot with multiple pendent inflorescences. These also have a wonderful citrus fragrance reminiscent of the furniture polish Lemon Pledge. Picture of Cl. Grace Dunn
3” pot $20
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SVO 10129
Ctsm. NEW HYBRID
(Ctsm. Dentigrianum 'Very Nice' x Ctsm. Susan Fuchs 'Burgundy Chips' FCC/AOS)
Ctsm. Dentigrianum (denticulatum x tigrinum) is a breakthrough in mini-Catasetum breeding. It's a primary hybrid, but what it lacks in genealogical complexity it makes up for in charm and shape, with beautifully-formed flowers in white, uniformly spotted with burgundy, and a soft yellow lip with a dentate margin. Ctsm. Susan Fuchs (Orchidglade x expansum) is a well-known hybrid, and the cultivar 'Burgundy Chips,' with its large yellow flowers and bold burgundy spotting, is a proven breeder, with many successful hybrids to its credit. This cross may be one of the best of the mini-Catasetums yet produced! We are expecting excellent flower shape and beautifully spotted flowers with full lips, all on a small-growing, easy-to-bloom plant. As a bonus, these should bloom two or three times each year.
3” pot $18
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Since the development of Fredclarkeara After Dark we have not had a breakthrough in breeding and big as this: I believe the next offerings will prove to be the next “thing” in Catasetum breeding.
This new direction started off with a cross now named Catamodes Dragons Tail (Morm. lawrenceana x Ctsm. denticulatum). The flowers were small, but with amazing color, reminding me of the scales of a mythical dragon. At first, I was reluctant to use it in breeding as the plant was a bit tall and not proportional to the size of the flowers. That said, the way to a breakthrough is to try something new.
I made two test crosses: Ctmds. Dragons Glade (Ctmds. Dragons Tail x Ctsm. Orchidglade) and Ctmds. Darkonium (Ctmds. Dragons Tail x Ctsm. John C. Burchett). The qualities of the resulting offspring were far and beyond previous Catasetinae breeding: the flowers colors ranged from black to spotted to purple to yellow, all with broad, flat lips, flower longevity of 3-4 weeks, with 15 or more large, well-arranged flowers per inflorescence. When the plants matured, they started blooming in July and continued to produce new flowers thought out the growing season into winter, with some plants now flowering 4-5 times a year, in nearly continuous bloom for 6 months or more!
As the first two hybrids were “test” crosses I did not offer many plants for sale. From those few sold, Ctmds. Dragons Glade won for its owners 7 AM/AOS awards and Ctmds. Darkonium an FCC/AOS, which is top honors for an orchid. I quickly (of course, “quickly” is a relative term in orchid breeding) started making more crosses, hoping to capitalize on the new opportunities of this breeding line. Now, 4 years later, we have the next batch available. If you love Catasetinae hybrids as much as I do, these are all must-haves. |
SVO 9942
Ctmds. NEW HYBRID
(Ctmds. Dragons Tail 'Dark Tale' x Ctsm. Susan Fuchs 'Burgundy Chips' FCC/AOS)
When Dragons Tail (Morm. lawrenceana x Ctsm. denticulatum) was mated with similar pileatum/expansum based parents the results were spectacular. The well-known Susan Fuchs (Ctsm. Orchidglade x Ctsm. expansum) with its yellow flowers and bold burgundy spotting has been a cornerstone in my breeding program, producing many successful hybrids. I am expecting award quality flowers with dark petals and sepals, with yellow lips that will be boldly spotted. Some could even come out black. These will be excellent!
3” pots $30
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