The flowers, usually two to four, were borne from a leafless growth, in the spring. The sepals were a fine, medium blue which turned more lavender as the flowers aged. The lip was the same color, was almost a concolor, but had a few dark veins, and was splashed with a lemon-yellow disc.

Mr. Silva noted that it should be called Cattleya walkeriana var. nobilior forma coerulea because of the twin leaves. At that time, it was considered a variety of C. walkeriana. It did not have a clone name as many of the select plants from Brazil lacked when varieties. This plant was not given a clone name.

After it bloomed in 1966, it was selfed and crossed with Laelia anceps var. veitchiana. These were harvested as Stewart cross numbers 1416 and 1410 respectively. The following year the pollen was used on C. Ariel coerulea 'Bodnant's', Lc. Blue Boy 'Trident', Lc. elegans 'werkhauserii', C. mossiae 'Reineckiana, Blue Lip',and C. warneri var. coerulea 'Miranda' (later awarded an FCC/AOS). None the hybrids, with the exception of the cross with C. mossiae, had been registered previously, so Stewart's named them with the parent being C. walkeriana since C. nobilor was not accepted. These were Lc. Twilight Song (x L. anceps, Stewart cross 1410), C. Sir Jeremiah Colman (x C. Ariel coerulea, 1422), Lc. Blue Dynasty (x Lc. Blue Boy, 1426), Lc. At Dusk (x Lc. elegans, 1491) and C. Sea Breeze (x C. warneri, 1343). The cross with C. mossiae (1340) had previously been registered as C. Eros.

As to what happened to the collection of blues including the C. nobilior, unfortunately, I do not know. However, I did hear that a Mr. Peter Shotter, Orchid House, near Maidstone, Kent, England, may have received a division of it.

From my records. Carson E. Whitlow