For me my love of orchid began back in high school in the late 1980s. It started when I came across one on sale at the local hardware store in Walnut Creek. I wasn’t familiar with plants back then, so I asked my Biology teacher Dana Miller. I remember trying to describe the flower shape to her. In some way, I felt as if my love of orchids was inherited by my grandfather who lived in Taiwan. I didn’t really know my grandfather, but I was told by my mom that my mannerisms were similar, as well as my love of orchids.

In college, I started growing primarily what was known as Dialaelia, now commonly known as Caulolaelia. The taxonomy nomenclature has significantly evolved over the years, but I’ll get into that a bit later. Back in the day, Rod McClellan’s was one of the major commercial growers in the area, with their main facilities located in Daly City, off of Hickey Blvd near the Costco is McClellan Drive. The area was later sold to housing developers, and the streets there were now named after flowers.

It was at Rod McClellan’s where the idea of growing and creating intergeneric first began. I was talking to one of the staffers there who mentioned intergeneric, which are named after hybridizers that produce new hybrids consisting of 4 or more related genera. At the time, the use of the older nomenclature was a bit antiquated. There weren’t as many sub-categories as there are today. Hybrids were a contraction of names between different genera. For example, Diacrium (now commonly known as Caularthron) was created with Laelias. The contraction between the two genera would be as such:

Dialaelia - (Diacrium x Laelia)
Dialaeliocattleya - (Diacrium x Laelia x Cattleya)

Intergeneric hybrids consisting of 4 or more genera are honorific titles given to the hybridizers who have succeeded in developing newer varieties. An -ara ending is usually added to the hybridizer’s last name, for example:

Iwanagara [Iwan.] - (Brassavola x Cattleya x Diacrium x Laelia)

Iwanag would be the name of the hybridizer or in some cases named after a famous botanist, though I am having difficulties tracking down who this person is. In the old system, it could have been called Dialaeliobrassocattleya, but as you can see, that’s a mouthful to say and to remember, hence the use of intergeneric naming. 

There are two systems, the older version, which tends to have limiting genera hybrids, and a newer version with more reclassifications to make your head spin. Older growers generally stick to the original classification, because it’s easier to remember. For Iwanagara the new classification system is:

Jackfowlieara [Jkf.] - (Rhyncholaelia x Cattleya x Guarianthe x Caularthron x Laelia)

Did you notice the change? Within Brassavola, orchids within that genera were reclassified into Rhyncholaelia, thus providing a reclassification of new intergeneric hybrids. In addition to Rhyncholaelia, Cattleya also had a reclassification for Guarianthe species. Diacrium was renamed as Caularthron. 

Within the Iwanagara from the old classification emerged a new classification. Iwanagara Appleblossom was reclassified as JackFowlieara.

In regards to intergeneric hybrids, there is only one special exception to the rule (that I know of), Fredclarkeara which is named after Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids. He was able to produce the first hybrid that produces black orchids. 

Fredclarkeara [Fdk.] - (Catasetum x Clowesia x Mormodes)

So how does this all apply to my story? I was inspired to create my own intergeneric hybrid. That was 30 years ago, it took me that long to plan ahead to create a new intergeneric. So for those next 30 years, I had to research many of books and articles to plan it all out to produce an intergeneric that no one else had created. I knew that I wanted Caularthron, Cattleya, and Laelia in the mix, but I had to research what other varieties no one else used. 

I originally started working with Barkeria and Leptotes, trying to develop an intergeneric with Epidendrum. I was successful in developing a hybrid between Leptotes bicolor x Prosthechea Green Hornet, but in 2000 all of my seedlings were stolen from my friend’s greenhouse just before Christmas. All 200 seedlings, were gone. Seven years of that hybrid went down the tubes. 

My first successful hybrid (above), that managed to survive to flower was:

• Prosthechea Hsiang Ling Chen [Psh.] {Epi.} - (Psh. Green Hornet x Psh. chimborazoensis)

Named after my grandfather, for whom I was inspired to start my orchid journey. For my hybrids, I generally include both the old nomenclature and the new in {} brackets.

Additional hybrids that I’ve managed to produce include:

• Brassocatanthe (Bct.) {BC} Mem. Nyla Jo Whiting (Bc Rustic Spots x Gur. guatemalensis)

• Cattlianthe Jon Gerster (Ctt.) {C} (Ctt. Blazing Treat x Ctt. Gold Digger ‘Fuch’s Mandarin’)

In February 2019, I finally was successful in creating a new intergeneric. I actually was a bit shocked, since I was led to believe there was already one, but because of the reclassification system, I was given the honorific title for my variety. 

• Suara [Saa.] {EpiDiaLC} (Cattleya x Caularthron x Encyclia x Guarianthe x Laelia)

Su is my last name and along with the -ara ending I was recognized for developing this new intergeneric variety. My first successful intergeneric I name for my husband Rick Beverly. My intergeneric bloomed on February 8, 2019, just in time for Valentine’s Day, so it was a Valentine’s Day gift to name the intergeneric after Rick. 

In the old system, my intergeneric would be classified as an Epidialaeliocattleya which would be:

• Allenara [Alna.] (Cattleya x Diacrium x Epidendrum x Laelia)

What happened was some Epidendrums were reclassified into Epidendrum (Epi.), Encyclia [Enc.], and Prosthechea [Psh.]. 

I also inherited the new title from the orchid hybridizing groups I participate in as the Dr. Frankenstein of orchid hybrids. Why? I also make controversial hybrid crosses, which create low germination or if successful, I’m not sure what to classify it as:

• Leptochea? {(Lept. bicolor x Psh. Green Hornet)

• Proslaeliocattleya (Lc Blazing Treat x Psh. mariae)

• Guaricattonia (Lc. Love Knot x Ctna. Why Not)

• Vandaenopsis (Dtps. Kenneth Schubert x V. Pachara Delight ‘Sakate’)

• Cattleychea (C.Hawaiian Ice x Psh. Green Hornet)

• Zyonisiatilla? (Bletilla striata f coerulea ‘Soryu’ x Zygonisia Cynosure ‘Blue Bird’)

Yeah, you read that last one correctly. I made a hybrid between a terrestrial orchid and an epiphytic orchid. The flowers have been growing and blooming in my backyard for the past 3 years now. I’m still debating about registering it. It looks more like Bletilla striata than anything else. One year, the flowers came out alba. I’ll have to wait to see what else pops up next year and decide if there are any additional variations. 

Next goals? For me, a renewed interest in developing orchid hybrids, is to develop a coerulea or blue form of my intergeneric. I have to plan them out at least 2 to 3 generations ahead which will take me the next 14 years to produce. Here’s a list of what I’m currently working on now.

Current hybrids growing in flasks:

• Prostonia [Pros.] {Epi} Shelton Odom (Bro. sanguine f (aurea x ’Star Splash’) x Psh. Green Hornet)

• Suara [Saa.] {EpiLc} Mem. Wen Pai Chen (Gcy. Kyoguchi ‘Happy Field’ HCC/AOS x Led. Controversy ‘SVO’)

• Laeliocatathron [Lcr.] {DiaLc} Rachel Su (Lcr. Silver Snowflake ‘#1’ x C. Lemon-Lime)

• Rechingerara [Rchg.] {BLC} Garrett Chan (Rth. Tropical Upgrade x Lc. Frank Shadle)

• Caulocattleya [Clty.] {DiaC} Wan McCormick (Clty. Ethel’s Paradise ‘Hawaii’ x C. Jose Pinho ‘HMB’)

• Catyclia [Cty.] {EpiC} Mem. Tony M. Amato (C. Jose Pinho ‘HMB’ x Enc. randii f alba)

• Cattleya [C.] Bea Duque (C. Canhamiana f coerulea ‘Azure Skies’ x C. Saxe Blue Jewel ‘Sini Abyss’)

• Catyclia [Cty.] {EpiC} Anjanine Kvale (C. Behrensiana x Enc. randii f alba)

• Guaricyclia [Gcy.] {EpiC} Verl Bishop (Gua. bowringiana f augusta x Enc. hanburyi)