Clowesetum Melana’s Daughter is a hybrid between Clowesia Rebecca Northen and Catasetum Melana Davison. This cross was created by Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids, and was registered by him in 2018. The plant blooms profusely with fragrant flowers that are white overlaid with pink.

Ancestors of this cross are found in areas of Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America where there is a distinct wet and dry season. As a result, like all members of the Catasetinae, it drops its leaves in the fall and goes dormant during the winter. While dormant, water should be withheld completely or the pseudobulbs can rot. I reduce watering starting toward the end of October which allows the bulbs to harden off. The last water it receives will be right at Christmas. In the spring, mature pseudobulbs will produce new growths which will begin to grow new roots. Watering can resume once the new roots have reached between 3 and 8 inches long.

This plant was my first Catasetinae, which I purchased from Fred Clarke on the night he spoke at the orchid society meeting in 2018. It was a seedling when I acquired it, but it quickly grew, doubling or tripling in size yearly. It did not bloom however until I had had it for four years. The second year it bloomed, I took it to Dueling Dogs in Lincoln for judging. It was the first plant I had ever entered for judging, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was thrilled and surprised when it received a FCC of 92 points. I gave it the cultivar name ‘Boo Boy’ in honor of my dog Boo who had recently passed away.

I grow this Clowesetum inside under strong lights equal to or exceeding what I grow my Cattleya orchids under. It is potted in the PET method which is essentially a plastic container with a water well in the bottom.I use lava rock in the water well, and then cypress mulch sprinkled with slow release fertilizer to fill the rest of the container. I water and fertilize copiously in the spring, never letting the water well go dry. It has been an easy and rewarding plant to grow.