Kay Francis Photo Gallery: Cattleya bowringiana 'Concolor'
Current nomenclature: Guarianthe bowringiana
Kay obtained a back bulb of C. bowringiana concolor from Hans Gubler, apparently in 1960 (KF VII / B / 2 p. 31). The plant thrived, and was awarded AM/AOS in 1965. She sent a division of five small bulbs to Jerry Kulaja on May 10, 1967, and traded a division with "Sarah" on July 10, 1979. A photo of Kay's plant, relabeled as Cattleya bowringiana Veitch var. concolor 'Francis', appeared in an article in Orchid Digest 45(5):194-199 (September, 1981) by Ernest Hetherington, "Cattleya bowringiana: The little known matriarch from Central America", and the photo notes that the plant was grown by Kay Francis, although it is not the award slide. Very likely the photo was a slide that Kay gave to Hetherington. Nothing further has been discovered about its origin.
