South Coast Orchid Society

There is frequent confusion between the two similar hybrids, C. Portia and C. Porcia. One major difference is that C. Portia has been remade many times, including with coerulea parents, so that "blue" Portias are possible and very popular. C. Porcia, on the other hand, requires as one parent C. Armstrongiae (=C. Hardyana × C. loddigesii), and there seem never to have been any coerulea Armstrongiae, and indeed, Armstrongiae itself may no longer exist. "Blue" Porcias are thus not currently possible, so any that are encountered may be assumed to be mislabeled Portias!

Now, apart from the issue of the "blue" forms, Portia and Porcia are very similar, and could easily be confused with some forms of C. bowringiana and other hybrids of similar parentage. Because of this problem, it has not been possible to assign definitive labels to some of Kay's slides.

Kay obtained a cultivar 'Profusion' from Mary Holt King in 1956. Kay's notes are confusing, but there is a separate mention of a large Portia from Mrs. King in October, 1956, with five spikes, possibly the same plant. She obtained a "one bulb division" with a growth of C. Portia 'Gloriosa' from Stewart's on May 19, 1958, some months before 'Gloriosa' received AM/AOS and AM/ODC at Hollywood monthly judging on October 13, 1958 when exhibited by Lee. W. Lenz of Claremont, CA — clearly, this cultivar was already in circulation in Southern California before it was awarded. She also seems to have obtained a back bulb of "Porcia var. Gloriosa' from Hans Gubler in 1960, perhaps without realizing it was almost certainly a mislabeled Portia!