Question
Wayne,
I purchased a couple of orchids this weekend. One of them did not have any name tags with it thus I would like to have you take a look to see if we can figure it out.

I do know it is a cattleya whose bloom is almost gone, but looks very healthy otherwise.

It is 99% white with some light yellow in the middle as you will see.

You can take a look at http://71.42.38.81/caripito/images/orchids/Orchid8.JPG

You had also mentioned to me once before about a couple of database applications which you use to identify orchids. Would you mind letting me know what those applications are once again?

I also purchased a BLC Annie Belle and a SLC Anduril 'Krull's Scarlet' AM/AOS. Can you let me know what the difference is between the SLC and BLC?

Thanks as always,
Angelo

Answer
Angelo, I can't tell with certainty, the name of the cattleya because there are so many white cattleyas with various amount of yellow in the lip. My best guess is one called Cattleya Angel Bells.
There are three principal data bases in existence.  The least expensive and one that I use can be found at Wildcattdata.com.  It has the essential lookup tables for parentage, hybrid names, hybridizers, awards etc.  It does not have pictures however. From there, the next most expensive is a data base marketed by the American Orchid Society that has pictures of awarded plants as well as the other lookups.  I believe its called the awards quarterly but you should be able to find it on the AOS website.  The most recent addition to orchid data bases is one called the Orchid Wiz.  It has all of the bells and wistles for a price.  I have seen prices ranging in the hundreds of dollars for this one and, of course, all of these data bases are regularly updated for a price.

BLC stands for BrassoLaeliaCattleya.  This is a combination of the genus Brassavola, the genus Laelia, and the genus Cattleya.  Each of these genera contribute some features to the resulting hybrid.  SLC stands for SophroLaeliaCattleya.  This is a combination of the genus sophronitis, the genus Laelia, and the genus cattleya.  The genus sophronitis consists of largely red colored species and imparts red and/or orange to SLC hybrids.  BLC hybrids are generally considered the warmer growers while the SLC hybrids prefer cooler temperatures.