# Phrag. (Robert C Silich x besseae)



## Drorchid (Dec 27, 2012)

This is a new cross for us. Phrag. Robert C Silich is Mem. Dick Clements x Jason Fischer. I backcrossed this plant to our 4N Phrag. besseae 'Rob's Choice' AM/AOS. I think it is in improvement over Phrag. Jason Fischer. The colors are more saturated red, and the shape has improved. To early to tell, but based on the first growth, the plant may be more compact compared to a Jason Fischer.

Flower:






Flower compared to a Phrag. Jason Fischer (on the left):





Robert


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## Dido (Dec 27, 2012)

rEALLY DARK RED
I like it


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2012)

Do you have one of those for me!? 
Yay bessseae hybrids!!


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## The Orchid Boy (Dec 27, 2012)

As NYEric says:


NYEric said:


> Yay besseae hybrids!


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2012)

BTW, do you have a photo of the whole plant? One problem I had with Phrag Robert C. Silich is that they grew with the foliage so close and tight it was like the leaves were imbricated.


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## Drorchid (Dec 27, 2012)

NYEric said:


> Do you have one of those for me!?
> Yay bessseae hybrids!!



Yes! Jason will be posting them on orchidweb.com soon (or if you are impatient you can call him!). We don't have too many of them for sale, so I know they will sell out soon!

Robert


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2012)

OK.


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## Clark (Dec 27, 2012)

Sexy.


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## Drorchid (Dec 27, 2012)

NYEric said:


> BTW, do you have a photo of the whole plant? One problem I had with Phrag Robert C. Silich is that they grew with the foliage so close and tight it was like the leaves were imbricated.



Here you go Eric:







Robert


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2012)

Yep, very similar growth habit. Thanks.


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## Erythrone (Dec 27, 2012)

I am in love with it!!!!!!!


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## mrhappyrotter (Dec 27, 2012)

Holy cow that's amazing. It's got the beautiful shape of besseae and deeper red than Jason Fischer. The best of both world. I like.


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## SlipperFan (Dec 27, 2012)

And someone on the OGD said there weren't any truly red Phrags. Ha!


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## eaborne (Dec 28, 2012)

Stunning!


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## phrag guy (Dec 28, 2012)

that is amazing


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## Chuck (Dec 28, 2012)

Wonderful flower.

Chuck


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## terryros (Dec 28, 2012)

I saw this bloom in person two days ago and it is a saturated, deep red with great shape.

I was both happy and sad to see this. I was sad because I had bloomed the first of this cross the end of last May. The flower (there were eventually 7 of them) had good shape with wide petals, but the color was a much lighter rose color, and this was on all blooms. Jerry Fischer took a picture of it and we were surprised at the color. The width of the petals was 7 cm on the first blooming. The plant is vigorous and made two new growths, that were mildly stoloniferous. These new growths look a month or two away from spiking again.

I think Robert's post shows the second blooming from the cross so it will be very interesting to see the variability in color in other plants. While my plant room was never over 78 degrees during the blooming time, I am hoping for a change in color saturation on the second bloom.


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## Drorchid (Dec 28, 2012)

terryros said:


> I saw this bloom in person two days ago and it is a saturated, deep red with great shape.
> 
> I was both happy and sad to see this. I was sad because I had bloomed the first of this cross the end of last May. The flower (there were eventually 7 of them) had good shape with wide petals, but the color was a much lighter rose color, and this was on all blooms. Jerry Fischer took a picture of it and we were surprised at the color. The width of the petals was 7 cm on the first blooming. The plant is vigorous and made two new growths, that were mildly stoloniferous. These new growths look a month or two away from spiking again.
> 
> ...



Terry, was your plant a (Robert C Silich x besseae 'Rob's Choice') or was it the reciprocal (besseae 'Rob's Choice' x Robert C Silich). I made the cross both ways. If yours is the reciprocal, it may explain the differences. Also this is not a primary (like M.D. Clements) or secondary cross (like Jason Fischer), so you do expect more variation within the cross, so some plants will have flowers that are deeper red in color than others.

Robert


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## terryros (Dec 29, 2012)

Mine is a Silich x besseae 'Robs Choice' from the same cross as what you posted. I think this is probably an example of the fact that the first blooming seedlings from a cross are not necessarily (or maybe even often) going to be the best flowers! 

We know that this cross should be 3N and is a high proportion of besseae. Do you suspect that this is a breeding dead end?

If my plant doesn't improve with subsequent blooming, I am anxiously awaiting the blooming of your m. Dick Clements 'Look-a-Like' x besseae 'Rob's Choice' cross as my best chance for a large, round, wide-petaled, very red Phrag that is better than my other 2N Jason Fischers. 

However, I think we know that there is a maximum that we can get from this gene pool no matter how we try and align the genes and we may be close to that limit. To get truly large, round, red Phrags we may need to be looking to the second generation kovachii crosses. I have my hope pinned on your Fritz Schomberg x besseae 'Rob's Choice' cross which is growing and I am hoping for blooming in a year.




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## Shiva (Dec 29, 2012)

Great bloom and color.


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## e-spice (Dec 29, 2012)

That's a great one!


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## phraggy (Jan 2, 2013)

Awesome and beautiful bloom -- leaves look a bit irregular!!

Ed


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## JeanLux (Jan 3, 2013)

Wow for this new one: great shape and color!!!! Interesting comp. shot with Jason Fischer!!!! Jean


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