# Magic Lantern



## Happypaphy7 (Jan 13, 2020)

This is (delenatii var. dunkel x micranthum) I purchased off eBay in early summer 2019.
It surprised me with an unexpected spike in the late fall and it is now in bloom! I knew it was near blooming size but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.  
I'd say very nice first time bloomer! 
The color is nice but only slightly darker than typical Magic Lantern. The inflorescence is very thin and rather weak unlike my other Magic Lantern.
The plant is about 8in from one end to the other. The leaves are meh~ 

The last two photos show my other Magic Lantern that normally blooms in the early summer is about to bloom again. 
This one has such beautifully marked leaves!!


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## Guldal (Jan 13, 2020)

What a wonderfully coloured ML - congrats with the flowering. We suppose, that the inflorescence will be more sturdily build, when the plant has grown further, don't we?


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## Markhamite (Jan 13, 2020)

Beautiful. Well grown plant.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 13, 2020)

Guldal said:


> What a wonderfully coloured ML - congrats with the flowering. We suppose, that the inflorescence will be more sturdily build, when the plant has grown further, don't we?



Thank you. I have no complaint. Very happy with this one. I have one more seedling from the same batch and that one has much narrower but beautifully marked leaves. I don't have much anticipation after seeing how this one has turned out.  

Regarding the spike, time will tell, and I sure hope it will be stronger in the future. I've never had to stake my other two Magic Lantern or delenatii even when there were two flowers per spike. Delenatii needed just slightly help due to the weight of the flowers, but my old faithful Magic Lantern has such a thick spike everytime and it stays perfectly straight up.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 13, 2020)

Markhamite said:


> Beautiful. Well grown plant.


Thank you!


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## Don I (Jan 14, 2020)

Very nice.
Don


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## GuRu (Jan 14, 2020)

ML is one of the few hybrids which I grow because it's wonderful....and the heightening of wonderful is excellent and yours is excellent. Congrats and good eBay bid.


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## Paphluvr (Jan 14, 2020)

Nice! To me, the biggest difference between this ML and one made with a standard delenatii seems to be the darker striations in the dorsal and petals and the darker staminode. Hope it gets a stronger stem on future bloomings. 

My ML's are just starting to show signs of budding.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 14, 2020)

Don I said:


> Very nice.
> Don


Thank you! I'm happy with it!


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 14, 2020)

GuRu said:


> ML is one of the few hybrids which I grow because it's wonderful....and the heightening of wonderful is excellent and yours is excellent. Congrats and good eBay bid.


Yes, it sure is one of my favorite hybrids!


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 14, 2020)

Paphluvr said:


> Nice! To me, the biggest difference between this ML and one made with a standard delenatii seems to be the darker striations in the dorsal and petals and the darker staminode. Hope it gets a stronger stem on future bloomings.
> 
> My ML's are just starting to show signs of budding.



True. The striations are a lot darker than typical ML. 
What's interesting is though, you would expect to see some darker pigments on the leaves due to delenatii dunkel, but no. Both this and its sibling has no dunkel influence on their leaves. What a bummer!


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## Ozpaph (Jan 15, 2020)

very nice, indeed


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## Phred (Jan 15, 2020)

Do you find the flowers are smaller with a cross made with dunkel compared to normal delenatii? I have some pollen from a great micranthum a friend gave me. I was going to put it on my vinicolor delenatii last time it bloomed but was afraid the flowers would be smaller. What are your thoughts?


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 15, 2020)

Ozpaph said:


> very nice, indeed


Such a nice primary, right?


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 15, 2020)

Phred said:


> Do you find the flowers are smaller with a cross made with dunkel compared to normal delenatii? I have some pollen from a great micranthum a friend gave me. I was going to put it on my vinicolor delenatii last time it bloomed but was afraid the flowers would be smaller. What are your thoughts?
> 
> View attachment 17716
> View attachment 17717



Majority of delenatii dunkel flowers I have seen have been smaller than the standard variety, but the shape is the most distinct. Yours is a very good example of it. It doesn't look as full as the standard variety. 
Sam at Orchid Inn has been breeding dunkel and standard variety in an effort to come up with larger flower with darker pouch. He is a professional with lots of experiences, so this alone says a lot about the characteristics of each variety. 
So, in short, yes, I would say dunkel is typically smaller. 

Now, if you are thinking of crossing those two in the pictures, I would say go for it. 
Micranthum can help out filling the gap in overall fullness of the flower as well as the size. 
You can't go wrong with Magic Lantern, and I really like those two flowers. 
My Magic Lantern above isn't small compared to others I have seen.


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## Phred (Jan 15, 2020)

Thanks Happyphaphy
The delenatii vinicolor had just opened when I took that picture. It was actually bigger and fuller a couple weeks later. When both flowered were open I took it to a judging center near me... it was a total disaster. This day at the judging center they were short judges and in a hurry. They compared my vinicolor to ‘Charlie’ AM/AOS which was a regular colored delenatii awarded in 2018. ’Charlie’ had a 10.8 cm NS. You know how it is... you can’t say anything. You gotta just sit there and watch them make the mistake. If I would have waited another week I could have taken it to the judging center I usually bring my plant’s to. 
I’ll make the cross next time it blooms.


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## ChuckG1970 (Jan 15, 2020)

Beautiful flower


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 15, 2020)

Phred said:


> Thanks Happyphaphy
> The delenatii vinicolor had just opened when I took that picture. It was actually bigger and fuller a couple weeks later. When both flowered were open I took it to a judging center near me... it was a total disaster. This day at the judging center they were short judges and in a hurry. They compared my vinicolor to ‘Charlie’ AM/AOS which was a regular colored delenatii awarded in 2018. ’Charlie’ had a 10.8 cm NS. You know how it is... you can’t say anything. You gotta just sit there and watch them make the mistake. If I would have waited another week I could have taken it to the judging center I usually bring my plant’s to.
> I’ll make the cross next time it blooms.


Sorry to hear about the disappointing episode at the judging. I don't participate. I just enjoy my plants at home and show online. That's about it.


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 15, 2020)

ChuckG1970 said:


> Beautiful flower


Thanks. This has become my favorite as soon as I bloomed my first one in 2015.


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## Phred (Apr 15, 2020)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Sorry to hear about the disappointing episode at the judging. I don't participate. I just enjoy my plants at home and show online. That's about it.


If I wasn’t breeding and selling seedlings I probably wouldn’t bring them to judging either


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## DrLeslieEe (Apr 16, 2020)

This ML is indeed beautiful. Good color and shape. Indeed pointable in my books.

As for your experience Fred, it is unfortunate. It should have been compared to a dunkle if both parents were dunkles. If one parent is type form, then the type form will be considered in the assessment. I hope you bring it in on a next great blooming and state on the form that it is a dunkle and underline it twice LOL.

I have had many personal plants passed the first time for an award for reasons you stated. Judges are humans and sometimes do make mistakes now and then (to err is human). This of course upsets many people and stops them from showing again. However, I don't give up. Nor should you. I reshow my plants on the next blooming when the flowers are bigger and showier, and 80% of the time it gets an award. Lesson? To forgive is divine (and persevere in your quest!). 

BTW those parents to cross with are exceptional. Do it Fred!


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## eaborne (Apr 16, 2020)

Gorgeous!


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## BrucherT (Apr 17, 2020)

Sam has some big dunkel flowers. I don’t know the names because delenatii hasn’t been my thing (I like them but find them moody and haven’t managed to bloom one of the new ones) but I did note the flowers as impressive. Not sure if pure selects or a result of his stellar work. Never really seen anything like his facility and the majesty overwhelmed me.


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 17, 2020)

BrucherT said:


> Sam has some big dunkel flowers. I don’t know the names because delenatii hasn’t been my thing (I like them but find them moody and haven’t managed to bloom one of the new ones) but I did note the flowers as impressive. Not sure if pure selects or a result of his stellar work. Never really seen anything like his facility and the majesty overwhelmed me.



He has made one with dunkel and standard type in the hope that some will come out like a large dunekl since dunkels are typically smaller and not as full as the standard variety. I wasn't into delenatii but it grew on me. I love their leaves and they are about the easiest and the most reliable among the parvis. You might have gotten a weak plant. It is at least a possibility. 
I love this hybrid a lot. It is a great grower & bloomer in my experience.


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## Phred (Apr 18, 2020)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Now, if you are thinking of crossing those two in the pictures, I would say go for it.
> Micranthum can help out filling the gap in overall fullness of the flower as well as the size.
> You can't go wrong with Magic Lantern, and I really like those two flowers.
> My Magic Lantern above isn't small compared to others I have seen.


Well... the micranthum pollen was no longer good. I used pollen from this. The pollen wasn’t perfect either so I hope it takes


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## NYEric (Apr 18, 2020)

Taking plants to judging is like waterboarding yourself.  Thanks for sharing.


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 18, 2020)

Phred said:


> Well... the micranthum pollen was no longer good. I used pollen from this. The pollen wasn’t perfect either so I hope it takes
> View attachment 19469


How do you know the pollen wasn't good?? Did it get moldy? 
So, did you put pollen from this flower on your delenatii? I have made a cross between delenatii and a vini maudiae type, and the leaves on the seedlings are gorgeous as expected!!


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 18, 2020)

An exciting update!
Three new growths bursting out of this plant now. Yay!!


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 18, 2020)

hmm I don't know what went wrong but the image won't display.


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## DrLeslieEe (Apr 18, 2020)

I can see the pic, now twice lol. 
3 growths!!! Yayyyy...

Fred... Nice PS! Shape and colour good. It wa

Waterboarding is an interesting comparison with holding your breaths while your plants are stripped, prodded and interrogated by a panel of strangers. Yup, I’ve never experienced WB, but can just imagine. Yet the feeling after when the plants get an award is quite a high lol


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## richgarrison (Apr 19, 2020)

DrLeslieEe said:


> This ML is indeed beautiful. Good color and shape. Indeed pointable in my books.
> 
> As for your experience Fred, it is unfortunate. It should have been compared to a dunkle if both parents were dunkles. If one parent is type form, then the type form will be considered in the assessment. I hope you bring it in on a next great blooming and state on the form that it is a dunkle and underline it twice LOL.
> 
> ...



loved this part...

"Judges are humans and ..."

There's an entire thread there for sure...


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 20, 2020)

Initially the image didn't pop up and later it did. I don't know what happened. Now I can't delete it. I remember there used to a delete button but can't find it now.


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## Phred (Apr 20, 2020)

Happypaphy7 said:


> How do you know the pollen wasn't good?? Did it get moldy?
> So, did you put pollen from this flower on your delenatii? I have made a cross between delenatii and a vini maudiae type, and the leaves on the seedlings are gorgeous as expected!!


I used one pollen on a regular color delenatii a couple months ago. The pollen didn’t look good then and the flower and capsule fell off that plant together. I didn’t want to risk missing a cross with this vinicolor. I didn’t breed it last year because I was Brigitte to judging.


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