# Paph Snowbird



## Achamore (Nov 20, 2015)

Bought this cross many years ago from Hadley Cash of Marriott Orchids, and then lost it on the move to Scotland. Am very pleased to have a new one, which arrived a couple of months ago and has opened its bloom in the last few days. The photo was taken today, which is about 3 days into opening.


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## orchidman77 (Nov 20, 2015)

Beautiful! Love that little cluster of spots right in the center of the dorsal.

David


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## Trithor (Nov 20, 2015)

Very nice. It. What is the breeding of this hybrid? It has an old style 'Rosy Dawn' look to it.


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## Erythrone (Nov 20, 2015)

Beautiful


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## Justin (Nov 20, 2015)

Going to be great. Please post a pic after it turns white. I have salty 'val' and jack tonkin 'vals choice' in flower now


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## trdyl (Nov 20, 2015)

Wonderful! :drool:


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## jimspaphs (Nov 20, 2015)

I like that,keep the photos coming


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## Ozpaph (Nov 20, 2015)

very delicate


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## Markhamite (Nov 20, 2015)

Very classy looking. Love it!


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## SlipperFan (Nov 20, 2015)

Nice. I could like this complex.


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## NYEric (Nov 20, 2015)

Nice. thanks for sharing.


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## Achamore (Nov 21, 2015)

Trithor said:


> Very nice. It. What is the breeding of this hybrid? It has an old style 'Rosy Dawn' look to it.



Jack Tonkin x Diversion

http://www.marriottorchids.com/DL.html


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## 17andgrowing (Nov 21, 2015)

Don't own any bulldogs, but I like this one.


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## Achamore (Nov 21, 2015)

I'm not a lover of the Complex Paphs either. But this one is delightful I feel.


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## fibre (Nov 21, 2015)

Lovely flower! Is this 'Opalescense'? How long are the leaves?


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## Achamore (Nov 22, 2015)

This is Snowbird 'Robin'. I'll measure the leaves shortly.


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## Achamore (Nov 23, 2015)




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## fibre (Nov 23, 2015)

Thanks!


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## Achamore (Nov 27, 2015)

The mature leaves are between roughly 22cm and 30cm.

The colours are fading a bit now. I prefer it as you see here, when the bloom has just opened. 

I once mentioned at a British Paph Society meeting that I didn't like the complex paphs. Not one person agreed, and I was left with the impression that such a response on my part was just stupid ignorance. But even after all these years, I still don't like the vast majority of complex paphs. But Hadley Cash does a fabulous job in creating superb examples of them, and some definitely are enticing to me.


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## Justin (Nov 27, 2015)

i've said it before but i really love these classic white complex!


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## tim (Nov 29, 2015)

Paph. Snowbird was registered in 1976 by noted Californian paph breeder Jack Tonkin, and is a cross between Diversion 'New Orleans' HCC/AOS and Paph. Jack Tonkin 'Val's Choice' AM/AOS, according to the label on one of the unawarded clones I have. Its parents are important in their own rights; Paph. Diversion 'New Orleans', a combination of Paph. Alpha and Paph. Aussie was made in England by Black and Flory, and awarded by the AOS and the ODC in the mid 1950s. It is the immediate parent of nearly 100 grexes, and a parent or grandparent of more than 50 awarded complex paphs. Its vibrant colors are still important today; as an example, Paph. Lippewunder has Diversion as a great-grandparent (through Bit-O-Sunshine).

Paph. Jack Tonkin is a cross of F.C. Puddle and McLaren Park 'San Mateo' AM/AOS, and the line of plants stemming from Paph. Jack Tonkin is important as a demonstration of fertility in white complex paphs. Paph. Jack Tonkin was used to breed a number of good whites; Snowbird as well bred a number of good whites and pinks, including Snow Glory (x Hellas), which received an AQ in 2006. 

I know of four extant, named good clones of Snowbird, including the pictured 'Robin' AM/AOS (1978), 'Val' AM/AOS (1975; before the grex was registered), the diminutive 'Opalescence' AM/AOS (1980), and an un-awarded but even smaller plant, with a perfect little miniature flower called 'Littlest Gem'. All of these are from Jack Tonkin's original crossing. The variety 'Althea' AM/AOS, which to my knowledge is not around anymore, has exceptional form for whites of this timeframe. The varieties of sizes of Snowbird plants is interesting, and begs further attention in terms of breeding smaller plants. All four are among the fastest-growing paphs I have, and are all well worth growing even now, in this age of whites with much better form. They seem to have been lost in their time - whites and pinks like Via Ojai, also from the late 1970s, seem to have been more frequently grown, but Via Ojai breeds very reluctantly. Since they are fertile, further crosses of Snowbird with Hellas-derived flowers of better form may continue to yield small, but attractive, easily grown whites.


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## Achamore (Nov 29, 2015)

Wow! Tim, what wonderful information, thank you! I had begun to despair of finding any substantive interest in this fellow here, so my faith is restored..!


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## fibre (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks Tim for all the interesting information! Do you have a pic of 'Littlest Gem' to show here? 

As far as I know, Snowbird is made from Jack Tonkin and Diversion. 

Diversion is a direct parent of the famous Yerba Buena, Kay Rinaman (this is a backcross from Yerba Buena to Diversion), Bit-O'-Sunshine, Picture Rock, Divisadero, McLaren Park, Limerick, ...All great green breeders. 

So the breeding of Snowbird follows the concept to cross a good green complex with a white to get better whites. In addition Jack Tonkin itself is McLaren Park x F.C. Puddle. So Snowbird has Diversion as a parent and as a grand-grandparent. 

Unfortunately I don't know which clones of Diversion did all this famous breeding.


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## Justin (Nov 30, 2015)

Great info as always Tim!


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## Ozpaph (Nov 30, 2015)

thanks Tim!


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## Achamore (Nov 30, 2015)

fibre said:


> As far as I know, Snowbird is made from Jack Tonkin and Diversion.



This is correct, according to my copy of Sander's List from the Addendum of 1976 - 1980. And it was registered by Jack Tonkin in 1976.


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## tim (Nov 30, 2015)

Yes that's totally correct - sorry! I'm not sure what I was looking at...

It would be Diversion 'New Orleans' HCC/AOS, the only awarded plant, very common, vigorous, and easy to grow. Maybe that explains why Snowbird grows so well. I wonder if the goal of Snowbird was to make better whites or more vigorous ones? Diversion is a very small flower of not particularly good form, but it is very fertile. I'm so sorry I wrote that wrong!!


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## Justin (Nov 30, 2015)

For me Jack Tonkin 'Val's Choice' is extremely vigorous. Excellent flower too.


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## Achamore (Dec 6, 2015)

Photo taken today, about 3 weeks after opening.


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## fibre (Dec 6, 2015)

Thank you for the update! After looking at Hadley Cash's pic I would have expected a more white flower. Very charming though.


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## SlipperFan (Dec 6, 2015)

Very pretty.


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## Migrant13 (Dec 6, 2015)

Flower is holding up well and looks great.


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## trdyl (Dec 6, 2015)

Still beautiful!


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## Justin (Dec 7, 2015)

It should still turn white. My JT and Sallty Val flowers still have some green in them and the flowers are about the same age.


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## Achamore (Dec 7, 2015)

Well, I like it as it is now. We all lose colour up top as we get older. :wink:


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## Achamore (Feb 3, 2016)

Photo taken today, about 10 weeks after opening.


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## Ozpaph (Feb 3, 2016)

10 weeks!!


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## fibre (Feb 3, 2016)

Wow!


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## Markhamite (Feb 3, 2016)

Even more beautiful!


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## trdyl (Feb 3, 2016)

So pretty!


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## Justin (Feb 3, 2016)

gorgeous!


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## Happypaphy7 (Feb 3, 2016)

Oh, wow~ What a transformation!
I love it when it turns completely white!


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## NYEric (Feb 3, 2016)

Long lasting blooms are one of the benefits of complex breeding. I am not a big fan of complex Paphs either, but occasionally there are exceptions!


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## Achamore (Feb 4, 2016)

Why does the complex breeding lead to longer lasting blooms? Is it simply by selecting longer-lasting parents again and again, or is there something further happening too?


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## PaphMadMan (Feb 5, 2016)

I think selection for heavier waxy texture has indirectly resulted in longer lasting blooms. The flower in front of them at the moment is much more likely to be the focus of the breeder than the previous bloom records of the plant, but that probably does happen too. The diverse genetics of complex hybrids, always some diversity, and the many generations of selection are a perfect set up for evolution of indirectly selected traits.


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## Achamore (Feb 5, 2016)

Thank you Kirk, very interesting..!


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## Achamore (Feb 12, 2016)

It finally faded away 2 days ago. About 5 days shy of 3 months. Pretty long-lived bloom..!


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## Migrant13 (Feb 12, 2016)

Amazing flower longevity. I would want one for that reason alone.


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