# Phal. bellina var vinicolor!!



## Drorchid (Jul 15, 2013)

Last week we discovered a very interesting Phal. bellina under our seedlings. The cross is Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' AM/AOS x Phal. bellina 'Round Star'. As it turns out Phal bellina 'Round Star' is a Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' AM/AOS x self, which means we have inbred Ponkan two times. As a result we got a very interesting seedling that turned out all vinicolor! It is definitely a bellina, and not a violaceae or a Samera (bellina x violacea), as this one has the very distinct "bellina" fragrance, also the foliage is very much like a bellina, and so is the shape of the flower. I am guessing after 2 rounds of inbreeding some recessive gene must have emerged. Has anyone ever come across another bellina like this? 

Phal. bellina var vinicolor 'Fernbrook':




Phal. bellina var vincolor 'Fernbrook' outside shot, this color is more true to life:




Phal. bellina var vinicolor 'Fernbrook' -side view-:




Phal. bellina var vinicolor -plant-




Comparison shot, showing its parent Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' AM/AOS, a regular violaceae, and an indigo violaceae (violaceae coerulea).



Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' AM/AOS vs Phal. bellina vinicolor 'Fernbrook':





Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' AM/AOS:




Phal. bellina 'Round Star':




Phal. violaceae var coerulea (Indigo type):




Regualar Phal. violaceae:


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## The Orchid Boy (Jul 15, 2013)

Very cool! Such a wide range a genetic differences.


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## naoki (Jul 15, 2013)

That's fascinating! Do anyone know the origin of 'Ponkan'? From the artificially round shape (more P. violaceae like shape), it is pretty far from wild-collected P. bellina, right? I've been wodering if 'Ponkan' is a pure P. bellina.

If the color pattern of P. bellina is from a simple Mendelian segregation of one or two loci, you probably see other sibs with the same type. Are the other sibs from the cross has this color pattern?


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## Fabrice (Jul 15, 2013)

Very funny! And nice!
Is it the first bloom from the cross or is it the only one plant what bloomed like that and other are normal?

Is it possible than the bellina "Ponkan" have violacea genes in previous generation or are you completely sure than Ponkan is a pure bellina?


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## naoki (Jul 15, 2013)

The author of the following page is interested in natural variation of Phalaenopsis, and he has an amazing collection. He imported P. bellina f. ruby, which is supposed to be wild. And it is similar to yours:

http://www.ranwild.org/Phalaenopsis/module/species/bellina/Especieshead.html


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## Drorchid (Jul 15, 2013)

This is the first seedling from this cross to bloom, so I am anxiously waiting to see the rest bloom. Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' is from Frank Smith's breeding program, so I don't know what the exact genetic background is of this plant.

What to me is bizarre, if you find a genetic mutation like this after several generations of inbreeding, you may find some albinistic traits pop up (so you may find an all white flower), but it is rare to find this kind of mutation to show up, so it is plausible that in the background of bellina 'Ponkan' there is some violaceae genes that have now shown up due to inbreeding...

Robert


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## Drorchid (Jul 15, 2013)

naoki said:


> The author of the following page is interested in natural variation of Phalaenopsis, and he has an amazing collection. He imported P. bellina f. ruby, which is supposed to be wild. And it is similar to yours:
> 
> http://www.ranwild.org/Phalaenopsis/module/species/bellina/Especieshead.html



Thanks! Interesting!!

Robert


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## Paphman910 (Jul 15, 2013)

Drorchid said:


> This is the first seedling from this cross to bloom, so I am anxiously waiting to see the rest bloom. Phal. bellina 'Ponkan' is from Frank Smith's breeding program, so I don't know what the exact genetic background is of this plant.
> 
> What to me is bizarre, if you find a genetic mutation like this after several generations of inbreeding, you may find some albinistic traits pop up (so you may find an all white flower), but it is rare to find this kind of mutation to show up, so it is plausible that in the background of bellina 'Ponkan' there is some violaceae genes that have now shown up due to inbreeding...
> 
> Robert




I also asked one of my local friends about this bellina and let you know his response.


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## paphioboy (Jul 15, 2013)

Super!!!


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## SlipperFan (Jul 15, 2013)

One thing we can say for sure: it is a Phal....


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## abax (Jul 16, 2013)

That bloom is quite striking. I like it...a lot.


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## NYEric (Jul 16, 2013)

Very pretty. thanks for sharing.


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## Ozpaph (Jul 17, 2013)

striking colour and appreciate the 'family' comparison photos.


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## ditrujillo (Aug 17, 2014)

Hello Robert, I was wondering if Orchids Limited ever does
any quick and dirty DNA fingerprinting? Not that I doubt the parents of your red Bellina, but I'm wondering if the use of markers could eventually help you select unbloomed seedlings that are more likely to inherit qualitative traits such as this one (or indigo color in violacea crosses). Sorry for going a bit off-topic. I'm a Plant Biology grad student in MN, and I often wonder what the state of research is like in local orchid businesses. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rick (Aug 17, 2014)

That's a stunning flower Robert:clap:

I hope you can get it to breed true and make a bunch of them.


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## naoki (Aug 17, 2014)

Any updates about the color of the sibs from the same cross, Robert?


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## abax (Aug 18, 2014)

I've seen a Ruby bred by Rob Shepherd of Sapphire Dragon Orchids that
looked very much like this one. That was at least three years ago and
I wonder where Sapphire Dragon went and where that Ruby went. I tried
to order one and the site was down at that time. I love your Phal.


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## Justin (Aug 19, 2014)

love it!!


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