New Primary Hybrid (fowliei x henryanum)

Leo Schordje · Sep 15, 2009

Many years ago I made a cross that single handedly set Paph breeding back 50 years. (fowlei x callosum var. sublaeve) both were small parents but neither had full shapes. The offspring were horrible, bigger plants than fowlei and small, ugly, washed out colored, reflexed flowers. So bad I never bothered trying to register it. (actually was advised by a few friends to never admit to making that cross).

This fowlei cross is really nice. Good one Ross.

slippertalker · Sep 15, 2009

Leo, I can't believe you made that cross......

oke:

paphioboy · Sep 15, 2009

Many years ago I made a cross that single handedly set Paph breeding back 50 years. (fowlei x callosum var. sublaeve) both were small parents but neither had full shapes. The offspring were horrible, bigger plants than fowlei and small, ugly, washed out colored, reflexed flowers. So bad I never bothered trying to register it. (actually was advised by a few friends to never admit to making that cross).

Actually, might be worth re-making the cross using better parents like callosum 'JAC' or other dark clones..

Leo Schordje · Sep 15, 2009

slippertalker said:
Leo, I can't believe you made that cross......oke:

Arnie Klehm really beat me up about it. He saw the sublaeve I used - he predicted absolute dreck, and he sure was right. This was quite a while ago, I was still in the "cross any two plants you have in bloom" phase of learning to do hybrids.

I suppose if one were careful in their choice of callosum parent, a remake could be good. But I no longer have a cheap lab at my disposal, so I am more conservative with my hybridizing these days.

:evil: Right now I am making Phrag hybrids involving xeriphyticum crossed with kovachii hybrids.

oke:

paphioboy said:
Actually, might be worth re-making the cross using better parents like callosum 'JAC' or other dark clones..

I'm not sure I would want to use callosum 'Jac' - the 'JAC' clones all have that heavy warting in the petals. With the curled petals of the fowlei, I think you would have a problem with getting many plants with crippled petals. I would use a callosum 'Sparkling Burgundy' line of vinicolor. The 'Sparkling Burgundy' line has smooth petals with just a few warts. It is also a deep vinicolor, the one that Stewarts Orchids had used in its original batch of early vinicolor crosses made by Rex van Delden.

Robert would know the history of callosum clones better than I, he has studied these crosses closely.

Kevin · Sep 15, 2009

Leo, do you have any pictures of this cross, that you would wish to share? Even though you say it is ugly, it would be interesting to see the result, for curiosity sake. Did you keep any of them long enough to re-bloom them? Did they change at all after a second flowering?

Leo Schordje · Sep 15, 2009

Kevin said:
Leo, do you have any pictures of this cross, that you would wish to share? Even though you say it is ugly, it would be interesting to see the result, for curiosity sake. Did you keep any of them long enough to re-bloom them? Did they change at all after a second flowering?

I checked my electronic archive. I don't have any pictures. I did this at least 15 years ago, possibly 20 years ago, say 1988 or so. I did not buy a digital camera until 2002. In those days, unless you had an expensive SLR, the old film point and shoots would not take acceptable close ups of flowers. If I wanted a slide of an orchid flower in those days I would have to put the plant in the car and drive to one of the orchid hobby people who were also professional photographers. For example Bill Shaban, who did the catalog lay outs for Ball Seed company. Bill used to live about 40 miles away from me, & we were friends. So you only went through that trouble for your very best plants.

I did keep 6 or 8 of them and let them rebloom, and rebloom. I think I composted the last of them around 1997. You are right, never judge a first bloom seedling too harshly, often mature blooming is quite a bit better.

Ross · Sep 16, 2009

I initially decided to try some fowliei crosses because in spite of its less than impressive flower, the plants grow like weeds and quickly clump into specimen plants in a 4 inch pot. As stated before, I chose pollen parents that were noted for generally dominating a cross in one way or another. The one unfortunate trait I've noticed that has carried over in the first three hybrids is the curling of the petal edges.