According to Kew, Phragmipedium dalessandroi is not a separate species but one of two besseae infraspecies.
(https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:194352-2#synonyms)
-besseae var. besseae
-besseae var. dalessandroi
Some experts think dalessandroi fits within the usual spectrum of variation for an orchid species, and there should only be besseae. Nevertheless, as things stand, hybrids made with these two infraspecies receive different RHS registered names. Thus,
Phrag. (kovachii x besseae var. besseae) = Fritz Schomburg (Piping Rock 2007)
Phrag. (kovachii x besseae var. dalessandroi) = Peruflora’s Cirila Alca (Peruflora 2007)
Backcrossing primary hybrids to one of the parent species is a well-established breeding step to strengthen certain traits.
1. Peruflora’s Cirila Alca was backcrossed to var. dalessandroi, resulting in Ekolu (Piping Rock 2011). This cross is 25% kovachii, and 75% var. dalessandroi. Here is a link to the most recent of this hybrid’s two AOS-awarded cultivars.
https://op.aos.org/AwardProfile/Summary/90420
2. Orchids Limited backcrossed Peruflora’s Cirila Alca to var. besseae using the tetraploid ‘Rob’s Choice’. I bloomed my plant from this cross in 2016 and asked Jerry Fischer to register it with his wife’s name, Yoko W. Fischer. This presumed 3N cross is 25% kovachii, 25% var. dalessandroi, and 50% var. besseae. Here is a currently open flower of my cultivar, ‘Reijiro’. The flower is more orange than my Fritz Schomburg and about 11 cm wide, typical for my plant, although I once had a 12 cm flower.
3. Another closely related cross is Robert-Jan Quene (Orchids Limited 2013), which is (Fritz Schomburg x var. besseae), so 25% kovachii and 75% var. besseae. The originally registered plant was presumed 3N, since it was made with var. besseae ‘Rob’s Choice’. Robert posted about the second flowering of a plant from this cross in 2014:
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/phrag-robert-jan-quené.35490/
A cultivar of Robert-Jan Quene was awarded an AM/AOS in 2023 (Hawaii, Katherine Leonard). Its flower showed more kovachii influence, suggesting that the var. besseae parent was 2N.
https://op.aos.org/AwardProfile/Summary/106877
4. Finally, many of us have been following monocotman’s excellent running post on his experience with a presumed tetraploid cross of Lovely Lynne (Fritz Schomburg x Peruflora’s Cirila Alca) registered by Michael Tibbs in 2020. This cross is 50% kovachii, 25% var. dalessandroi, and 25% var. besseae.
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/phrag-lovely-lynne-4n-x-sib-blooming-thread.55856/
The increased amount of kovachii seems to have increased the flower size, yet many of the flowers retain a round configuration with wide petals and darker colors.
(https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:194352-2#synonyms)
-besseae var. besseae
-besseae var. dalessandroi
Some experts think dalessandroi fits within the usual spectrum of variation for an orchid species, and there should only be besseae. Nevertheless, as things stand, hybrids made with these two infraspecies receive different RHS registered names. Thus,
Phrag. (kovachii x besseae var. besseae) = Fritz Schomburg (Piping Rock 2007)
Phrag. (kovachii x besseae var. dalessandroi) = Peruflora’s Cirila Alca (Peruflora 2007)
Backcrossing primary hybrids to one of the parent species is a well-established breeding step to strengthen certain traits.
1. Peruflora’s Cirila Alca was backcrossed to var. dalessandroi, resulting in Ekolu (Piping Rock 2011). This cross is 25% kovachii, and 75% var. dalessandroi. Here is a link to the most recent of this hybrid’s two AOS-awarded cultivars.
https://op.aos.org/AwardProfile/Summary/90420
2. Orchids Limited backcrossed Peruflora’s Cirila Alca to var. besseae using the tetraploid ‘Rob’s Choice’. I bloomed my plant from this cross in 2016 and asked Jerry Fischer to register it with his wife’s name, Yoko W. Fischer. This presumed 3N cross is 25% kovachii, 25% var. dalessandroi, and 50% var. besseae. Here is a currently open flower of my cultivar, ‘Reijiro’. The flower is more orange than my Fritz Schomburg and about 11 cm wide, typical for my plant, although I once had a 12 cm flower.
3. Another closely related cross is Robert-Jan Quene (Orchids Limited 2013), which is (Fritz Schomburg x var. besseae), so 25% kovachii and 75% var. besseae. The originally registered plant was presumed 3N, since it was made with var. besseae ‘Rob’s Choice’. Robert posted about the second flowering of a plant from this cross in 2014:
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/phrag-robert-jan-quené.35490/
A cultivar of Robert-Jan Quene was awarded an AM/AOS in 2023 (Hawaii, Katherine Leonard). Its flower showed more kovachii influence, suggesting that the var. besseae parent was 2N.
https://op.aos.org/AwardProfile/Summary/106877
4. Finally, many of us have been following monocotman’s excellent running post on his experience with a presumed tetraploid cross of Lovely Lynne (Fritz Schomburg x Peruflora’s Cirila Alca) registered by Michael Tibbs in 2020. This cross is 50% kovachii, 25% var. dalessandroi, and 25% var. besseae.
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/phrag-lovely-lynne-4n-x-sib-blooming-thread.55856/
The increased amount of kovachii seems to have increased the flower size, yet many of the flowers retain a round configuration with wide petals and darker colors.
