Phrag kovachii - Chuck Acker's Plant - a week late

[Leo Schordje]

I made the journey last week, just to see this species myself. I was not able to travel the weekend of the show, so I got to the greenhouse a couple days later. The color is hard to describe and hard to capture. All these pictures are close, but not quite right. It is a pink flower, well, almost pink. A bit purple blue and brown too. Wonderful velvet texture.

Notice that it has one flower and 2 buds coming, so 3 flowers on a first bloom seedling. By the way, that flower was well over 20 cm natural spread, 8 inches across. HUGE

The Phrag kovachii flower, open 5 days, at the greenhouse in natural sunlight

with the clouds rolling through, changed light conditions

Chuck's image taken a day earlier

Lois Cinert's image taken on the second day of the show, Feb 1.

side view:

I really can't wait until my seedlings grow up.
Enjoy - Leo

 

[JeanLux]

super impressions of a super flower!!!! Thanks Leo!!! Jean

 

[rdlsreno]

Nice!!!!


Ramon

 

[nikv]

Wow! All I can say is wow!

 

[Kavanaru]

hhhmmmm... I must admit this species has an amazing flower regarding size and colors... but (and please don't shut for this next statement! ) is it only me, the one who thinks the flowers have a weird (almost ugly) shape? like missing pieces and oversized ears?

Even though I must admit I am also fascinated but this species, there is something in it which really keeps me unconvinced that I would like to have one

 

[Paul]

That's really a huge flower,very impressive!!!

I can't wait to see mines blooming some day!! lol

 

[biothanasis]

Great flower!!! And it is huge!!!Thanks!!!

 

[Elena]

Thanks so much for the photos.

One day *sigh*

 

[phrag guy]

very impressive.can't wait to see some flowering up here in canada

 

[John M]

Glad to finally see that the era of blooming, seed grown kovachii is finally here. We should be in for some awesome "eye candy" in the next few years. Thanks very much, Leo, for making the trip and sharing your photos. I also see that Chuck has added a couple more photos to his website.

I'm looking forward to seeing the next generation of hybrids from this species. 'Should be lots of interesting and beautiful flowers coming along in time.

 

[Rick]

oke:Who needs Cattleyas with flowers like thisoke:

 

[parvi_17]

Wow. That is breathtaking. I don't know about you guys, but I think this is the most beautiful slipper orchid out there right now.

 

[Jorch]

I am one of the, perhaps odd one out like Ramón, who doesn't really like the kovachii flower. Nice color, nice size, but the shape just doesn't appeal to me. I like its hybrids more than the species itself!

It sure is an impressive slipper in terms of size! Thanks for sharing

 

[Hien]

I am one of the, perhaps odd one out like Ramón, who doesn't really like the kovachii flower. Nice color, nice size, but the shape just doesn't appeal to me. I like its hybrids more than the species itself!

It sure is an impressive slipper in terms of size! Thanks for sharing

According to Jason Fischer, one of the large hangianums he saw in Japan is 27.9cm (11 inch) which is about 8 cm (3 inch) bigger in spread.

 

[likespaphs]

ha. kinda looks to me like chuck is saying no touch...

 

[nikv]

Does Chuck having it growing with his Cymbidiums or was that only used as a backdrop for the photos? And does anyone know what Chuck plans to do with it? Self it? Hybridize with it? I'm curious to know.

 

[Ernie]

How many of those lime green T shirts does Chuck own???

Good info and pix, Leo!

-Ernie

 

[Leo Schordje]

I should thank Chuck for trusting me enough to leave me alone with the plant :evil: while he was taking care of his normal customers. They do a pretty brisk walk in trade there even on a weekday. Also thank Chuck and Lois C. for letting me use their pictures to demonstrate how lighting changes the color. The color really is elusive and I think for hybridizers it has hidden potential.

Several crumdgeons oke: complain about the form of the flower, but they couldn't possibly be true dedicated slipper growers could they? We all have our favorites, I grow a B. nodosa, but I also really dislike all the B. nodosa hybrids that involve C. aurantiaca or any of the unifoliate Cattleya. I feel the nodosa kills the charm of the other parent, leaving you with a flower not as good as either parent. Again, personal taste.

Chuck feels that the curled edges on the dorsal may be transitory environmental effect and possibly won't re-occur on later flowers. So basically, his flower seems to be everything a good 'typical' kovachii should be. (not going to get into AOS criteria) I can't say what average is, when my sample size is one. Basically, it is what it is. Funny that besseae and schlimii are two of its closer relatives. Now schlimii has the near 'perfect' ideal shape for full and round form. The improvements in line bred besseae give a clue what a few selection generations might do for filling out the form of kovachii. I think there is a real possibility to get a great line of phrag hybrids with 5 inch or greater flowers, Round or oval in shape, in colors of hot pink to hot red-orange to purple and bluish-purple. And the hybrids with the caudatum types may give us massive long petalled hybrids. The flower size tends to be the geometric average of the 2 parents. So (surface area x surface area) / 2 if a fair predictor of flower size. Think about what Bouley Bay or China Dragon x kovachii would look like? I can hardly wait.

I for one am really excited about this species being available.

 

[Ernie]

Leo, buddy, your math is rusty. Geometric mean is the nth root of the product of n values. So, if you have two numbers, you mulitply them together then take the square root of the product. If three, multiply them then take the cube root, etc. Usually, one considers the geo mean of a length measurement or floriferousness (which oddly holds up pretty well in my experience). Although SA can be considered, it is not common in judging simply because it's not simple to do on the fly. Hmmm, I can adapt my electrophoresis/Western gel and micrograph imaging software for orchid judging... I commonly dream of developing such a metric of proportion during my train naps... Cheers!

-Ernie

 

[slippertalker]

I am quite intrigued by the hirsute stems and sepals. It certainly adds unique character to the flowers. Also, 3 flowers on the stem is pretty good flower count for a first bloom seedling. My largest seedlings are just starting 2nd and 3rd growths so I am hopeful that blooms might show up in the next year or two.