Developments in Yellow and Novelty Phalaenopsis In the not so distant past

Developments in Yellow and Novelty Phalaenopsis

        In the not so distant past, hybrids such as Deventeriana 'Treva' AM/AOS,
which now includes over 450 progeny in five generations, Sweet Memory 'Echo Valley' AM/AOS, a parent of questionable fertility to date, Liu Tuen-shen 'JM' HCC/AOS, with over 350 progeny, and Golden Buddha 'Billy's Red', which has over 570 progeny, set the standards for yellow and novelty Phalaenopsis. About this time, there erupted a worldwide explosion in Phal. breeding that continues today. As a result of this explosion, the above greats also became outstanding parents, and grandparents, as well. Increasingly fertile combinations were being realized and greater populations of yellow and novelty crosses were reaching the market. There were also other breeding lines that were becoming noticed and experimented with. These consisted of the likes of: Dtps. Autumn Leaves 'Echo Valley' HCC/AOS, Phal. Hausermann's Goldcup 'Everlasting Lenette #1', and Phal. Goldberry 'Carmela' AM/AOS.

        We will begin to take a look at the progress that these breeding lines have achieved. From the Liu Tuen-shen line, Phal. Harvest Time 'Krull-Smith' AM/AOS exhibits large size, flat round shape and substance from its grandparent. Another fine attribute passed along is the spacing on the inflorescence. Phal. Black Peoker 'Sandy's Amethyst' HCC/AOS also has great shape, from the species Phal.gigantea J. J. Smith, on both sides of its background. Concentric patterning is also derived from Phal. gigantea. More recently, Phal. Brother Wildcat 'Crownfox Amethyst Wonder' HCC/AOS has Liu Tuen-shen on both sides of its background. Consistantly, full round shape and flatness, with great substance are the norm for this breeding line. The heavy red blotching color is picked up from the Phal. Paifang's Queen grandparent. The final Liu Tuen-shen decendant that we will look at is, Phal. Stellar Gold 'Monterey Bay'. Unshown as yet, this plant exhibits the best traits of shape and presentation, as well as fine, bright color inherited from its Phal. Golden Wish parent.

        Phalaenopsis Deventeriana has continued to offer fine hybrids as both a parent and as a grandparent. Phal. Orchidview Sunsplash 'Echo Valley', bred and registered in 1992 by H.P. Norton, is a new introduction into this breeding line, and appears to be proving its value as a parent of fine shape. Along with passing along shape to its progeny, it seems to be a bit more recessive for color traits. Our first breeding results from this cross will be discussed a bit later. Phal. Memoria Clare Watson 'Gemstone' HCC/AOS continues the Deventeriana legacy of excellent shape. As a grandparent, the famous Barbara Moler is present, and apparent in both the shape and color of this hybrid. Phal. Brother Lawrence 'Dieu Troung' AM/AOS, and the Award of Quality to the cross, set a new standard for yellow Deventeriana breeding. These attributes are being taken to the next level in the hybrids that we are beginning to see from Phal. Brother Lawrence. Also with an Award of Quality, Phal. Sweet Revenge 'Hot Lips' AM/AOS shows great similarities in shape and color with the historic Phal. Sweet Memory. Early indications are that it will share the same breeding quality as its sister line, but maybe with a greater fertility.

        As a grandparent, Deventeriana consistantly aids in passing along great shape and color reception. Phal. Mahalo crossed with Rainbow's End, an unamed hybrid made by Eric Goo of Phoenix Orchids, shows this example of great shape and bold color. Deventeriana's ability to intensify color from the other parent is one of the finest traits passed along to its offspring. This ability is evident even as a grandparent. Phal. Rare Vintage 'Nance' HCC/AOS is one of four awards to a very small original population of less than forty plants. It's parents, Phal. Sweet Memory and Phal. George Vasquez, passed along a wide diversity of color patterning with excellent shape. However, the small population is indicative that Phal. Sweet Memory as a pod parent seems to have limited fertility. Phal. Rare Vintage 'Private Reserve' AM/AOS, along with its fine shape and superb color patterning, shows extremely good vigor and just recently received an 84 point Award of Merit from the American Orchid Society. This cross has been recently remade with a more generous population.

        Through numerous crosses, Phal. Hausermann's Goldcup 'Everlasting Lenette #1' has consistantly produced outstanding intense yellow color as well as very good shape. Continued, recent examples of this success are Phal. Krull's Ambo 'Scott Taylor' HCC/AOS. It shows fine, flat round shape, inherited from the standard white Phal. Florida Snow, and rich intense yellow overlaid with red blotches from the Phal. amboinensis J. J. Smith. An outstanding attempt to create a clear, round standard shaped, yellow is in the cross of Phal. Kathy Norton 'Limelight' AM/AOS. This hybrid clearly shows the value that "Goldcup" beholds as a grandparent. This breeding lineage appears to be on the road to a clear standard shaped yellow that does not fade.

        Dtps. Autumn Leaves 'Echo Valley' HCC/AOS has made a significant impact on yellow breeding through successive generations. Dtps. Autumn Sun 'Monterey Bay' HCC/AOS, which is a cross of Dtps. Autumn Leaves and Prospector's Dream, has Phal. Deventeriana as a grandparent. Dtps. Autumn Sun has shown the ability to breed for excellent round shape as well as bright, clean yellow color through a high percentage of its seedlings. From the West Coast, Dtps. Buena Lemon Brite 'Freckle Face' HCC/AOS, bred by Nick Lejeune of Southern California, exhibits extremely fine shape as well as delicate red markings around the column. The cross is Dtps. Autumn Sun by Phal. Via Whatever. Another clone, 'Summer Sun' AM/AOS is a clear yellow with hard substance and very round shape. What is apparent is that the color is completely dominated by the Dtps. Autumn Sun, as there is no color patterning from the Phal. Zuma Violet grandparent. The grex exhibited consistently high overall quality and received the coveted Award of Quality for the hybridizer, and Oceanside Orchids, the exhibitor. Dtps. Blessed 'Walnut Valley' HCC/AOS, bred by Carmela Orchids of Hawaii, combines Dtps. Autumn Sun with Phal. Goldberry. Both parents have comparibly round shape, and the golden yellow color is intensified through the Phal. Goldberry. The variety 'Cam-Hi' HCC/AOS also shows the consistent quality of the cross along with terrific substance and a bright lustrous texture.

        The cross, Dtps. Kelsie Takasaki, also bred by Carmela Orchids, has made quite a stir when it comes to yellow stripes. There were several AOS awards, including the clone "Monterey Bay' HCC/AOS to the grex. Excellent golden yellow color along with strong, red-lavender stripes were the norm for the cross. The variety, 'Gold Nugget' HCC/AOS, also with 78 points, shows the outstanding uniformity of the cross that also has extremely good branching and flower count. So consistent was the cross, that it received an Award of Quality from the American Orchid Society. A new Dtps. Autumn Leaves hybrid, unregistered to date, uses Phal. Orchidview Sunsplash as the pollen parent. The clone 'Echo Valley' shows improved shape and intensified bold striping on a first bloom seedling. The clone 'Monterey Bay' exhibits fine shape as well, and good color patterning along with good flower count, considering the size of the plant.

        Taking a further look at the Phalaenopsis Goldberry breeding line, it is apparent that this parent passes on high quality shape, color and size to its offspring. Phal. Carmela's Brite Lites 'Hilo'HCC/AOS, a cross of Phal. Kung's Ann X Phal. Goldberry, shows superior shape and bold color. The wonderful blotches of red color are derived from the Phal. Paifang's Queen grandparent. When Phal. Goldberry is crossed with the Award of Quality hybrid of Phal. Brother Lawrence, Phal. Taida Lawrence is the offspring. The individual clone, 'Mr. Patman' shows well overlapped and rounded shape with smooth butter yellow color. The influence in the background from Phal. Misty Green is also apparent in the shape as well as in the color patterning. Phal. Taida Lawrence 'Mackie' HCC/AOS, another clone, displays these same qualities. Phal. Deventeriana as a grandparent has intensified the yellow color of this individual. One of Herb Hager's final crosses, Phal Cinnamon Gold 'Monterey Bay' HCC/AOS, turned out to be an outstanding art shade novelty. Full, overlapping star shaped, copper colored flowers on branching inflorescences make for a terrific display. High flower count for this type of hybrid is extremely desirable.

        A look at current developments in yellow and novelty breeding wouldn't be complete with out a look at some of the other outstanding hybrids that will set the trends for the next generation. An F2 of two awarded clones of a hybrid originally made in 1993 by the late Herb Hager, Phal Golden Imp, is showing far better quality than the original cross. This second generation appears to be quite fertile as well with its progeny in culture. This asks the question, should breeders be making more sibling crosses between highly selected clones of the same cross? From the Pacific Northwest out of Sky Island Orchids, Phal. Cinnamon Harvest 'SIO's Golden Glow' HCC/AOS has a large flat shape and fine desert toned stippling. The shape and stippling of this hybrid have evolved from the famous Phal. Mouchette which was used extensively by Shafer's Orchid Garden of California in the 1970's and early 1980's. Another art-shade hybrid, Phal. Summer Venus 'Sandy's Gold' HCC/AOS, has had tremendous influence by the Phal. venosa Schltr. This hybrid is an improved Phal. venosa Schltr. type in terms of color and shape and flower habit. A cross between Phal. Gelblieber and Phal. Taipei Gold, Phal. Brother Cefiro 'Pine Ridge' AM/AOS shows clean, clear colors with just a few markings. There are great similarities to the Phal. Taipei Gold grandparent in terms of both color and shape. Another Phal. Gelblieber hybrid, Phal. Hannover Passion 'Sogo' AM/AOS, combines excellent bold red blotches, over a butter yellow background, on well rounded and overlapped stars. This particular hybrid bred by Mr. Hsein-I, Cheng combines the best attributes of the three species used to make the hybrid, Phal. amboinensis J. J. Smith, Phal. mischolitzii Rolfe, and Phal. mariae Burbidge. An older hybrid, but one to watch as a parent, Phal. Kuntrarti Rarashati 'Copper State' HCC/AOS, bred and registered by Kolopaking in 1968, is a cross of Phal. equestris (Schauer) Rchb.f. and Phal. venosa Schltr. This plant is very fertile, both as a seed parent, as well as a pollen parent, and will be an exciting new avenue toward multifloral yellows and novelties. This could also be an opportunity towards a red multifloral. Phal. Cornustris 'Gemstone's KF' HCC/AOS, a mating of Phal. equestris (Schauer) Rchb.f. by Phal. cornu-cervi (Breda) Bl. & Rchb.f., could quite possibly be a direction toward yellow multifloral breeding. This particular clone received a Judges Commendation for that particular reason prior to receiving its Award of Merit. It has clear, bright yellow, flat star shaped flowers with excellent flower count.

Finally, the elusive orange Phalaenopsis. The hybrid that best fits this bill to date is Phal. Mary Lilian Taylor 'Desert Orange' AM/AOS by combining excellent shape, fantastic color, along with superior branching and flower count. The cross was registered by Dr. Geoffrey Taylor, of Great Britain. This particular individual came from a population made by Eric Goo of Phoenix, Arizona. This hybrid clearly points out, that novelty and yellow Phalaenopsis breeding has reached a higher level. Increasing fertility, combined with the outstanding attributes of shape and color of the hybrids that we have just reviewed, mean that there is no limit in achieving continued higher goals in yellow and novelty Phalaenopsis breeding. Today's breeders have made significant strides in improving consistent flower quality and fertility issues. Currently there is a greater array of possible outstanding parents to use than ever before. . Be prepared for yellow and novelty Phalaenopsis to enter the new millennium with a much higher standard.