Breeding for Red Phalaenopsis Part 3

Breeding for Red Phalaenopsis Part 3 - Phal. Golden Buddha

Moving away from the Phal. Luedde-violacea line that was discussed in the last two articles, this article will focus on the contributions to red breeding made by Phal. Golden Buddha. Registered by Peter Lista in 1977, Phal. Golden Buddha results from the combination of the semi-alba Phal. Cher Ann and the primary hybrid, Phal. Spica. Unlike the best clones of Phal. George Vasquez and Phal. Malibu Imp (which were discussed in previous articles), the best clones of Phal. Golden Buddha have flowers that are larger and less star shaped. In addition, Phal. Golden Buddha generally has higher flower counts and longer flower spikes that those from the Phal. Luedde-violacea line.

Most of the plants from the original Phal. Golden Buddha cross were star shaped yellow flowers with red markings. Through selective breeding of siblings and chance genetic variation, several Phal. Golden Buddha clones have bloomed that are mostly red with a little yellow background showing through. Perhaps the nicest of these is Phal. Golden Buddha 'Raspberry Delight' which received an 80 point Award of Merit in 1987 and is nearly solid deep red-purple.

The red pigmentation in Phal. Golden Buddha is almost certainly attributable to the Phal. Spica parent. Spica's parentage consists of fasciata x lueddemanniana. Without knowing which form of lueddemanniana was used, it is difficult to assess the degree of its contribution to the red pigmentation in Spica. It is safe to assume, however, that both species, Phal. fasciata and Phal. lueddemanniana, contributed to the red pigmentation that manifests itself in both Phal. Spica and Phal. Golden Buddha.

Phal. Golden Buddha hybrids, by their nature, seem to be quite variable. Unfortunately, many of them exhibit poor flower form and colors that fade significantly with age. Consequently, it is often not easy to bloom a good Phal. Golden Buddha hybrid, but the good ones are so incredibly stunning that it is certainly worth the effort. One brief glimpse at one of the better cultivars of Phal. Cordova will make any skeptic a true believer.

The table below tells the story of Phal. Golden Buddha's legacy. It will be interesting to see if the progeny of phal. Golden Buddha will continue to breed improvement in reds.

Figure 1
Awarded Red Progeny of Phal. Golden Buddha

American Orchid Society Awards	HCC	AM	FCC
Parentage
x Bonita Roja = Spirit House	2	2
x Candle Glow = Summer Morn		3
x Dora = Cathy Fogarty		1
x Kathleen Ai = Ai Gold		1
x Single Shot = Red Buddha	1	1
x Waxwing = Phil-n-Jill	1
x Zuma Garnet = Cordova	3	5

Total	7	13