RED ALERT

RED ALERT!
Contributions of Doritis pulcherrima to the Breeding of Reds

Recent years have seen many notable advancements in Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis breeding. Particular progress has been made in yellows with certain breeding lines reliably producing good yellow progeny. While not as reliable or well defined as yellows, red breeding lines have also been making progress. In the not too distant future, we can expect improvements in breeding that will produce reliable, larger, more floriferous reds.

One of the most difficult aspects of analyzing red Phalaenopsis breeding is determining which colors will be considered to be "red". Within the Cattleya alliance good, true red pigmentation exists, providing a clear point of reference for both breeders and consumers alike. Unfortunately, Phal. hybridizers are not so fortunate and red is used as a general term referring to a broad array of reddish, violet and purple flowers.

Recent literature on red breeding has addressed breeding lines stemming primarily from the Phal. species violacea, lueddemanniana and amboinensis. The purpose of this article is to examine contributions made to red breeding by Doritis pulcherrima. This will neither be an all inclusive list of parents that have contributed to red breeding, nor a technical discussion of genetics or color pigmentation, but rather one that examines a line of breeding that has produced important progeny as measured by the American Orchid Society (AOS) judging system. It is hoped that this discussion will be useful to those interested in breeding or collecting reds.

Just as the story of the contributions of Phal. Malibu Imp to the breeding of red Phals. relates largely to the efforts of one man, Dr. John Martin, the same is true to even a greater extent with the species Dor. pulcherrima. In this case the results are almost exclusively due to the work by H. P. Norton of Moncks Corner, South Carolina who, from a hybridizing perspective, has boldly gone where no one has gone before. Unfortunately, this breeding line seems to have been largely overlooked by all but the most dedicated Phal. enthusiasts and, of course, the AOS judges.

Some of the best results to date can be traced to Dtps. Red Elf, consisting of Dor. pulcherrima x Phal. fasciata, which was created by Oak Hill and registered by Lenette in 1982. While the color of Dor. pulcherrima flowers are basically a bright, dark, purple, mating it with Phal. fasciata has produced progeny appearing less purple and more red. One cultivar from this cross 'Lenette #4' received a 78 point Highly Commended Certificate (HCC) from the AOS in 1991. At the time of award, the color of its 4.1 cm (1 5/8 inch) flowers were described as "brilliant fuchsia".

In addition to the flower color, one very desirable attribute, floriferousness, seems to be dominant in Dor. pulcherrima hybrids. First generation progeny of this species tend to have upright spikes with good flower counts. This is especially desirable in breeding reds which frequently have relatively few flowers on short inflorescences. Given its Doritis parent, one should not be surprised that Dtps. Red Elf 'Lenette #4' received an 83 point Certificate of Cultural Merit in 1984 bearing a spectacular 82 flowers and 101 buds on 13 branched inflorescences.

Frequently, the hybridizer of reds must contend with the issue of fertility, or, more accurately, the lack thereof. Red Phals. are quite often reported to be either completely sterile or fertile only to a limited degree. Some will produce seed only when used as the pod parent and very few produce large quantities of seed. This is probably one reason that we do not see large commercial growers offering a variety of red Phal. hybrids. Fortunately, Dtps. Red Elf does breed. Referring to the record of orchid hybrids, we see that Dtps. Red Elf has produced a total of six hybrids through 1995. Also, as we shall see, the progeny of Dtps. Red Elf have been successfully used as parents as well.

The hybrid Dtps. Tony consists of Dtps. Red Elf x Phal. venosa and was registered in 1986 by H. P. Norton. In this cross we see improved form and color. The size of the flowers remains small (about 1 3/8 inches) as could be expected due to the small size of both parents. To date, this cross has produced one cultivar, 'H. P.', that received a 78 point HCC in 1991. At the time of award, the plant bore 14 flowers and seven buds on three inflorescences with a flower color that was described as "cinnabar with a light blue cast".

Crossing Dtps. Red Elf with Phal. amboinensis produces Dtps. Inferno which was registered in 1984 by H. P. Norton. Dtps. Inferno is about the same size as the Dtps. Red Elf parent with 4.2 cm (1 5/8 inch) flowers. The color, however, is improved, having more red and less purple than its Dtps. Red Elf parent. At this time, a single cultivar, 'H.P. Norton', received a 78 point HCC in 1993. At the time of award, this cultivar had 23 flowers and 15 buds on three branched inflorescences with the flower color described as "wine red".

Continuing this line of breeding we find a cross where Dtps. Inferno is listed as the pollen parent. This is noteworthy since having a plant that functions as both a pod and pollen parent increases a breeder's options and aids in advancing the breeding line. Dtps. Rebel consists of Phal. Fire-Water x Dtps. Inferno and was registered in 1991 by H. P. Norton. The flowers of this cross are larger and with better form than the Dtps. Inferno parent. In this cross we see that although the flower size has been increased, the Dtps. parent was dominant in flower size causing the flowers to be smaller than the average of the parents. Here we also see continued improvement in flower color and even approach true red pigmentation. To date four cultivars from this cross have received HCCs from the AOS. A good example of this hybrid is the cultivar 'Durham' which received a 79 point HCC in 1995. At the time of award, this plant bore 31 flowers and 14 buds on three branched inflorescences. Its 5.5 cm (2 1/8 inch) flowers were described as "ruby red".

No discussion of the Dtps. Red Elf breeding line would be complete without the mention of Dtps. Abed-nego which consists of Dtps. Inferno x Phal. Malibu Imp and was registered in 1996 by H. P. Norton. Arguably the best cross in this fine line, Dtps. Abed-nego has distinguished itself by receiving three HCCs as well as the prestigious Award of Quality (AQ), all in 1996. The AQ grouping consisted of 15 plants, the majority of which were first bloom seedlings. These plants carried approximately a dozen flowers and buds each on branched inflorescences. The 1 1/2 inch flowers were flat and well formed red, red-purple, and rusty red in color.

Similar to Dtps. Red Elf is Dtps. Jim, which consists of Dor. pulcherrima x Phal. venosa and was registered in 1984 by H. P. Norton. One cultivar from this cross, 'Burgundy Smile', received a 77 point HCC in 1991. At the time of award, this plant displayed 17 flowers and 12 buds on one inflorescence and the 4.4 cm (1 3/4 inch) flowers were described as "reddish lavender". It is notable that the flowers of this hybrid are slightly larger (about 1/8 inch) than the other Dor. pulcherrima primary hybrid discussed, Dtps. Red Elf.

Crossing Dtps. Jim with the well know yellow breeder Phal. Hausermann's Goldcup produces Dtps. Lonnie Morris. To date, one cultivar of this cross, 'Nationwide', received a 79 point HCC in 1996. At the time of award, this plant bore seven flowers and one bud on one branched inflorescence. The flowers of this cultivar were 5.6 cm (2 1/4 inches), larger than any other awarded cultivar from this breeding line, and were described as "brilliant garnet".

Examining the family tree in figure 1, one attribute of each Phal. parent is especially interesting - it contains genetic material that manifests itself in yellow flower pigmentation. The Phal. fasciata parent of Dtps. Red Elf is a yellow species with red-brown bars. Phal. venosa, a well known yellow breeder and parent of both Dtps. Jim and Dtps. Tony, is a yellow flower that is overlaid with brown blotches. Phal. amboinensis, parent of Dtps. Inferno, is a species having yellow flowers with brown bars. Phal. Hausermann's Goldcup, parent of Dtps. Lonnie Morris, is a well known breeder of yellows. Phal. Malibu Imp, parent of Dtps. Abed-nego, is the product of the yellow species amboinensis and Luedde-violacea. Finally, Phal. Fire- Water, parent of the very successful Dtps. Rebel, is a product of the yellow Phal. Golden Sands breeding line and consists of Goldiana x Hugo Freed.

Another observation is that Dtps. Inferno seems to be emerging as the premier breeder in this line. Its progeny, Dtps. Rebel and Dtps. Abed-nego together, have received more AOS awards than the other five previously discussed hybrids combined. In addition, Dtps. Abed-nego is noteworthy as perhaps the first cross within the Phalaenopsis alliance to receive an AQ with flowers approaching true red color.

Overall, this breeding line has produced brilliant, saturated colors with very good flower counts. In fact, it would not be inaccurate to describe these hybrids as red multiflorals. Given the success of this line of breeding, it certainly seems as though continued improvements in red breeding could be made by extending the use of Dor. pulcherrima and its hybrids. The task for the hybridizer will be to maintain the intense flower color of this line while increasing flower size. It will be very interesting indeed to see what the future holds for this line of breeding ... perhaps it will represent the next generation in red breeding, or possibly the final frontier.

Figure 1
Family Tree