Red Breeding Update

The purpose of this article is to provide an update to our four articles on red Phal. breeding that were published in the IPA newsletter during 1995. Before we discuss red breeding, however, we would like to explain a few terms, as well as, the approach to breeding that is employed at Phoenix Orchids.

Terms
Perhaps the most important prerequisite for a breeder of red Phals. is a very active imagination. This is particularly true as it relates to color because there are precious few truly red Phals. Most "red" Phals. have strong secondary pigmentation of purple or yellow. Consequently, when we refer to "red", we are actually referring to a broad spectrum of colors ranging from purple to red-orange.

Another term that we should define before proceeding is quality, since it is the goal of our breeding program at Phoenix Orchids. We measure the quality of a cross based on the American Orchid Society (AOS) awards that it receives. We believe that the AOS awards system, while not perfect, is the best available in the world today. We rely on the decisions of the AOS judges in order to obtain some objective evidence of quality. In addition, it seems to be human nature for parents to easily recognize the good qualities of their children while it is a little more difficult to recognize some of their faults. The same thing can happen to orchid breeders with the progeny that they create. So, the AOS judges also help us to see the flaws in our orchid "children", which helps to keep our breeding program on track.
The Breeding Approach at Phoenix Orchids
At Phoenix Orchids we just don't have much space and, due to limited space, we do not have the luxury of blooming out a large number of seedlings from any of our crosses. In fact, we consider ourselves fortunate if we are able to bloom 25 or more plants from any cross that we make. As a result of our small size, we have tried to concentrate our breeding on crosses that will produce a relatively high percentage of quality plants.

In order to achieve this goal, we have researched the parents and grandparents of plants that exhibit the qualities that we are breeding for. Our hypothesis is that plants that have produced high quality progeny, as well as, some of their progeny will be capable of continuing to contribute advancements in red breeding. Our prior four articles examined the contributions to red breeding made by four parent plants – Phal. George Vasquez, Phal. Malibu Imp, Phal. Golden Buddha and Phal. Penang. We shall now see how these breeding lines have performed since those articles were published.

Phal. Rubylight
Phal. Rubylight was registered in 1994 by the Orchid Zone (H. Hager) and consists of Phal. Puerto Princessa x Phal. George Vasquez). One of the parents of Phal. Puerto Princessa is Phal. Penang, so in this hybrid we have a blending of the breeding lines of both Phal. Geroge Vasquez and Phal. Penang.
We were fortunate to receive an 81 point AM/AOS on the cultivar 'Anniversary Gem' in June of 1996. At the time of award, the color of the flowers were described as "cream-colored, overlaid with dense neon magenta stippling". So, the flowers did not have solid coloration, but were nearly so. In addition, the plant carried seven flowers and seven buds which is a good flower count for a Phal. George Vasquez hybrid.

Phal. Ben Goo
Over the years, knowledgeable breeders have mentioned problems with using Phal. Penang as a parent. Phal. Penang is reported to cause flower crippling in its progeny and we have observed that this can occur, at least with the cultivar 'York' HCC/AOS. Nevertheless, the Phal. Penang breeding line has produced more FCC/AOS awards in the last decade than any other Phal. breeding line. Phal. Mahalo 'Carmela Orchids', the product of Phal. Penang and Phal. Malibu Heir, received a 90 point FCC in 1990. Also, in 1990 Phal. Strawberry Sundae 'Red Vengeance' received a 90 point FCC, and Phal. Penang is a grandparent of this fine hybrid.

Phal. Mahalo has been reported to contribute muddy colors, flower crowding and slow growth to its progeny. While flower crowding and slow growth can result from using Phal. Mahalo as a parent, if care is taken in selecting a mate, the results can be quite striking. Our experience indicates that on the positive side Phal. Mahalo can contribute floriferousness and fine color to its progeny.

Phal. Ben Goo is the product of Phal. Mahalo and Phal. Zuma Garnet and was registered by the author in 1996. Phal. Zuma Garnet consists of Phal. (Malibu Imp x Geroge Vasquez). So, in Phal. Ben Goo we have three breeding lines coming together – Phal. Penang, Phal. George Vasquez and Phal. Malibu Imp.

To date, there have been three cultivars that have received AOS awards – 'Midnight Rose' AM/AOS, 'Radiant Ruby' HCC/AOS and 'Pappy' AM/AOS. In addition, in May of 1999, a group of twelve plants from this cross received an Award of Quality (AQ). Of the three awarded cultivars, 'Midnight Rose' is the darkest. This plant received a 76 point HCC in May of 1996 as a first-
bloom seeding and, in June of 1998, it received an 82 point AM. At the time of receiving the AM, this cultivar was described as a "spectacular plant bearing 25 flat, deep ruby-purple flowers on three inflorescences over deeply red-flushed foliage". So, we can see that Phal. Mahalo did indeed transmit floriferousness and fine color to the cross.

Phal. Red Thrill
Phal. Red Thrill, which was registered in 1994 by the Orchid Zone (H. Hager), is the result of crossing Phal. Mahalo and Phal. Golden Buddha. So, here we have a hybrid which integrates the breeding lines of Phal. Penang and Phal. Golden Buddha.

Phal. Golden Buddha is basically a yellow flower with red spots. On some cultivars of Phal. Golden Buddha the red spots become quite dense so that the flower is almost solid red with only a little yellow showing through. Our observation regarding Phal. Mahalo, and one of the reasons that we like it as a parent, is that it seems to have the ability to blend spots together thereby forming solid coloration. This is indeed what seems to have happened in the case of Phal. Red Thrill.

In May of 1997 we received an 81 point AM on Phal. Red Thrill 'Flame'. The flowers were described as "deep magenta". In addition, at the time of award, this plant carried 22 flowers and four buds on four inflorescences providing a spectacular display.

Phal. Alberta Welcome
Phal. Alberta Welcome consists of Phal. Mahalo x Phal. Red Devil and was registered in 1989 by W. Bohne. A grandparent of Phal. Red Devil is Phal. Penang, so both parents of this cross are from the Phal. Penang breeding line. At Phoenix Orchids, we also made this cross using awarded cultivars, but it was about a year or two after the originator.

We find this cross interesting since it represents a progression of the Phal. Penang breeding line. In addition, while some hybridizers have opined that both parents of this cross are not good breeders, our experience has been that, when properly mated, they can both make contributions to red breeding.

In April of 1998 we were happy to receive a 78 point HCC on the cultivar 'Ruby Queen'. At the time of award the plant carried four flowers and two buds. The flowers were described as "plum purple … substance exceptionally heavy; texture satiny".

Phal. Mary Lilian Taylor
Phal. Mary Lilian Taylor was registered in 1997 by G. R. Taylor and consists of the cross Phal. venosa x Red Devil. As mentioned previously, Phal. Red Devil is a descendant of Phal. Penang and here we see again that it can contribute to red breeding.

At Phoenix Orchids, we made this cross about a year before the originator, but were remiss in registering the hybrid. We only got about a dozen plants from the cross, but fortunately one was quite nice. By crossing the red-
purple Phal Red Devil with the yellow species Phal. venosa, we were attempting to breed more of a true red. The good news is that the yellow did come through on the cross, but it was more dominant than anticipated.

We received an 81 point AM on the cultivar 'Desert Orange' in 1998. As the name implies, this particular plant has flowers that are on the orange side of red. At the time of award, this plant carried 20 flowers on 2 branched inflorescences and was described as "cream yellow overlaid heavily with orange rust".

Phal. Mary Tauscher-Goo
Phal. Mary Tauscher-Goo was registered by the author in 1997 and results from crossing Phal. Andalusia and Phal. Zuma Garnet. Phal. Zuma Garnet was mentioned previously as the cross of Phal. Malibu Imp x Phal. George Vasquez and once again demonstrates its value as a breeder of reds.
Phal. Andalusia consists of Phal. Aruba x Phal. violacea and the species chart indicates that it is 87 percent Phal. violaca. Given the species composing this plant, its performance as a parent is, in our opinion, rather phenomenal. The size, form and length of inflorescence in its progeny are much better than what one would anticipate. Our experience indicates that Phal. Andalusia is a truly outstanding parent of reds. Again, we are using the term "red" loosely and it would be more accurate to say that Phal. Andalusia is a great breeder of purples.

Phal. Mary Tauscher-Goo is one of the most striking, consistent and high-
quality Phal. crosses that we have seen. Of the first 17 plants that bloomed, we exhibited the best 12 and received four HCCs and an AQ for the cross. We believe that it is noteworthy that of the two AQs that we have mentioned, Phal. Zuma Garnet was the pollen parent of both.

At the time of award the AQ group of 12 plants was described as "Twelve plants, four receiving awards, exhibiting superior colors in rich magentas and purples, floriferousness, and upright stature and height of inflorescences."

Phal. Franz Liszt
Phal. Franz Liszt was registered in 1990 by Berry Woodson and consists of Phal. Malibu Imp x Phal. Spirit House. Phal. Spirit House is a Phal. Golden Buddha hybrid, so here we have a convergence of the Phal. Malibu Imp and Phal. Golden Buddha breeding lines.

To date, there have been three awarded cultivars. In June of 1998 we received a 78 point HCC on the cultivar 'Dotty', which we obtained from Berry Woodson several years earlier. Of the plants that we have discussed so far, this one has the truest red coloration and at the time of award, its flowers were described as "solid, glossy red". One of the things that we find particularly nice about this cultivar, other than its color, is its floriferousness and nice presentation.

Phal. Cathy Fogarty
Phal. Cathy Fogarty is the hybrid formed by crossing Phal. Dora by Phal. Golden Buddha and was registered in 1991 by W. Fogarty . So, here again we see the contributions to red breeding attributable to Phal. Golden Buddha. Phal. Dora, on the other hand, is a large pink flower. So the best of this cross represents somewhat of a midpoint between a large pink and a small red.

In May of 1998 we received a 79 point HCC on the cultivar 'Lomita' . At the time of award the flowers of this cultivar was described as "vibrant rose-
magenta …of even color … substance firm; texture glossy."

Phal. Straits Garnet
Phal. Straits Garnet consists of the cross of Phal. Malibu Imp x Phal. Zuma Garnet and was registered by R. Strait in 1994. As you may recall, Phal. Zuma Garnet is the product of Phal. Malibu Imp x Phal. George Vasquez. So, this hybrid is a back cross of progeny to parent.

At Phoenix Orchids we made this cross about a year after the originator and we were hoping to improve the color of both patents. We were particularly interested in this cross since we hoped that if it exhibited the traits we were looking for, we could use it as a parent in our breeding. While we did not bloom many plants, we did get one cultivar that exhibited the quality that we were looking for.

In August 1998, we received a 75 point HCC on Phal. Straits Garnet 'Cardinal Red'. As the name implies, the color of these flowers is a solid cardinal red. At the time of award the flowers of this plant was described as "deep garnet red".

Phal. Neon Magenta
Phal. Neon Magenta was registered by the author in 1998 and consists of the cross of Phal. Andalusia x Phal. Red Devil. As indicated previously, Phal. Red Devil is a descendant of Phal. Penang and we believe that Phal. Andalusia offers very good breeding potential.

Fortunately for us, one cultivar of the cross did exhibit the qualities we were looking for and in September 1999 we received a 75 point HCC on the cultivar 'Purple Glow'. As the name implies, the flower color is purple. At the time of award the plant carried nine flat, purple flowers on two spikes.
Phal. Ruth Tauscher
Phal. Ruth Tauscher is the hybrid that results from crossing Phal. Spirit House and Phal. Zuma Garnet and was registered by the author in 1999. So, here we have the breeding lines of Phal. Golden Buddha, Phal. Malibu Imp and Phal. George Vasquez converging.

We made this cross hoping to create more of a true red than many of our purple hybrids. This hybrid is really quite similar to Phal. Franz Liszt that we mentioned earlier and that is essentially what we hoped to create. One very nice characteristic of the Phal. Zuma Garnet that we use in breeding is that it transmits both color and flat form to its progeny. One problem with many Phal. Golden Buddha hybrids is that they lack flat form, so we were hoping that our Phal. Zuma Garnet might be of some help here.

We were happy to receive a 75 point HCC on the cultivar 'Ruby Red' in September 1999. This plant was awarded as a first-bloom seedling and carried four flat flowers on one spike at the time of award. The flower color, as the name implies, is a solid ruby red. We have bloomed several other seedlings from the cross and are very pleased with the results. We are hoping that in the years ahead, the judges will like this cross as much as we do. [Authors' note: Since this article was written Phal. Ruth Tauscher received an AQ.)

Conclusion
In 1995 our series of articles, we examined the contributions to red breeding by four parent plants – Phal. George Vasquez, Phal. Malibu Imp, Phal. Golden Buddha and Phal. Penang. Our hypothesis at that time was that these plants and some of their progeny would continue to contribute to advancements in the breeding of red Phals. Since that time, at Phoenix Orchids, we have been testing that hypothesis. Over the last four years, the breeding lines have been intermingled to some degree, but advancements in reds have been forthcoming. In the future we expect that these four breeding lines will continue to make contributions to red Phal. breeding.

The table below summarizes the hybrids that we have discussed in this article:

© Copyright 2000
Eric Goo
2807 W. Villa Rita Dr.
Phoenix AZ 85023