We are working on a number of hybridization programs, Paul Perakos in particular is making a very careful, planned effort (see post under Cyp wardii in Cyp Gallery section for earlier comments). There are some interesting ones coming along. Here are three month old andrewsii x Aki - a potentially very nice complex hybrid that is doing well so far. It is at the stage where growth is rapid, compare this photo to one taken a couple of weeks ago in the gallery section: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/fundulopanchax/Cypripedium/tallandrewsiixAki27Oct2005.jpg
Here are three month old pubescens x macranthos alba, so far a very sturdy grower, there are hundreds of these guys: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/fundulopanchax/Cypripedium/pubxmacalba27Oct2005.jpg
This is a remake of one of the first Cyp hybrids, reginae x acaule. Acaule is the most difficult Cyp to cultivate with long-term success. The hybrid seems to have disappeared so it may share that property of acaule but photos of it show a very beautiful flower so I am trying it. While reginae tends to completely dominate its hybrids, the photos of this hybrid show a strong influence of acaule on the flower. In these protocorms, acaule is strong as well: while reginae seedlings grow extremely rapidly, acaule for tiny protocorms that sit around for a couple of months, then grow. These protocorms are as old as the other hybrid seedlings shown but they made tiny protocorms that just sat for a couple of months and in the past week have started to grow well: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/fundulopanchax/Cypripedium/regxacaule27Oct2005.jpg

Several others of the new hybrids are also growing very well while some of the complex hybrids we have tried are beginning to die off - very common among Cypripedium complex hybrids and why we are excited about the andrewsii x Aki. Having said that several favillianum hybrids are doing well, in particular a Sabine x favillianum cross, which like the andrewsii x Aki will have four species in its genome.

As usual, I apologize for the quality of my seedling photos - they are grown in baby food jars which have very uneven light transmission quality!

Ron Burch

Won't it be exciting to see what you end up with in 4-5 years time! Your gonna have a Cyp farm on your hands pretty soon Ron!

Very nice, I would love to see pics as they progress.

Good luck

Very much looking forward to seeing the results

Interesting report and nice photos.
Much of what you say seems to be agree with what Malmgren reports so It might be a universal problem rather than a unlucky thing, that many of the complex hybrides have problems and die after some time.
Are You and Malmgren using the same technique and methods and hence have similar problems and both have great sucess with Cyp fav?
Would different media and techniques improve survival of complex or is it that they are too different to give fertile offspring?
This might be to early to have an aswer to yet? Only future can tell that answer.
The hybrides You have made looks nice and keep up that good work. Then this will result in more nice hybrides and plants.
You might neeed acres of land for all the Cyps if all the crosses would work as well as some :)

Ron It would also be intersting to know how Your selfings and other efforts to bread some nice variants of species are doing.
Like the Cyp reginae alba and other projects You might have. Making nice plants is always nice and interesting to know about.

Very nice of You to share Your work with us. Very interesting and educational.

Thank You

Joakim

Those are really nice, Ron. It must be so satisfying to see the real beginnings of the fruits of your labors. :clap:

Here is another of Perakos' hybrids that is doing well in flask, Cypripedium Aki x favillianum. Aki is macranthos x pubescens and favillianum is a natural hybrid of pubescens x candidum, so we have three parents here. You will again see them through the glass of a Ball jar (I have just received a case of jars with photo-quality glass so this will end soon :roll:). The two in the photo are showing nice grow buds for next season (the greenish sprouts) so will settle back in the next two-three weeks and go into the refrigerator until the end of April. Their roots are about 3 cm in length so will stop growing in another cm or so.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/fundulopanchax/Cypripedium/Akixfavillianum5Nov2005.jpg

Ron Burch

Interesting pictures Ron :)
Nice growing!!

Is it two roots to a bud, one on each side of the bud, or is there more roots?

It almost seems to vary a bit from species to species if they grow two long roots or if they grow many roots that are shorter.
Maybe this is a factor of how they are grown rather than the spieces? I do not know?

Does this hybrid grow like their parents Aki and X favillianum in the propagation or is it more like the grandparents, Mac,pub,can?
Or is the growth unic for the hybrid, in that it does not look like any parent?
It will be very interesting to see how they tiurn out and in what colour :)

Thanks for sharing

Joakim

Hi, Joakim,

The roots of seedlings are quite different in some species, and sometimes even alow one to figure out what one has when the labels fall off in the shipping box! On the Cypripedium forum there are with some frequency photos of seedlings and everyone weighs in on what it is from the roots! Some have thin, delicate roots, others much thicker roots. Some roots are numerous and relatively short whereas others are fewer and longer - all reginae for example as seedlings, no matter who grows them have only a few roots but I have first year seedlings in which the roots grow to nearly a foot in length. Adult reginae often have roots well over three feet in length. As this species matures the number of roots increases and with their length, make for an enormous mass. I have a couple that I transplanted this fall (about nine years out of flask) that had root systems that weighed nearly 20 pounds!

Ron Burch

Hi Ron
Thanks for the information.
I had that feeling it was possible to say something about the plant from the roots.

Soo do You dare to say something abouth the hybrid Aki and X favillianum from the roots? :)
That was the second part of my question You dodge with great bravour :) :)
I guess the roots of Cyp mac and Cyp pub are different enough to say if it looks lik either grandparent. But maybe it is hard to compare
since part of the behavior might be how they grow in the medium.
The hybride Gisela is much more branched or several roots per bud compared to reginae but I do not know from what parent it comes
or if it is the "vigour of the hybride" effect.

As always a pleasure to be informed

Joakim Balogh

Wow Ron, 20 pound rootstock! :shock: That's a healthy plant! I wonder what one of those fabled 100 growth reginae weigh. Please keep all of us informed of your progress propagating these. It is fascinating!

Tom

I wonder what one of those fabled 100 growth reginae weigh.

I cant even imagine - my older reginae, which are still adolescents as Cypripediums go, have roots that invade the entire garden area where they grow. I guess that is why they survive blazing noonday sun day after day and dont wilt at all. I only watered them 3 or 4 times this summer and it was the second hottest summer on record for this area, the hottest September on record, and the third driest summer on record. Of course I am sure they would have LIKED better conditions! They all expanded number of buds for next year. The tiny seedlings on the other hand did not grow nearly as well outside - even in heavy shade - as did their ex-flaskmates inside. The conditions were just too brutal. All of the outside babies have one growth bud for next year whereas nearly half the babies inside have two, and the buds on those inside (temp always within a degree of 70 F) are probably twice the mass as those on the babies outside.
The much bigger reginae that Perakos has must have gargantuan root balls. One of his plants takes up as much room as my entire reginae population - he was cultivating this fall and found that the roots from his monster had grown clear into another part of the garden.

Ron Burch

he was cultivating this fall and found that the roots from his monster had grown clear into another part of the garden.


This reminds me of a concern I've had since re-arranging my reginaes this fall. I intend to grow future Cypripedium plants in a bed with other plants, mostly ferns and hellebores and such where the last remaining piece of lawn is about to go bye-bye. I've read that damage to Cyp root tips will cause the whole root to die, damage the plant, disrupt civilization as we know it, etc. I took as much care as I could when moving the plants I have but I was wondering how I can grow them in the company of other plants that will be needing occasional division, moving, replacement as I edit the garden. Should I attempt to contain the root growth somehow? I wouldn't want to limit their potential.

I would not worry about root tips being cut while gardening, I have it happen all the time. They do not like to have major surgery however! Also, if transplanted, many will grow well the following year but not bloom. Most of the time that means they will make even more buds the next year!

Ron Burch

Many of this summer's seedlings are ready to be put to bed for the winter. I showed Cyp x andrewsii X Cyp Aki earlier in flask. Here is a specimen prior to being put into the refrigerator. All of its siblings have many short to medium-sized roots and most have two shoot buds. This one has three. Perhaps all of its parent species are trying to show themselves!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y100/fundulopanchax/Cypripedium/CyptallandrewsiixAki17Dec2005.jpg

Ron Burch

Wow! I like to see it.
It's a pretty baby! :-dance:

Oh, that looks fantastic! Look at those shoots! :clap:

Very nice seedling! Well done and congratulation.
Hope it grows well in soil as well.

It will be interesting to see how it looks later on not to meanson the flower.

Kind regards
Joakim

WOW, that last seedling looks healthy! I look forward to seeing the results.

I'm thinking about a few new hybrid cyps. My pubescens seem to be doing fine! We just had Bill Mathis speaking to our club last month. Excellent presentation on hardy orchids!

Thanks for posting fine photos and good info as usual!

Garland