Den Dalvey x Nellie Slade

[catwalker808]

Here's a very unusual hybrid we made many years ago. Den Dalvey (Den bifalce x Den phalaenopsis) x Nellie Slade (atroviolaceum x forbesii)

[RosieC]

It's gorgeous... what great striping!

[gnathaniel]

Wow! Fantastic combination of Latouria and Phalaenanthe characteristics, I don't think I've seen a hybrid between these groups before. When did you make the cross?

Also, how big does the plant get, and where can I get one? Thanks for posting this!

--Nat

[catwalker808]

gnathaniel.

The cross was made probably 20 years ago. It was a hybridizing success, but not a commercial success. This particular inter-sectional cross had very few viable seed & the plants themselves were vigorous but they took MANY years to reach blooming size. And we know from experience that this type of cross is EXTREMELY difficult to clone.

Mature plants are 15-20" tall, with nice growth.

To get plants: 1) find, bloom & cross Den bifalce x Den phalaenopsis to make Den Dalvey; 2) find or remake Den Nellie Slade (atroviolaceum x forbesii); 3) remake Den Dalvey x Nellie Slade; 4) flask seed, plant seedlings;

5) grow old waiting for plants to bloom. Luckily, you're only 31 now.

On the other hand, we've made some intersectional crosses that are very easy. Den. Big Alex is not as showy, but is very easy to grow & bloom at a small size. It's a primary hybrid of Den alexandrae (latouria section) x Den bigibbum (phalaenanthe section).

[gnathaniel]

Originally Posted by catwalker808

gnathaniel.

The cross was made probably 20 years ago. It was a hybridizing success, but not a commercial success. This particular inter-sectional cross had very few viable seed & the plants themselves were vigorous but they took MANY years to reach blooming size. And we know from experience that this type of cross is EXTREMELY difficult to clone.

Is the difficulty of cloning from the Latouria parentage? I've heard people mention this before (that Latourias are essentially impossible to clone) but I haven't found reference to it in my limited selection of books. Is the problem that you can't get viable plants at all with standard cloning processes, or do the new ones just come out different from the original?

Originally Posted by catwalker808

Mature plants are 15-20" tall, with nice growth.

To get plants: 1) find, bloom & cross Den bifalce x Den phalaenopsis to make Den Dalvey; 2) find or remake Den Nellie Slade (atroviolaceum x forbesii); 3) remake Den Dalvey x Nellie Slade; 4) flask seed, plant seedlings;

5) grow old waiting for plants to bloom. Luckily, you're only 31 now.

A bit beyond my means right now, but I get the point! I definitely intend to try my hand at hybridizing in the future, though so far I hadn't looked much at these groups of Dendrobiums. You have really piqued my interest in the potential of section Latouria, maybe someday I'll take this on as a project so I can see it bloom before I die.

Originally Posted by catwalker808

On the other hand, we've made some intersectional crosses that are very easy. Den. Big Alex is not as showy, but is very easy to grow & bloom at a small size. It's a primary hybrid of Den alexandrae (latouria section) x Den bigibbum (phalaenanthe section).

Thanks! I'll keep an eye out for that one. I found some pictures of it online, but I didn't see anyone in the US selling it. Not that I need more plants living and dying in my kitchen right now anyway...

Have you made or are you aware of any crosses between sections Latouria and Dendrocoryne or Spatulata? I'm curious to see what could come out of that! Do you focus mostly within Dendrobium in your hybridizing work? It sounds like you've been involved in some truly cutting-edge breeding efforts. Thanks for all the info, catwalker!

--Nat

[flexdc]

Wow I love, love the stripes of this plant. It reminds me of the amaryllis flowers I grew during Christmas. Is is really a pain to grow?

[NatalieS]

Amazing! The markings look like they've been sketched on.

[WhiteRabbit]

Fabulous!

[catwalker808]

I was curious when I saw the parent names of this hybrid. "Did somebody else make this cross???"

I forgot I started the thread ... it was so long ago.

It is really an unusual cross. The plants were not necessarily hard to grow or slow growing. However, there were very few viable seed from the cross. The plants grew, but took a long time to finally bloom. Once they started to bloom, they bloomed regularly & easily every year.

If a latouria den is one parent, successful intersectional crosses normally need to involve a second parent with a percentage from the phalaenanthe section. Otherwise, offspring may be difficult to grow or very difficult to bloom.

In the 2 years since this thread started, we've registered some very interesting & easy blooming hybrids involving the latouria section of dens. Many of them are listed on our website.