Phal. Deventeriana

To date, there have been three articles on this web site on important yellow phalaenopsis and we intend to keep discussing them for a while. This month, we shall attempt to discuss Phal. Deventeriana, a plant that we touched on the first month with our general comments but this time we will discuss its impact on yellow phal. breeding in much greater depth.

The hybrid was originally registered in 1927 by van Deventer as a hybrid between the species P. amabilis and P. amboinensis. No further breeding was done with this hybrid until the mid-’70s. Why? For those who don’t know, the Phal. amboinensis that was originally discovered (and the one used in this hybrid) was a cream-colored flower with brown barring. It wasn’t until the ‘60s that the yellow form of Phal. amboinensis was discovered. So the original hybrid of Phal. Deventeriana was probably a creamy or pale yellow, star-shaped flower with poor form.

When the hybrid was remade in the ‘70s, much better forms of both species parents were available and were used. The form of Phal. amboinensis was one that had quite a bit of yellow. The results were (presumably) much better than the original hybrid. At least two of the resulting clones were outstanding. There is of course the ‘Treva’ clone which is the principal subject this month and the ‘Goldie’ clone. Both flowers look remarkably similar, although the ‘Treva’ clone is marginally bigger. Both are cream-colored flowers overlaid with yellow and were spectacular in terms of shape and color for their day. In fact, the award description for the ‘Goldie’ clone states that the "strongest feature is the nice yellow color; major deficiency is the width of the sepals and petals".

On July 20, 1996, the judges of the northwest region awarded a third clone of this grex. The ‘Sky Island’ clone received a 78-point HCC. It was marginally larger than the two previously awarded clones but the color may have been a bit deeper. Bill Mitchell (of Sky Island Orchids) had remade the cross and this was the best flower that he had bloomed from that remake.

When the hybrid was remade in the 1970s, some further breeding was done with the ‘Treva’ clone. When people saw hybrids such as Phal. Orchid World and Phal. Sweet Memory for the first time, they were impressed and "beat the door down" to get themselves a piece of this superior stud plant at a very high price.

Phal. Golden Gift (x P. Golden Buddha) is a very important offspring of Phal. Deventeriana. The flowers were colorful, good sized and were produced in reasonable quantities but two other factors make this a very important grex. The first is that this grex was remade on several occasions because the other parent was readily available and so this hybrid received very wide distribution. But, and this may be the most important factor, it produced lots of seed whenever it was bred. When Phal. Golden Gift was bred back to its Phal. Deventeriana parent, it produced Phal. Arizona Amber, a hybrid that not only produced an AQ but also several AOS awards to individual cultivars.

By 1980, for the first time, hybridizers began breeding Phal. Deventeriana to other "large" yellows. Several interesting yellow hybrids such as Phal. Barbara’s Jewel (x Barbara Moler), Phal. Lemorange (x Liu Tuen-Shen), Phal. Orchidview Sunsplash (x Pimlico Sunshine), Phal. Yellow Fantasy (x Misty Moon) and Phal. Brother Lawrence, AQ/AOS (x Taipei Gold). Several of these hybrids have produced many awards and are being used in further breeding.

By 1986, some people had begun to register the second-generation hybrids and, in 1991, the third-generation began. It is our opinion that the true value of a plant over the long term is truly measured by the quality of its second- and third-generation progeny. Although this line of yellow breeding is relatively new, there are several hybrids that are already making their mark: Phal. Brother Elizabeth (one HCC), Phal. Brother Golden Potential (one HCC), Phal. Brother Passat, AQ/AOS, Dtps. Sogo Manager, AQ/AOS, Phal. Taida Lawrence, AQ/AOS, Phal. Fireberry (3 HCCs) and, possibly most important, Dtps.Autumn Sun (parent of 3 AQs in its first few hybrids).

Once again, we are dealing with breeding that is really too recent to comment on in depth. Most of these hybrids are very fertile and their use will leave a true legacy for Phal Deventeriana. Good examples of several of these grexes are readily available. Carmela Orchids has done several sib crosses of Phal. Brother Lawrence and has made extensive use of Phal. Fireberry in their breeding program. Here at Bedford, there are several hybrids in the works using Phal. Brother Lawrence, AQ/AOS, Phal. Brother Elizabeth, Phal. Fireberry, Phal. Brother Passat, AQ/AOS and Phal. Taida Lawrence, AQ/AOS. In another 10 years or so, we will be in a much better position to evaluate the actual legacy of Phal. Deventeriana.

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