Phal. Golden Peoker has become a very well known hybrid recently. It is the parent of the blotched and spotted plants from Taiwan such as P. Ever-spring King, P. Ever-spring Light, Dtps. Ever Spring Prince and P. Ever Spring Fairy as well as the most recently awarded FCC, Dtps. Chain Xen Diamond ‘Celebration’. But all of these hybrids come from the mutated forms of P. Golden Peoker.

This month, we shall be dealing with the original, non-mutated form of P. Golden Peoker. Brother Orchid Nursery registered the hybrid in 1990. It is a hybrid of P. Misty Green and P. Liu Tuen-Shen. The four grandparents are P. Barbara Moler, P. Bamboo Baby and P. Golden Sands and the species, P. gigantea.

In order to understand everything that has happened, we have to look at the plant, in particular the ‘Brother’ clone. The plant is particularly vigorous. It begins to bloom while still quite small and seems to be permanently in bloom. Moreover, it is quite floriferous. The flowers are about 3" across, very flat and white with distinct fuchsia spots. They are very long lasting.

Because of this, this plant very quickly became a "necessity", at least in Taiwan. It was stem propagated and mericloned. Based upon my observation in Taiwan, I believe that more clones of this plant were produced than had ever been made of any other phalaenopsis in history. But what happened is what we are always warned about with mericloning: the plant began to mutate. One of the first – and still one of the best – of the mutated clones was bloomed by Ever-Spring Nurseries in Taiwan – the clone ‘ES’, JC/AOS.

But the original non-mutated form of Phal. Golden Peoker is itself a wonderful plant and a wonderful flower. It is used in breeding and is known as a very good, often phenomenal, parent. All this being said, there is a word of caution for those of you who are interested in breeding with it: it is somewhat reluctant as a breeder. It does produce seed but often in very limited quantities. For those of you unfamiliar with the niceties of articles such as this, this means that it can be difficult to breed with, at least as a young plant. Despite many attempts at breeding with it both as a pod and pollen parent, hardly any seedpods result and, of those that do, few if any result in much viable seed. Considering the number of plants of Phal. Golden Peoker ‘Brother’, AM/AOS that have been mericloned and distributed around the world, it is surprising to see that there are only just over 50 hybrids registered with it as a parent. But what hybrids!

We can look at it in many different ways but let us begin with those hybrids that have awarded progeny.

Phal. Perfection Is (x Black Eagle) is one of our favorites. There are now 4 awarded clones: ‘Chen’, AM/AOS received 83 points with 18 flowers and 8 buds on one inflorescence with 3 branches. The ‘Bedford’, HCC/AOS clone received 75 points with 5 flowers and 3 buds on one inflorescence. More recently, Phal. Perfection Is ‘A Bedford Beauty’, HCC received 79 points with about 23 flowers and buds on 2 branched inflorescences. At the 2001 Taiwan show, a fourth clone received a 78-point HCC. With only a picture (click here), it is hard to make any comment on this plant. At present, the ‘Bedford’ clone is in bloom with 13 flowers on an inflorescence with 2 branches and a second inflorescence developing. The fragrance is actually quite strong and omnipresent. The color does fade somewhat from the very dark initial color to the deep yellow almost completely covered by dark strawberry red overlay. The flowers last forever or at least it seems that way. This is a "must have" plant because it flowers year round and the intense fragrance.

Phal. Black Peoker (x Black Beauty) is a very similar hybrid. P. Black Eagle (parent of Perfection Is) is P. Coral Nosa x P. George Vasquez. P. Black Beauty is P. Coral Nosa x P. gigantea which means that P. Black Peoker should be much more floriferous than P. Perfection Is. However, the 2 HCCs to P. Black Peoker were with 4 flowers on one inflorescence and the other with 4 flowers and 5 buds on 2 inflorescences. The 3 AMs were given to plants with 4 flowers and 1 bud, 4 flowers and 2 buds and 5 flowers and 1 bud. Granted that floriferousness is only 10 points of the 100 points needed for an award but . . . Also, plants with fewer flowers usually have significantly larger flowers. (Size is also 10 points.) With one exception, this is not the case with P. Black Peoker.

Recently, I was lucky enough to purchase a plant of Phal. Formosa Dessert (x Brother Dessert [Fortune Buddha x Paifang’s Tsung-Shen]). There were 5 flowers and buds on the main inflorescence and a branch with 2 buds. The flowers were deep yellow heavily overlaid with red spotting. In addition to the flower count on this first-bloom seedling, what most impressed me was the intense color, the flatness and also the incredible size (natural spread 8.4 cm. x 7.9 cm; dorsal sepal 3.4 cm x 4.5 cm; petals 3.9 cm x 4.1 cm; lateral sepals 3.3 cm x 4.5 cm; lip 1.7 cm x 2.8 cm). The size is about 20% bigger than Phal. Golden Peoker and not only larger than the largest awarded Phal. Fortune Buddhas but also more floriferous. I cannot wait for the chance to breed with this plant and see the results it will produce. But we have to look at the background to see where the size, flatness and color came from. Phal. Liu Tuen-Shen is a grandparent once and a great grandparent twice. The rest is rounded out with Phal. Bamboo Baby, Phal. Golden Buddha and Phal. Barbara Moler as well as Phal. Penang, every one of which has left a lasting mark on Phal. breeding. It is probable that the size came from P. Bamboo Baby as well as the whites and white with red lips way back in the pedigree.

We will mention Phal. Brother Purple (x Brother Glamour) here because it must be mentioned having transformed the face of red phalaenopsis breeding in just a few short years. (For more information, please see our article on this wonderful plant.)

Again we shall mention another offspring of Phal. Golden Peoker, Phal. Brother Peacock (x Paifang’s Queen) and again refer you to our article on this truly outstanding plant.

Phal. Brother Kaiser (x Fortune Buddha) has been used in making several hybrids. However, none have been registered and, despite this fact, the unnamed hybrid with Phal. Brother Fancy has produced 2 awarded progeny to date. The best plants in this hybrid produce large, brightly colored flowers and are quite floriferous.

I was lucky enough to see a seedling population of lucky enough Phal. Satoru (x Princess Kaiulani) while traveling in Taiwan.  The flowers varied in size and color but they were all perfectly flat and well colored.  We chose 2 and will now try to breed with them.  This was the reason that we made the hybrid with P. Golden Peoker and P. Penand Girl - only 5 seedlings were produced the first time that we made they hybrid.  It will soon be remade.

Several hybrids bear mentioning because they are proving their worth, have already produced awarded progeny or shall soon (in our opinion) prove their worth: Phal. Carolina Bronze Meteor (x James Burton) – 1 awarded progeny; Phal. Ching Her Goddess (x Golden Sun) – 2 awarded progeny from the same hybrid, P. Chingruey’s Blood-red Sun, breeding P. Ching Her Goddess back to its P. Golden Sun parent; Phal. Brother Utopia (x Brother Peacock) – 1 awarded progeny.

Phal. Brother Peak (x Chiayi Spot) also has 1 awarded clone but its progeny are exceptional. When its incredible offspring P. Sogo Peak (x Super Stupid) is used as a parent, the results have been more than exceptional. P. Bill Goldberg (Sogo Peak x Ching Her Buddha) produce an AQ as well as 5 awarded progeny. P. Sogo Cock (Sogo Peak x Sogo Kaiulani) also produced an AQ and 3 awarded progeny to date and, last but by no means least P. Buddha’s Peak (Sogo Peak x Sogo Buddha) with one awarded clone.