A fantastic new hybrid!!!

[Paul Cumbleton]

I visited Ian Butterfield recently and he had in flower for the first time a new hybrid that he clearly thought one of the best he has ever done. It is really fantastic... and here it is!!:

[art600]

wow!!! 

[Slug Killer]

I want one. Is there a name yet?

[Maggi Young]

Goodness me, I never thought to see a red pleione! How glamorous is that? Apart from the amazing colour, the shape and markings are lovely......what is its parentage?

[Gerdk]

From which species originates the vivid red colour?
Isn't this hue very strange in Pleione?

Gerd

[karel_t]

I visited him too. The parents of this hybrid are Pln. Betty Arnold and Pln. Kenya.

Karel.

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Karel, welcome to the Forum! Thanks for the info on this wonderful hybrid.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

 

Fantastic seems an understatement 
What a gorgeous stunner !

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Gerd,
Ian has been breeding Pleiones for over 25 years and getting red ones has long been an aim of his. The first one to show signs of promise was Keith Rattray (bulbocodioides x forrestii) - just one seedling from the cross was red-ish. This he named 'Kelty' and this was one parent in many further crosses that ultimately led to several hybrids that exhibit the red shades in the petals.

I always hesitate in showing Ian's latest hybrids (even though he is happy for me to do so) - it often leads to him getting enquiries from people who want one of them. They seem to forget (or perhaps not to understand) that he has just ONE bulb to start with. It's no use asking him for these latest hybrids - it will take AT LEAST 5 years to propagate enough stock to be able to start selling them, and that is assuming that they survive and prove vigorous. But I think it is still worth sharing pictures of them, to enjoy at least the images and to be able to look forward to the pleiones we may be able to grow a few years down the road from now.

So to wet the appetite again, here is another one of Ian's. As well as reds, he is working on orange shades and this is one of the results. This one is named, Makian 'Jenny' and the cross is Marion Johnson x Edgecombe:

[Maggi Young]

Oh, my! Another stunner! I really like these rich jewel like colourings

[karel_t]

Makian ´Jenny´ is fantastic bright orange pleione. However I´m adding next one of Ian´s new crossing. This one is named Anstice Harnis.

[Maggi Young]

A very attractive, more subtle colour on this one..... These are all good signs for the future of pleione collectors out there!!

[mark smyth]

I feel a tremble coming on. Totally amazing.

Out of interest, Paul, how are they propagated?

[Gerdk]

Paul,
Thank you for your detailed breeding history. I see, a lot of time is needed to raise an extraordinary colour.

Gerd

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Mark,
Propagation is just by the usual vegetative increase that a bulb makes each year. In other words, the one original bulb will hopefully produce two bulbs by the end of this year. Each of those, if it proves vigorous, will hopefully also produce two bulbs each by the end of the next year - and so on. Then there may also be bulbils produced from the top of the old bulbs each year. Some varieties make a lot more bulbils than others; those that do so can be built up into a good stock much more quickly than those that produce just a few. But either way, you can see how it takes a long time to build up stock. If he is lucky, in 3 years from now he may have 8 adult size bulbs and a few smaller ones from any bulbils produced. He likes to build up a stock of about 50 bulbs before releasing for sale, or many people who ordered one would be disappointed. This is why it will be an absolute minimum of 5 years from now (and probably longer) before we will be able to buy any of these new forms.