New candidate for this month is a Phragmipedium Robert C. Silich (Phrag. Jason Fischer x Phrag. Memoria Dick Clements).

Phragmipedium Robert C. Silich has been registered by Orchids Ltd [MN] in 2006.

Our candidate has two species in the background: Phrag. besseae - 62.5%; Phrag. sargentianum - 37.5%.

Previous Awards:

There are 4 AOS awards for Phrag. Robert C. Silich. Recent award was granted in Apr 13, 2024 for cultivar 'Ruby Glow' AM/AOS 83 pts.

There are 118 AOS awards for Phrag. Jason Fischer.

There are 61 AOS awards for Phrag. Memoria Dick Clements.

Description:

Our candidate has 1 flower and 2 buds on one main 76-cm inflorescence plus 2 buds on second inflorescence. Plant is 46-cm wide and 24-cm tall and has multiple growth.

Flower Measurements:

NS H - 8.8 cm;                   NS V - 6.9 cm;

Dorsal Sep. W - 1.9 cm;    Dorsal Sep. L - 3.4 cm;

Petal W - 2.9 cm;               Petals L - 4.5 cm;

Lat/Synsepal W - 2.0 cm; Lat/Synsepal L - 3.3 cm;

Lip/Pouch W - 2.1 cm;      Lip/Pouch L - 3.6 cm.

Judges' Comments

Ginna Plude (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

It's an interesting hybrid in that despite very heavily awarded parents, there are only 4 awards to the grex.  I suspect that it's just not deemed sufficiently better than the parents that there are only 4 awards.  However in comparing the candidate plant to the award for the grex, I find the form of this flower with the wider & shorter petals actually more attractive than the other awarded plants.  The petals also seem to be held truly horizontal whereas the awarded plants are slightly below horizontal.   The flower is significantly smaller horizontally but I think the overall balance of form is quite good.

Photographing this shade of red is always difficult because I think details get slightly lost in the photos.  It appears there might be some extra tissue on the upper edge of the right petal but it is difficult to be sure.  Because of the effect of the color on the photograph I'd want to see the plant in person to know whether I'd nominate it, but I think it has a lot going for it.

Ginna

Edward Weber (Accredited Judge, Mid-Atlantic Judging Center)

This is a beautifully colored, nicely formed, well-grown specimen. I feel as though we have reached an endpoint in besseae breeding where it becomes more and more difficult to produce hybrids that don't look exactly the same. It reminds me of the orange Masdevallia hybrids... how many more orange triangles do we really need? I would love to see more work with flava forms in the future.

That notwithstanding, I could easily see this flower getting a mid-range AM. 

Ed Weber

Mid-Atlantic J/C

Paul Wetter (Senior Judge, West Palm Beach Judging Center)

Thank you for submitting this striking hybrid Phrag. Robert C. Silich a cross between Phrag. Jason Fisher and Phrag. Memoria Dick Climents.  

Like the previous awards this hybrid of two excellent parents shows Wonderful Form and Color. Size as expected. Some of the previous awards mentioned 4n parents, which would explain a lot. I would think this would receive a Mid AM  85-86 and its festive holiday color is a winner. Red color spectrum refraction always appears closer and larger to our human retina and brain. 

Best 

Paul

Judie Armstrong (Associate Judge, Florida North-Central Judging Center)

The flower overall is very pleasing and the plant is grown very good.  The color is a beautiful shade of red.  However, the flower does not have bilateral symmetry, the dorsal sepal appears to be off to the right.  The petals are flat and there is some cupping of the dorsal sepal.  The color is intense but loses saturation at the very tips of the petals and the center of the flower.  The natural spread of the flower is below the previous 4 awards.  However, the size of the individual segments can equal or exceed the previous awards and if smaller it is only by 0.1cm.  I would not recommend this flower for an award at this time. I think this plant has good potential and would encourage the grower to submit it again on another more recent blooming.    

Thank you,

Judie

Josephine deBeaubien (Associate Judge, Pacific South Judging Center)

I love the color of the flower, and the form of the petals is lovely. This appears to be a young plant, due to the size of all the segments being smaller than those that have been awarded.

 The dorsal sepal tilts to the right and is cupped, which distracts from the symmetry of the flower. I struggle to find the second bud on the one mature inflorescence.  The strength of the inflorescence appears to be normal for this cross. 

The plant is well grown with no apparent blemishes on the leaves.  I would pass on judging it this time and recommend bring this plant back in the future. 

Best regards, Jojo

Michelle St. Pierre (Student Judge, Mid-Atlantic Judging Center)

There are 4 awards for this already so I focused primarily on previously awarded plants as a basis.

a.       The color of specimen put forward is very vibrant and rich.

         i.  This compares well to the awarded plants.

        ii.  The color and pattern matched most closely to ‘Ruby Glow’ – an 83 pt AM.

       iii.  The pattern on the pouch also was very similar to ‘Ruby Glow’.

b.       I also compared the measurements of all of the awarded plants by comparing the min, max, and average of the awarded plants to our specimen.

In size of the flower its closest match is the awarded cultivar ‘Max’ – an 81 pt AM.

‘Max’ is the smallest of all of the awarded flowers.  Our specimen matches closely to 'Max' in all categories with a couple of exceptions.

a.  Our specimen is smaller in all size areas except inflorescence length – which I believe this is a sequential bloomer so this inflorescence is more mature than the comparison ‘Max’.

b.  Where our specimen exceeds ‘Max’ and all the other awards is in petal width. Our specimen is 2.9 compared to an avg of 2.5 and max of 2.6 for all of the other awarded flowers.

c.  The shape of our specimen from what can be observed through the pictures and video shows a few call outs.

             i. The dorsal is cupped distally at its peak.  I see this to some degree in some of the award photos but not to the degree of our specimen.  This stands out most in the photo with the shadow in the dorsal.

            ii. The petals are flat with perhaps a very slight curve forward at the distal ends, but it does not appear more so than in other awarded plants.

           iii. From the back, the petals do not appear to be even horizontally. (pic 5)

           iv. The pouch appears well shaped although a bit smaller than our awarded flowers.

d.  Looking at the score sheet, and presuming that we use the Paph criteria vs the general criteria 

            i. The score sheet is 40 pts for form, 40 pts for color, and 20 for other characteristics such as size, stem, and texture.

I don’t think my experience lends to whether or not this should be nominated.  It is in the zone of the key areas as our other awarded flowers, but does not improve upon them with the exception of petal size.  I can’t say if that is enough, but the call outs in form may be the deciding factor based on their weight on the score sheet.

Overall, it is a very well grown, clean plant that has a beautiful and intensely colored flower that in this blooming is a little small and has a few flaws in shape. A plant anyone would be happy to have in their collection.

Thanks for the opportunity to review it.

Best,

Michelle St. Pierre

Olaf Gruss (Judge, German Orchid Society, Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium Expert, Germany)

 The breeder probably wanted to combine the large, well-formed flowers of Phrag. Jason Ficher with the intense red colouring of the flowers of Phrag. Memoria Dick Clements in order to create a different shade of red and also to breed hybrids with more flowers.

The result is rather disappointing and not an improvement. Both parents are clearly more interesting and, in my opinion, more attractive.

The hybrid tends to display a typical besseae flower on a long inflorescence. Certainly, a beautiful hybrid for the typical lover of Phrag. besseae, but not an improvement and more of a dead end for further breeding.

Please excuse my harsh judgement, but so many hybrids have been bred recently that make no sense. They will flood the market in the coming years, as targeted breeding with consideration for the next generation is increasingly taking a back seat.

Best greetings, wonderful events and Christmas time.

Olaf

Lara Ginzburg (Student Judge, Mid-Atlantic Judging Center)

The subject plant is complex hybrid between Phrag. Jason Fischer x Phrag. Memoria Dick Clements. Phragmipedium Robert C. Silich was awarded four times from 2015 to 2024.

Based on pictures provided subject plant is more mature and display better flowers/buds count. It has 1 flower and 4 buds on two inflorescences. But NS of flowers in general are smaller or equal at the most to four other plants. Although width of the petals is larger than previously awarded plantes and it is an improvement what gave candidate a fuller appearance.

Shorter petals also give the subject more appealing roundish appearance.

More rounded and fuller appearance attributed to 63 % of Phrag. besseae from Species Composition.

Flower is symmetrical and bright orange-red color what is different from other four awarded plants.

Overall flowers size is comparable to other plants, but not exceptional. I scored this at AM 82.

Steve Gonzalez-Costa (Accredited Judge, Chicago Judging Center)

Very good looking flowers with little detractions from it’s vibrant color, good overall form, smooth widening oval petal shape, pancake flatness (although the dorsal is a little pinched at the top), symmetry seems to be there.  Unfortunately, this this not the first flower and seldom would there be second flower open at the same time with the 75% besseae lineage.  So, in essence this is a super besseae and it also carries a pretty pleasant dorsal which is usually the limiting factor on any Phragmipedium.  But size isn’t there even if superior parents were used, it really comes short and compares well below over 10-15% smaller than low AM awarded parents.  I did look at low AM’s for all of the parties involved. It is a super beautiful flower and maybe it would make a better attempt another time – but I did score it and came up with a 76 point HCC before I wrote all these remarks in an organized manner.  Maybe someday, with a first flower and a good year of culture behind these genetics this super besseae can achieve an AM – I believe it has the potential.  Award it 76 pt HCC.

Exhibitor - James Wood  (Indianapolis, IN)

Virtual Award Description

Grower's Advice