This week I would like to present new Phalaenopsis hybrid - Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade (Phal. An Tai Jade x Phal. philippinensis). This cross was registered in March 22, 2020.

Phal. An Tai Jade is the cross between Phal. stuartiana and Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary (registered by Yung-Ho in 1995).

The parentage species that makes up this cross are Phal. philippinensis (50%), Phal. stuartiana (25%), Phal. amboinensis (12.5%), Phal. michlitzii (6.25%) and Phal. violacea (6.25%)

Previous Awards:

There are no awards for this new cross.

There are no awards for Phal. An Tai Jade as well.

There are 2 AOS awards for Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary, both of them in Taiwan during Taiwan International Orchid Show (in 2000 and 2007).

There are 13 AOS awards for Phal. philippinensis and 34 awards on Phal. stuartiana (including different color forms and awards from Taiwan).

Description:

The candidate plant has 13 flowers on 3 inflorescences - one branched inflorescence with 6 flowers, two unbranched inflorescences, 3 and 4 flowers each.

Flower Measurements:

NS H - 5.7 cm; NS V - 5.5 cm;

Dorsal Sep. W - 1.9 cm; Dorsal Sep. L - 3.0 cm;

Petal W - 2.8 cm; Petals L - 2.7 cm;

Lat/Sepal W - 2.2 cm; Lat/Sepal L - 3.0 cm;

Lip/Pouch W - 1.5 cm; Lip/Pouch L - 1.8 cm.

Judges' Comments

Kristen Mason (Accredited Judge, Cincinnati Judging Center)

Full round flat form. Nice clear white color with wide, even contrasting chartreuse picotee. Slight irregularity in form at tips of petals. Nice bright contrasting golden yellow side lobs on lip. Spots on lip side lobes and dorsal sepals adds interest. Bonus - back of flowers are beautiful. Low flower count. Size OK. Nice branching inflorescence at good length - just above the foliage but not unwieldy like some of the parentage. Display is crowded. Overall, beautiful flowers improved over parents. I scored this at 77 points.

Carrie Buchman (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade

(Phal. An Tai Jade x Phal. philippinensis).

Stunning! I simply love the very even “reverse” picotee that outlines each segment. Flowers are round and flat with good segment overlap; i.e., no fenestration between petals and sepals. My only observation on the form is the notching at the petal apex on at least some flowers. I’d have to see the plant in person to see if it is universal. The lip is a beautiful combination of the philippinensis and stuartiana lips, highlighted by the sunshine yellow side lobes and a smattering of freckles.

Floriferous is acceptable; for the An Tai Jade parents, flower counts are high for the stuartiana and low (3.5/inflorescence) for the Yungho Gelp Canary. The philippinensis also contributes a high flower count. So there may be the potential for a higher flower count on this hybrid. I also see some branching starting on at least one inflorescence. The inflorescences are staked, so I wonder if they are self-supporting.

The overall presentation of the flowers and inflorescences is harmonious and balanced. This is well grown plant. I would nominate it for a Flower Quality Award and score it as a mid to high AM. I would also nominate it for a cultural award and score it in the low 80’s

Kind Regards,

Carrie Buchman

Al Messina (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Thirteen pretty flowers on three staked erect inflorescences nicely displayed on a well grown plant; sepals white, spotted basally, and petals virginal white, embraced circumferentially by a quite pleasing, light green picotee, adding considerable interest to each flower; flower count (4+) markedly diminished from major parents (philippinensis - 27+; stuartiana - 35), likely related to dominance of amboinensis (3+ per inflorescence), violacea (2+), and micholitzii (1+). Median natural spred of philippinensis parent (8.3) diminished by An Tai Jade components: stuartiana - 6.3, micholiztii - 5.0, amboinensis - 5.5, violacea -5.0.Candidate is a lovely plant to grow and enjoy, but is short of award quality and not an improvement over the parents. A JC could be considered for the lovely picotee.

Deb Boersma (Student Judge, Great Lakes Judging Center)

Phal. Philippine Jade

I absolutely love this Phalaenopsis flower with the light, yellow green margins on the sepals and petals against the white background, it really makes for a great presentation of the flower. The lip has a nice spotted pattern, and the dark yellow margins adds contrast to the rest of the flower. The flowers are flat, petals are very wide, over all the form is great.

It has retained the white from the Phal. stuartiana and the Phal. philippinense and the yellow has carried forward from the Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary together to give a great display on this plant. The lip has retained some the spotting from the Phal. stuartiana parent. I think it is a nice combination of traits from the parental line, I couldn’t find photos for the Phal. An Tai Jade for comparison.

The candidate only has 13 flowers, much less floriferous and slightly smaller in size than the Phal. philippinense, Phal. stuartiana and Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary. I still think it is worthy of a quality award and would nominate it. Considering reduced points for size and floriferousness I pointed it at 76 HCC, grown on with more flowers I think it would deserve an AM.

Deb Bodei (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade (Phal. An Tai Jade x Phal. philippinensis)

Observations

First impression is made by the beautiful key lime green picotee. The markings are so uniform it’s as if the blooms were painted that way.

The proportion of the segments is good, and it is a mostly flat flower with a very slight gap between sepals and petals probably made visible by a slight cupping of the sepals and petals (violacea). The petals do not leave any gaps between sepals and the lip is fitting for the face of the flower. There is some unevenness in the margins of the petals that can be accounted for in the pointing along with some of the other flaws raised.

Color and markings get high points on this candidate. The picotee is even and so lovely I can’t help but think of the best key lime pie I ever ate when I look at this bloom. I think the lip color is a good contrast to the sepals and petals and even the spotting on the sepals is attractive (stuartiana) and enhances the lip.

Size, number of flowers and arrangement is expected for the parents. I do think the plant was neatly and well presented.

Nominations

I would nominate this plant for a flower award and expect a low AM and also for an AD for the exciting color and markings as a new breeding line.

Thank you,

Deb

Phyllis Prestia (Accredited Judge, Pacific South Judging Center)

This is a lovely plant which reflects well both of its parents. In terms of flower count, the floriferousness of philippinensis has doubled the flower count. In addition, it has slightly increased the natural spread, the dorsal sepal width and the petal width of An Tai Jade. I would say that this plant has taken the best of both of its parents.

The color combination is quite pleasing. The green picotee is consistent on the many flat flowers, as well as the lip shape. Segments are full and devoid of fenestration.

The presentation could be improved with better alignment and less bunching. Nevertheless, I would nominate it for judging and imagine it might get a high HCC or low AM.

Trevor Yee (Accredited Judge, AOC, Australia)

A very unique colour combination of lime green encircling each floral segment is very distinctive and attractive. Its colour distribution is consistent along with the intensity. The yellow-coloured side lobes are reminiscent of P. philippinesis.

The flower has a nice filled-in shape resulting in a good circular outline. Flower is symmetrical and relatively flat. Perhaps a minor critique is the slight uneven ruffling at the tips of the petals. From web available images of Phal. An Tai Jade, this clone's shape is an improvement.

Presentation of the flowers are superior with virtually all facing in one direction for ease of viewing.

For the size of plant with 2 growths - 3 inflorescences with 13 flowers is good outcome for this type of novelty breeding.

I would recommend it for a high HCC quality award. I would also suggest an Award of Distinction for the colour combination might also be in order.

Christian Carrillo (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Morning Sergey,

At a cursory glance I was not necessarily impressed with the candidate but after reading its parentage I became very impressed and excited. Somehow the Yungho Gelb Canary grandparent (a fantastic parent on its own and responsible for many yellow, green and white offspring) was able to produce a fantastic color presentation with a white base and yellow/green margins. This color pattern is consistent and truly striking. The stuartiana spotting around the column and lip is also wonderful, and of course it has the charmingly characteristic philippinense lip. This plant truly has the best of three respected parents. Plus, the flowers appear very flat; I do wish the petals were a little fuller, but again Yungho Gelb Canary won out again (It has always been a dominant parent; guess grandparent too).

I am satisfied by the flower count -- not ecstatic. A couple more flowers would help but the dominant Yungho Gelb Canary (usually only blooming with three to four flowers per inflorescence) was dominant here. I am unable to make a true determination about the arrangement based on the photos and would really need to see the plant in person.

While I would not call the candidate an improvement, I would say it is a wonderful blend of its parents, bringing the best features. I would nominate and point.

Peter Lin (Big Leaf Orchids, TX)

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade is a beautiful flower. I would not hesitate to award this flower AM/AOS for its unique yellow green picotee, good form and substance.

Phalaenopsis An Tai Jade is a hybrid of species Phal. stuartiana and Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary. This hybrid was made by Kung Sir Orchids in Taiwan. I spoke to Mr Kung and he helped to identify this flower as a hybrid made by his friend in Taiwan.

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade shows signature yellow side lobes from species parent Phal. philippinensis.

Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary is a great breeding parent. It’s used extensively in novelty breeding. Its desirable traits are heavy substance, flat, form, wide lip, and fragrance. To see how great Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary really is – one may refer to Phal. Ba-Shi Canary (Yungho Gelb Canary x violacea).

You can refer to Phalaenopsis Ba-Shi Canary 'Bredren' FCC/AOS (90 points) awarded on Mar 6, 2014, 4 flowers, 7 buds on 2 infl. Flower size is 6.4 x 6.8 cm

Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary as a breeding parent tends to pass on its good form. Even when paired with a star-shape species parent like Phal. violacea.

Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary is a line breed hybrid from Yungho Orchids in Taiwan. Flower size can be as large as 7 cm vertical. Species parent Phal. micholitzii is instrumental in passing on its round form. Both species Phal. amboinensis and micholitzii can be very floriferous, 20-30 flowers on large mature plant. Usually breeding to Phal. violacea would reduce flower count. But you can see that is not the case with Phalaenopsis Ba-Shi Canary 'Ponkan' AM/AOS (86 points) awarded on March 30, 2013 with 23 flowers, 1 bud on 5 infl. Flower size 5.6 x 5.7 cm.

Statistically Phal. micholitzii shows 6.25% influence of Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade. Phal. micholitzii is known to remove color in its progeny – and contribute to this unique picotee effect.

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade is a great hybrid that combine desirable traits of phalaenopsis species from section Polychilos and Phalaenopsis. No double that paring with Phal. stuartiana and Phal. philippinensis is to increase flower count. Phal. micholitzii hybrid tend to flower early in the winter – unlike other Polychilos novelty that bloom primarily in late spring/summer.

What would make this hybrid perfect ? Mottled foliage from Phal. stuartiana and Phal. philippinensis are lost. No hybrid is perfect. We will keep making new hybrid.

Peter Lin

Big Leaf Orchids

Laura Newton (Accredited Judge, Florida North Central Judging Center)

Hello Sergey,

I was able to find a photo of An Tai Jade on Bluenanta.

I find this week candidate quite pleasing. The flowers look relatively flat and show good bilateral symmetry in both color and form, the pandurate shape of the lip midlobe is an interesting feature. The flowers look well-arranged and are of a decent size and quantity.

I would have no problem in nominating this flower for scoring as I certainly find it pleasing blend of the parentage.

My score would be 84 points.

Laura Newton

AOS Award Registrar

Elena Skoropad (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Very elegant flower!

It catches your eye immediately - a very nice combination of colors, majority of flowers are flat and well-proportioned. Lovely presentation.

13 elegant flat flowers and 0 bud on 3 inflorescences; one inflorescences branched;

petals and sepals are white with key lime picotee; lateral sepals basally spotted maroon; side lobes canary yellow; substance firm; texture matte

Since this is new cross and no awards were given yet, we need to look at the parents and potentially grandparents. One of grandparents was awarded in Taiwan. The flowers had more yellow color than green; our candidate flower appears to have more pleasing combination of colors. Stuartiana and philippinesis can produce much more flowers, but violacea usually produces a few flowers. I was not sure how many flowers expected for this new cross, the grandparents was awarded with 6 flowers and 2 buds. Our candidate has 13 flowers; the natural spread is in the same range as awarded plant.

I think this flower should be nominated for flower quality award taking into consideration a very pleasing color, flower flatness, good form and presentation. I would be scoring in AM 82-83 range.

One question to the grower - does this plant have a scent?

Kudos to the grower! Excellent job

Thanks,

Elena

Nate DePinto (Student Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade

(Phal. An Tai Jade x Phal. philippinensis)

An amazing and beautiful display of flowers that are exceptionally flat, round and in pristine condition. Plant appears to be very well grown, with what appears to be a keiki growing alongside the mother plant. Petals are especially round and broad and create a very full flower. Color, compared to the Phalaenopsis Yungho Gelb Canary 'Wen Ming' AM/AOS (83 points), appears to be dull/washed out. The green is not as defined and not as vibrant as the past awarded Yungho Gelb Canary 'Wen Ming’, but from online it is hard to interpret the color fully. Petals are also noticeably unevenly bilobed and create a symmetry issue that will result in loss of points. Bilobed petals change from flower to flower, with some being more noticeable than others. Petals on awarded Phalaenopsis Yungho Gelb Canary 'Wen Ming' AM/AOS (83 points) and Phalaenopsis Yungho Gelb Canary 'Shih-Hwa' AM/AOS (82 points) form a very direct short and sharp apicule and are all uniform in shape. Flowers are mostly presented forward and head on, creating a nice display; however, branching creates some crowding issues towards the center of the display. Overall there is a huge improvement in overall shape and more noticeably flatness and roundness. The overall color and striking green picatee frames the flower, drawing you into the bright yellow lateral lip lobes. Measurements show the candidate as a much wider flower compared the two previously awarded Yungho Gelb Canary. Overall, I could see this plant scoring a Flower Quality Award, with an AM in the middle-high range of 85-86 points.

Thanks Sergey!

Beautiful plant!!

Exhibitor - David Edglay, WA (Accredited Judge, Western Canada Judging Center)

Virtual Award Description

Thirteen wonderfully-marked, full, flat flowers nicely displayed on three staked, erect inflorescences, one branched with six flowers; sepals and petals white, margins broadly overlaid light green; lateral sepals proximal inferior quarter spotted chestnut; petals ovate; lip trilobed, midlobe white, panduriform, apical cirri curled upward, upright side lobes and central callus yellow, spotted chestnut; column white, anther cap beige; substance firm; texture crystalline.

Grower's Advice

Phalaenopsis Philippine Jade (An Tai Jade x philippinensis)

There is a story behind this unique plant. There was a plant awarded in 2015 At the AOS members' meetings in Portland, OR as Phal. Tzu Chiang Chrisna. It was entered in the show as unknown. It made its way to the judging table where a judge walking by identified it as Tzu Chiang Chrisna and it was subsequently awarded HCC/AOS. The plant was imported by Orchidaceae in Walla Walla, WA without a name and sold by a few local vendors as unknown. I had to have one of these and luckily, Orchidaceae still had some. I proudly tagged my gorgeous new plant Tzu Chiang Chrisna 'SkyBear' HCC/AOS.

As time went on, I became somewhat uncomfortable with the name given this plant. The biggest problem to me was that Tzu Chiang Chrisna was a novelty hybrid and none of the awarded plants showed tendrils on the lip like the 'SkyBear' clone. The typical novelty Phalaenopsis lip is somewhat diamond-shaped and narrows at the apex. This lip is round and wide, with apical tendrils. And the petals were much wider and differently shaped that the other awarded Tzu Chiang Chrisna clones.

In March 2020, I posted a photo of my plant on Facebook IPA page. Almost immediately, I got a note from Mike Mims, my good friend and novelty Phal breeder, that I had incorrectly identified the plant. He said it was Phal. KS Jadegreen. I corrected the name in the post and received another comment, this time from someone with Chinese characters in their name. I turned to Peter Lin of Big Leaf Orchids to see who this was.

Turns out, the person telling me the correct name was (An Tai Jade x philippinensis) was Mr. Kung of Kung Sir Orchids. Peter Lin did some further communication with Mr. Kung and found out that the cross was made by a now-deceased friend of his. He did not intend to register it but wanted it identified by the correct name. At that point, I consulted with Peter and Mr. Kung asking if I could register it. They said ok, so I named the cross Phal. Philippine Jade.

Understanding the correct name and parentage of Phal. Philippine Jade, you can now see the obvious influence of Phal. philippinensis in the lip tendrils and yellow side lobes.

I'm delighted this plant now has the correct name attached to it. Also looking forward to showing it in full, glorious bloom!

David Edgley

david.edgley@gmail.com