This week I would like to present Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings (Paph. rothschildianum x Paph. adductum var. anitum).

Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings was originated and registered by F. Glanz in 2009.

I found this cross to be interesting for the research.

Paph. anitum relatively new species, and been described in 1998. It's native to Philippines.

However, this name is a synonym (same as Paph. adductum var. anitum). The accepted name by WCSP (Kew) is Paph. adductum, Asher, 1983.

That created a lot of confusions in registration orchid hybrids. In 1994 S. R. Weilz registered new hybrid - Paph. Johanna Burkhardt (Paph. rothschildianum x Paph. adductum). Although Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings is listed in RHS as a synonym, both hybrids still exist in OrchidPro and all other databases. Most of the breeders using Paph. adductum var. anitum but labeled hybrids as a crosses with Paph. anitum. I have myself at least 5 crosses with Paph. anitum (not even Paph. adductum var. anitum). Actually, some researchers still treated Paph. anitum as a separate species. I found that Paph. anitum generally produced less flowers per inflorescence and have more dark, almost black dorsal compare to Paph. adductum.

Previous Awards:

There are 9 AOS awards for Paph. Wössner Black Wings. Two latest AOS Awards granted in April and June 2021.

To compare, there are 54 AOS awards for Paph. Johanna Burkhardt, with the large number of FCC. The latest award - in June 2021.

Description:

The candidate has 3 flowers on one staked inflorescence, inflorescence length - 56 cm.

The plant has 3 growths. It grows in a 13.5 cm clear plastic pot.

Flower Measurements:

NS H - 13.5 cm; NS V - 15.0 cm;

Dorsal Sep. W - 5.5 cm; Dorsal Sep. L - 5.5 cm;

Petal W - 1.0 cm; Petals L - 13.0 cm;

Lat/Synsepal W - 4.5 cm; Lat/Synsepal L - 6.5 cm;

Lip/Pouch W - 2.0 cm; Lip/Pouch L - 6.0 cm.

Judges' Comments

Kristen Mason (Accredited Judge, Cincinnati Judging Center)

Thank you for submitting this plant. I love the deepness of the yellow and the depth of the color in the dorsal markings. The evenness of the petal markings and ruffling on the top of the petals are nice. Flower count is OK. Flowers are cupped with dorsal and synsepal pinched. Parts are narrow. Color breaks in all 3 pouches are problematic. I would pass.

Dr. Asher who was the original describer of adductum was my genetics professor at MSU and the person that got me involved in orchid societies.

http://gntos.org/files/djc/Submitted_Homework/Karl_Varian/Paphiopedilum_adductum.pdf

When you look at Johanna Burkhardt and Wossner Black Wings flowers next to each other, they are very difficult to differentiate and based on anitum being a variety of adductum - they should be listed as the same hybrid can you tell below which is Johanna Burkhardt and which is Wossner Black Wings?

Wossner Black Wings

Flowers Buds Infl Average

3.8 0 1.2 3.17

NS 13.3 x 21 cm

DS 5.7 x 7.1 cm

Pet 1.4 x 17.1 cm

Johanna Burkhardt

Flowers Buds Infl Average

4.1 0.3 1.2 3.42

NS 15.76 x 21.25 cm

DS 5.94 x 7.09 cm

Pet 1.72 x 17.53 cm

So there is a slight difference in the averages for the 2 names for the same cross, but not significant.

The only hybrid listed specifically using Wossner Black Wings is Paph. Huar Jih Anita (crossed back onto Roth) which is equivalent to Paph. Hilo Black Eagle

Huar Jih Anita does not have any awards but several pictures available online. Hilo Black Eagle has 8 awards.

Can you tell which is which?

Al Messina (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Three flowers on one inflorescence have reasonable color but are not judgeable on this bloom: incompletely open (?suboptimal watering?) and multiple,

almost punctate, color breaks on each pouch present a 'fatal flaw', in my opinion. Perhaps the next bloom will bring a more fruitful exhibition.

Orchid Wiz has answer very clearly: adductum and anitum are synonymous; therefore they are the same cross --- perhaps each originator was unaware of this.

I think S.R.Weltz registered Johanna Burkhardt in 1994 using what was then known as adductum (syn. anitum).Then Franz Glanz registered Wossner Black Wings in 2009 using anitum (syn. adductum). The end result was the same cross. All you need to do is check Kew to see exactly when Kew decided that anitum = adductum.

One way or another, the AOS needs to recognize Wossner as Johanna (which was first) and cancel Wossner (transfer to Johanna in the awards register - Laura Newton), and Kew needs to nullify Wossner.

David Edgley (Accredited Judge, Western Canada Judging Center)

Here is my evaluation for Paph. Wössner Black Wings:

This is a very attractive candidate with nice color and proportions for the dorsal sepal and synsepal. The petals are rather narrow compared to the award record. The flowers are quite cupped. I don’t know if that is a problem with this clone or that the flowers are still opening. Either way, I would not wish to score this plant at this time.

David Edgley

Joanna K. Eckstrom (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

I'm a week early on this but, although the candidate has nice crisp markings, even petal twists, and full but cupped dorsals, I can't get past the deep dimple in every flower.

Olaf Gruss (Germany)

For Franz and me is no doubt that adductum and anitum are different species, also they are near related.

There are enough differences in the leaves, the number of flowers and also in the flower details. So I placed them also in my new book about the genus as 2 different species. So it is also clear that the orchid registrar accept them as different species with different hybrids.

That the results of hybridization are very similar is the result of the near relationship. Sam Tsiu had shown it very well in a presentation some years ago. Perhaps you could contact him for.

Best greetings

Olaf

Bob Winkley (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Thank you for posting this handsome flower. I really like the crispness of the flower's coloration, especially the sepals.

The challenge with this flower is its form. The dorsal and synsepal are very cupped, the lip his held quite high, and the petals roll back a bit more than I would like. Given that all three flowers are open I have to believe that the flowers will not improve over time.

If the form were to improve on a subsequent flowering I would love to see this on the judging table. However, at this time I would pass on scoring it.

All the best -

Bob W.

Deb Boersma (Student Judge, Great Lakes Judging Center)

Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings

This is a stunning hybrid with the dark dorsal markings from the Paph. adductum var anitum parent. The dark bold stripes on the dorsal nicely contrast the chartreuse background. The synsepal also shows distinct stripes and frames the pouch nicely. The petals display spots that coalesce into solid mahogany at the distill end. The color on the pouch is not as dark as some of the other awarded cultivars but it is still appealing. The flower looks symmetrical and are held nicely above the foliage. I see a few form issues, both the dorsal and the synsepal are pinched and the flower is not as flat as some of the awarded plants. The dorsal is quite cupped and the pouch juts out a fair bit, although perhaps no more than some of the awarded plants. It is in line with floriferousness, average of the awarded plants is 3.8 flowers. The petals are shorter than the average of 17.1 cm resulting in a vertical natural spread that is smaller than average. The dorsal width is a little narrower than average.

I would pass on nomination for a quality award.

Ramon de los Santos (Accredited Judge, California-Sierra Nevada Judging Center)

The flower has a pleasing look and color. It is a very young plant, so the full potential is not achieved in flower count and size. The dorsal is very cuppy and the color is typical without the very dark shading on the dorsal sepals which comes from the variety anitum. It is not incomparable to the previous awards, so with this in mind, I'll pass.

A little in-site on the differences between Paph. adductum and Paph. anitum. I had the privileged to work with the late Mr. Andres Golamco to document and help him write the description of Paph. anitum. Aside from the color and shape of the flower, the staminode shape of Paph. adductum has an arrow like shape whereas the Paph. anitum is rectangular with a notch on the bottom. This was attributed with the notion its is a 4n variety of Paph. adductum. But recently bigger and more flowered Paph. adductum has surfaced which has bigger and more flowers per spike which was deemed 4n, but the staminode still look like the original arrow like shape not the like the Paph. anitum.

More pictures from my friends Dr. Miguel De Leon and Manote Quahphanit.

Paph. anitum can have 4 flowers

The new variety of Paph. adductum with larger and more flowers

Ramon

David Sorokowsky (Accredited Judge, California-Sierra Nevada Judging Center)

Here are my comments on the Wossner Balck Wings:

Other than nice color in the dorsal, I can't find any positive attributes on this one. The color in the dorsal is what we expect with anitum as a parent.

The general color is weak, and there are multiple color breaks on the pouches. The dorsal sepals are severely hooded. The arrangement is crowded and the pouches jut forward. I would not nominate this for a quality award, and if it was nominated I would have trouble finding 70 points.

Dave Sorokowsky

Sergey Skoropad (Associate Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings:

Important Paphiopedilum hybrid. This hybrid is not very common in US, especially compare to Johanna Burkhardt. I believe that these two hybrids are different and should be judged separately, although sometimes they looks very similar and difficult to say which one is which one when you look at them together without the names. I think Paph. adductum and Paph. anitum are two different species and it just a time when WCSP (Kew) will recognize anitum as the separate species. Keep Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings separate from Paphiopedilum Johanna Burkhardt by RHS and AOS (OrchidPro) make sense.

Regarding our current candidate. I like dark color of the dorsal, 3 flowers on one inflorescence is fine for this multifloral hybrid. Size of the flowers is in the range, little smaller than I like to see. However, color is not intense as I expected. Dorsal sepals are severely hooded, multiple color breaks on pouches. I will pass this time.

This plant has a potential and I would like to see this plant in a few years.

Thanks

Sergey

Filippo Pilloni (Associate Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy)

Interesting flowering in some aspects but not so in others.

Very large flower but unfortunately sparse and the synsepal is a little too closed and closed distally. Not enough flowers per stem.

Very interesting the color of the dorsal sepal, which is not the usual dark color, but instead is dominated by a golden yellow. The presentation of the flowers on the stem is not at top levels for the grex.

I would like to see the next flowering to see if there are any improvements.

For this flowering I feel like giving a 73/74 points.

Aldo Rozzo (Associate Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy)

Being a grower and admirer of multifloral Paphiopedilums, I’m very intrigued by this cultivar of Paph. Wossner Black Wings. The proportions between the flower segments and the relationship between them is fascinating. The width of the petals and the synsepal are very generous, certainly noteworthy. The dorsal sepal, slightly pointed at the apex recalls the adductum parent. The yellow color is also interesting, I wonder if the cultivar ’Rex' is among the ascendants of the Paph. rothschildianum used to make this strain.

The 'Rex' is known for the typical cream-yellow coloring in the background. The general aspect of this WBW clearly favors the Paph. adductum - the actual leaves recall the adductum more than the rothschildianum, likewise for the flower. Personally I really appreciate the WBWs more similar to the adductum that the rothschildianum, unfortunately this is not the case here. The aperture of the flowers, the number of flowers, concave dorsal and synsepal enormously penalize this cultivar. The stripes of the dorsal could be wider, so as to blend into one another, as it often happens in this grex.

The presentation of the flowers on the stem is not as graceful as it could be. The only aspect that could improve in the future is the number of flowers, I don't think I can hypothesize a better form in the future, the multiflorals tend to open simultaneously, consequently the limited opening of the flower should not be attributed to pictures taken prematurely. My score stands on an HCC of 75.

Stefano Bioni (Associate Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy)

Good general color, from a cross with P. adductum one would expect a more intense color, the sepals could be much less concave, only three flowers on a stem are rather few for this cross - I would not admit it for judging.

Alejandro Capriles (Accredited Judge, Società Felsinea di Orchidofilia, Bologna, Italy, retired AOS Judge)

Rather striking flowers at first sight, but not striking enough for this grex, one of the most notable multifloral hybrids to date. I personally prefer the cultivars that favor the adductum parent rather than the rothschildianum, particularly for the color. This cultivar strongly favors the roth parent, particularly for flower shape. Not enough flowers also penalize this plant. I would score no more than 74 points, hoping that an extra flower on the stem on the next flowering may increase my score.

Joseph Maciaszek (Accredited Judge, Northeast Judging Center)

The candidate Paphiopedilum Wössner Black Wings has three flowers on a staked inflorescence while the flowers have some good attributes there also issues with flowers. Let’s start off with some of the positive points. One trait I like is the petal stance, they have broad shoulders before sweeping down with pleasant twisting. A second trait is both sepals have a nice yellow back color with dark stripes. In the dorsal the stripes can be broad and evenly distributed across. A third is the darkly colored pouch of the flower. The dark colors are what one would expect based on the parents of the cross.

What are the things that I don’t like in the presentation? A minor issue is the crowding of the flowers on the inflorescence, which I could look past if there wasn’t a major issue with the flower form and to a lesser extent the size of the flower. The size of the flower and some of the segments are noticeably smaller than the awarded clones. What really precludes me from being able to point this plant is the dorsal sepal, which is very curved and hooded. The awarded flowers have a nice erect dorsal sepal and are relatively flat. I believe the plant has potential to overcome these issues and to be pointable but this flowering is not a plant that I would nominate.

Exhibitor - Trevor Yee, Australia (Accredited Judge, Australian Orchid Consul)

Grower's Advice

Thanks for the opportunity to put forward my Paph. for consideration. It was great to see a good level of robust discussion about this grex and Paph. Johanna Burkhardt, and the inclusion of some expert opinions. I hope the panel is more enlightened as a result of this exercise as we don't see many being benched.

This WBW is a first flowering seedling (about 11 years old) so producing 3 flowers is rather pleasing. I don't believe on this flowering it would be worthy of an award as the dorsal is too hooded, and perhaps the spacing of the flowers could be better. Colour is acceptable but ideally darker. I would have preferred the petals to be arching downwards a lot more in the style of Paph. adductum.

Regards

Trevor Yee (Sydney Australia).