Cym. Seamew 2n

[Australis]

This is the first of the Seamew seedlings I have to flower (a second did spike this year, but the spike has been damaged and I won't get a proper idea of the flowers until next year, much to my annoyance). I have confirmed the ploidy with a stomatal guard cell measurement and it is definitely diploid (2n).

It has stronger colouration than any of the Seamews I have seen photos of to date, so I'm guessing that this one may be an uncommon outcome from the grex. The flowers appear orange as they open but this fades slightly to more brown tones after a few days. I will be looking forward to seeing what this plant does as it matures over the next few years and am currently mulling over what to use it with in future.

[sabredance2]

Australis, you're going to need a bigger backyard.
Commendable that you're contemplating hybridising with these primaries. My initial thought was don't be in a hurry, think about the direction you're going to pursue, and assemble the building blocks to complement these species derived hybrids. For this particular plant, what comes to mind would be a 6n ploidy plant for starters. And add to that something that further enhances its outstanding labellum. So what would be the candidates? Well obviously the Australian species madidum and suave. Others may be concolours, think Coraki derivitives, and of course those with established bold lips, thinking Esk derivitives.
That's my thinking, I'd like to know what others may think could be useful approaches.

[MrCym]

I presume this came from our Oryzalin-treated strain? My initial feeling with the 6n-2n combos is you must be cautious not to sequester anything vital. I'm certainly happy with things like Oscar Garden (Enzan Floss 6n X Cym. pumilum) in that I was not looking for stunning lips, given the nature of its parents. It was however disappointing to lose this lip, Horizon Chateau (EF 6n X Esk Claret 2n) certainly did not express the Esk Claret lip in any of the seedlings we bloomed.

Conceptually, I think it is perfectly OK for Cym hybridizing to proceed on several levels. Commercial, show types, "what if? hybrids etc. I've always made one or two of the third type most years.

[Australis]

Andy - yes, this is from your Oryzalin-treated strain. One or two of the seedlings I have might be 4n, but I haven't measured the stomatal guard cells yet to confirm my suspicion.

sabre - thanks for the suggestions. I only have one 6n on hand and it is not really something I want to use with this plant. For the near future I would be looking at other diploids in my collection, or using it with a 4n and treating the cross to get a few 6ns.

[MrCym]

My feeling with 6n’s is that used wisely they will be incredibly useful but used carelessly, they will be a disaster!

[Nigel]

6 n's???
AUSTRALIS.
You are playing around in genetics"where few men have gone before."
Be very careful. Some have come back.

[OrchidWise]

Not the greatest photo, but the Cym. Seamew I obtained last week from the grower who was the first owner....
The plant was originally obtained from from Graham Guest and was part of Andy Easton's flasks treated with Oryzalin.
We will find out if the treatment was successful at some point!
Not the greatest flower count with 3 spikes of 4, 4 and 6. But hopefully another growing season and plenty of love will help it along!

[MrCym]

Good find. It was a treated diploid cross that I thought might might kick forward. The diploid had been a useful parent. But.... time passed Seamew by and much better new diploids and diploid conversions left it behind, both commercially and for hobbyist requirements.

[OrchidWise]

Good find. It was a treated diploid cross that I thought might might kick forward. The diploid had been a useful parent. But.... time passed Seamew by and much better new diploids and diploid conversions left it behind, both commercially and for hobbyist requirements.

True, however, I'm glad I still have one.....it's growing on me! Not a common one to see in Australia anymore.....

[MrCym]

Well, there's a bit of a story here. Usually is when we remake something! When I was a kid, one of the hot orchids was a hybrid between Alexanderi 'Westonbirt' 4n and the diploid Seamew. It was named Sandpiper and the particular variety that I craved was Sandpiper 'Sutherland'. But Cyms have advanced rapidly in the post-Wimber days so after remaking Seamew and viewing the 4n's from a Colchicine treatment, I realized the 4n Seamews were too far off the pace for modern color breeding. So I went no further. In hybridizing, there are always blind alleys to extricate oneself from..... The challenge is to see those blind alleys quickly!