Plants – Herbaceous ornamnental flowering plant – Orchid
Plant Patent
2000-04-04
2003-02-18
Bell, Kent L. (Department: 1661)
Plants
Herbaceous ornamnental flowering plant
Orchid
Plant Patent
active
PP013562
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
This invention comprises a new and distinct variety of Orchid named Dendrobium Stardust ‘Firebird’, a hybrid of the Genus Dendrobium (
Dendrobium unicom×Dendrobium ukon
), referred to herein by its grex and varietal name Stardust ‘Firebird’. Stardust ‘Firebird’ is a distinct variety selected from progeny of a cross between the unpatented
Dendrobium unicum
and
Dendrobium unkon
. The same cross has produced other Stardust family members (see below).
The chronology of events leading to selection of Stardust ‘Firebird’ is as follows:
Dendrobium unicum
and
Dendrobium unkon
were crossed in 1980 and seedlings were placed in flasks in October of that year. These seedlings were grown to maturity, flowered, and the Grex epithet Stardust was registered with The Royal Horticultural Society, The International Registration Authority for Orchid Hybrids, in 1986 by N. Ashi. From this group of seedlings a plant with desirable characteristics (i.e., good flowers, compact growth habit, and fast growth), was selected and given the varietal epithet ‘Firebird’.
This plant was then reproduced asexually using conventional meristem culture techniques for tissue culture of orchids (
Plants from Test Tubes
, Lydiane Kyte and John Kleyn, eds., Timber Press (1996)). Asexual reproduction took place at 60 Aza Hanto, Oaza Ishihama, Higashiuratnachi, Chita Gun, Aichi, Japan, and Stardust ‘Firebird’ reliably reproduced true to type. A long testing period followed.
In February of 1993, the plants of Stardust ‘Firebird’ continued to display the desirable characteristics selected for. These plants were then examined for their susceptibility or immunity from known diseases, namely, Dendrobium virus, Dendrobium Thabdo virus and Tomato Spotted Wilt virus. Stardust ‘Firebird’ displayed immunity to those diseases. All developmental work was done in a glass greenhouse located at Aichi-ken, Japan where minimum temperature was kept at 13° C.
Stardust ‘Firebird’ is descended from 5 species of the genus Dendrobium. These are
Dendrobium unicum, Dendrobium moniliforme, Dendrobium aureum, Dendrobium signatum,
and
Dendrobium nobile
. These species have been extensively used in hybridizing and are found over an extremely large area having a wide range of habitat elevations. The habitat area extends from India in the West to Japan in the north, and Australia and New Zealand in the south. Eastward, the habitat includes most of the Pacific Islands. The species are found from sea level to elevations as high as 12,000 feet. It is impossible to make accurate generalizations about the horticulture of the Dendrobium species but it can be said that its hybrids have cultural requirements which are similar to parents
Dendrobium unicum
and
Dendrobium ukon
, neither which is patented, and form a predictable guide.
Dendrobium unicum
and
Dendrobium ukon
and Stardust ‘Firebird’ have rather large attractive flowers and are generally easy to cultivate.
Dendrobium unicum
is a very distinctive species from Thailand and Laos. It has a deep orange color. It differs significantly from Stardust ‘Firebird’ in that the petals and sepals are very narrow and strongly reflexed, the lip is larger than petals and sepals, is brownish orange and has a 3 ridged callus along the center.
Dendrobium ukon
is a hybrid, registered with The Royal Horticultural Society in 1979 by H. Furuse. It differs from Stardust ‘Firebird’ in growth habit, in the pseudobulbs being quite large and swollen in the middle, and in flower shape and size. Flowers are usually white or pink, petals larger than sepals, with a broad flat lip. Petals and sepals are also much wider at the apex than at the base.
REFERENCES:
GTITM UPOVROM Citation for ‘Stardust Firebird’ as per JP PBR 11311; Oct. 9, 1998.
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