Rhyncattleanthe Aurora’s José Françolin– a multiflora material and its genetic selection factors

Abstract

Brazilian flower production demands new materials, especially for orchids. Hybrid production could be a form of gene conservation as    the pure species plants are subjected to several harms in the wild. This hybrid’s origin was considered a multiflora plant derived from Guarianthe bowringiana descents. Rhyncattleanthe Aurora’s José Françolin is a novelty hybrid derived from a cross between Rhyncattleanthe Aurora’s Blue Pride #1, a plant with 25% Guarianthe bowringiana that gives the character multiflora with well-formed flowers, and Rhyncolaeliocattleya Turandot “Guaxupé” a known clone with exceptional features. Rhyncattleanthe Aurora’s José Françolin bears spikes of up to five flowers in a medium to big sized, well-armed, with heavy substance ranging from light rose to dark lavender and broad petals, many of them with a broad labellum also, flowers are lightly scented and well adapted to warmer climates. The best clones were selected based on the genetic parameter of petal width (PW, h2 = 0.854) instead of natural diameter (D, h2 = 0.935) due to better flower shape and balance between the other floral segments. Some superior clones are being selected as stud plants and for cloning, for a superior floral count than RC Turandot and good-sized flowers (more than 10 mm in each dimension than RCT Aurora’s Blue Pride #1). Genetic parameters such as the petal width is useful to select superior clones.