Pheeeeeew, answers to part 1!
John,
OK, I am drinking my green tea and shifting my brain into ‘Zen Master’ mode. I’ve been trying to save most of this info for a book I’m working on… but what the hell, I love this stuff.
First off, I must apologize for assuming that you might have not read my article being that Japanese orchids are one of your great interests! I have not read my own article in a while and often forget the fact that it was edited by Orchid Digest from 15 pages down to 10. Many of the info that was edited out are answers to your questions! I am sure that Orchid Digest wanted the article to cover a certain amount of information on each category, and that paragraph after paragraph on breeding/offspring would ruin the balance of reading. In fact, I am very happy with the way they edited the article and do not think that they could have done it better.
Now, to get to those questions:
1. How many fuukiran are there of this year? (very good question)
-This is a question I do not have the perfect answer to yet as it is somewhat sketchy. There are recorded varieties before the All Japan Fuukiran Society was created, and those varieties that were named afterwards. When the fuukiran society was founded in 1920, new varieties were registered depending on their distinct differences. Any variety up until that point was either described or illustrated with a certain variety name. Some people rumor that there are roughly over 2000 varieties if you include all traceable records (which I have yet proof to see). I do have a connection to the current registration committee, and perhaps I can get some info out of them my next trip to Japan. The recent charts generally hold around 315 registered names. About 2 to 5 new types make the chart each year, in which that many drop off in order for them to fit. This does not mean they are not fuukiran, it only means they don’t fit the chart anymore.
2. . Can you describe the technique of shaping the Neofinetia falcata with skewers and string? Do you have photos? What characteristics are they trying to impart to the plants by training them?
-The pleasant appearance to the eye means balance. As in Japanese gardening, ‘balance’ does not hold the same meaning as it does to the west. When we think balance, we think 50/50. When the Japanese think balance, they think 10/90, 40/60, 20/80 etc.. As long as something counterweights the other, balance can be found. In the case of neofinetia, you could have an old growth with many leaves and newer growths on the left side of the plant as long as one good sized growth was leaning towards the other side (this is to the extreme and not often seen). New growths often emerge, and depending on what direction they face or if their leaves bump into other leaves/growths they could bend one way or another. This is simply fixed by skewers placed in the moss, which can usually be removed in about 2 or 3 months when the growths have re-adjusted. An over all balance of growths is appreciated, which is why window sill growers will turn their fuukiran year round to induce more growth production on each side. The skewer technique is only done with standard type leaves. Bean leaf, needle leaf and contorted leaf do not need leaf training. The only thing you can do in this case is train for good growth production around the base. I can take pics of using the skewers (don’t have any now).
3. Can you confirm that the Neofinetia was actually cultivated in China before the Japanese gardeners picked them from the wild? This is the same with Bonsai.
-The only confirmation (this is according to the Japanese Fuukiran Society) is that there was some book (no title specified) published in the 1600’s (no exact date to my knowledge) that described the neofinetia falcata as the wind orchid. They are naturally found in China, Japan and Korea… and perhaps sparsely in other surrounding countries as well. The Japanese took them to the highest level of appreciation, and collected the most varieties they could from the wild.
4. Are you going to start carrying any of the terrestrials? I am interested in different cultivars of Habenaria radiata and Orchis graminifolia primarily.
I am pretty tied up with what I get now, BUT… The first terrestrial I would like to import are Calanthe. I know, they are a pain, but the colors are just amazing! I know the Habenaria have already hit the states here and there. I would LOVE to start getting the Uchoran, also known as the Ponerorchis (which is closely related to the Orchis). I know the Japanese can ship them in the spring or fall. I just need to ask a grower I know to recommend a grower that sells them in the tuber form before they sprout. You can expect to see Ponerorchis available next spring.
5. Can you talk more about how Neofinetia breeding will work? It was my understanding after talking to you that only certain types would carry characteristics to their offspring. Do the Japanese really value bred Neofinetia, as much as they value divisions? Or are they breeding them as "supermarket" plants?
The Japanese breed for a few different reasons. First of all, there really are no fuukiran left in the wild to be picked (they are protected now, but that doesn’t stop the Japanese), and of course the Big Amami Island form is most commonly found on Shikoku island. So how do they come up with new variegated types? From the flask. They will germinate hundreds of thousands of neofinetia in hopes of finding that one little plant that turned out to be an oddball, whether it be variegated, or have a strange shape. They grow very slow in the flask, and many new variegated types that are discovered in flask (yes, one in 100,000 is your best chance… in fact it is less than that) will take 5 to 6 years before they can come out of the flask because they are mutated and their cells divide very, very slow. They are given names, but those are not registered names on the chart as you need 3 divisions of a plant to do so (which could take up to 20 years or more depending on how slow the plant grows). This is the reason why many growers just don’t bother with this breeding, they just collect the rare divisions and grow to sell other divisions.
Of course the true divisions of rare varieties are always going to be valued higher as they cannot be mass produced. Anything that can, goes way down in value. For example, when hisui (the green flower form) was first discovered in Shikoku, the original divisions were selling for over $20,000. All colored neofinetia will breed true, so eventually (20 years later) the price dropped down to as low as $30 a plant. Still, nice dark green ones today go from $100 to $300 for a one to 3 growth plant. There is variation in seed grown plants, which originally eliminated them from fuukiran status, but just 3 years ago they passed a new rule allowing seed grown color varieties to keep their name (shojyo, hisui etc.) as long as they were from self pollinated plants.
So yes, seed grown stuff does lose its $ value, but not its appreciation. You can find common varieties and intergeneric hybrids of this in Japan for pretty cheap, but it is not a mass marketed plant from what I have seen.
I hope this helped cover part 1… I’m ready for part 2… I think!!
All the best,
Jason
.
