looks like a "Bursting Nova" from over here...wonderful color..email me one surely thats a safe way to transport a plant LOL

Very nice job Lisa, it kind of reminds me of a red sea urchin with all those bright changing colors.
If any future pups need a good loving home....I have a vacancy. LOL

I looked up the mom and dad and my gosh orth. navioides took my breath away. That is one show stopping plant.
Thanks for the preview.

Orth. navioides is a little cutie alright, Patris. It's a small plant, but it has a disproportionately large flower, which makes it easy to cross with Neos (yes, size DOES matter!)

The challenge, however, is to find a Neo. with strong enough characteristics that will show up in the cross. The Orthophytum tends to dominate. If you look at the xNeophytums on FCBS, they all look kinda similar-- reddish, larger versions of O. navioides. You need to find something whose markings won't be completely washed out by the navioides genes, and 'Marble Throat' is strong in that respect. It almost always passes on its mottling to some degree.

I have tried numerous times to get prominent spots or banding, and the only one that really did it for me was the other one I mentioned, 'Supernova':

{{gwi:461212}}

I just wish the *%#@! thing would pup!!!!

If you think O. navioides is cool, take a look at O. albopictum and O. heleniceae. If they cross as easily to Neos as naviodes does, and if they pass on that concentric white-within-red ring........OMG!!!!!!!

I HAVE to get these!

Lisa,I like 'Milky Way',...those white dots are the stars in the expanding Universe of the leaves.
This plant will set well with mine and Stephania's 'spiney' collections,so reserve two pups.
I'd relinquish 'Kawika',if that would help ;)
Bob

My dear Lisa, what I can say is amazing !

As yours, the beginning of the universe xNeophytum 'Supernova',
so the best name for your new one must be the biggest galaxy of our local galaxies group, 'Andromeda'. And most important it remind me of an angle (female as your pink-colored) who is a daughter of a god of universe.

xNeophytum 'Andromeda' ?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:506559}}

Do love the banding of Super Nova.
O. albopictum and O. helenicaeae just jumped to to top of my want list.
Brillant color and really showy plants.

You were talking about spots and banding and I noticed O. burlemarxii has some very strong banding. Just curious what that would produce! You have my mind racing in all directions of what this one would look with that one.
How exciting it must be to cross these and have something so beautiful appear for your efforts!

Lisa, S's 'Andromeda' would surely be another name worth considering.That galaxy can be seen from our Earth fairly easily,with a 5"-8" telescope.I took photos of it with mine,and its a fuzzy white oval shape,bright in the center,fading toward the edges.You can take the shuttle flight to Maui,and take a look from the U.S Observatory telescope by the Haleakala crater.Just a short walk from the airport [snicker]. ;))
Bob

Stephania, I can always count on you to come up with good names! I like 'Andromeda', and I like your reasons. I did a check of the registry and there is a Neo. 'Andromeda' (by Jim Irvin), but I don't think there will be any confusion since it's not a Marble Throat hybrid. There is also a Neo. 'Milky Way' and a Crypt with that name too.

xNeophytum 'Andromeda' it is!

There are actually 2 clones of it, but they look so much alike I can't tell them apart, so I don't suppose it matters which is which.

Bob, I'll put your name on one, but you'll have to come here and get it. ;-)

Patris, that's how it starts! If you're the kind of person whose mind races thinking about what different combinations would look like, then you're a natural. All you need is just a little basic understanding of genetics (you'll pick this up as you go along), and of floral parts (I already explained the mechanics to hdd in another thread) and you're off!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Andromeda myth

With a great pleasure..my "Galaxy Master" Lisa !

I think you should name your xNeophytums as the univere series,
I even imagine one named 'Black Hole'...
how to create a dark centre plant..that must be your next assignment.

Boy, you make tough assignments, Stephania-- now I'm going to lie awake at night wondering how on earth I could do that! I can't even think of any Neo that is dark only in the center, and even a purple cupped Neo tends to turn reddish when you cross it to O. navioides. I can't think of any other Orthos that would work either. I've tried a few crosses with O. vagans, but I didn't like the results.

That doesn't mean it can't be done, but if it happened it would probably be one of those unexplained accidents. I like those, but don't hold your breath!

Lisa...I get some ideas...
For create the Black Hole, pollen parent, you should use Neo. wilsoniana,
and for the White Hole !? try Neo. nivea.

A White Hole would be fairly easy if I had O. albopictum or heleneceae to work with, along with Neo. lactea or nivea, but the white center is just a lack of underlying pigmentation, and won't come through if you cross it to anything red or purple colored. Basically all broms that "turn color" when they bloom don't really change, it's just that the chlorophyll in the center region "shuts off" temporarily, allowing the less dominant underlying pigments to show through or intensify. It is very similar to what happens when autumn leaves turn red or yellow-- those pigments were there all along, but they were masked by the green.

To get a white center, you have to have no other pigments present, at least in that part of the leaf. Those Orthos have a white zone, so the red pigmentation must only be present in the outer part of the leaf. That's why they're so exciting! I don't know of any Neos like that, the white-centered ones are all green when they're not blooming. I can't think of any way you could get a red Neo with a white center, given the species we have now, but you could do that with a xNeophytum if either of those species will cross with Neos.

There must be some similar kind of arrangement in species like Navia igneosicola and Guz. sanguinea, where you get distinct areas of orange, yellow and green. I'm not sure how that works, but it has always fascinated me.

Black center is a lot harder for this reason. Neo. wilsoniana would be a good place to start, but the blackness is just the inner part of the leaf sheath. Since Orthos and xNeophytums don't have tanks, that part would be hidden. I'm still thinking about it, though. Never say "never"!

OK after you make Steph's I would like a Super Nova with black bands and red coloring
Thanks :)

Yeah, me too, diggety! What are you waiting for? :-p

For the record, I've tried, and will probably keep on trying.......

It's funny, now that I've been thinking about black holes, I just happened to come across some Neos on FCBS that I don't remember ever seeing before. Check out 'Chariot', 'Emerald Fire' and 'Emerald Forest', all 3 from the same grex ('Vulkan' x 'Avalon') by Vic Przetocki.

Possibilities, possibilities.........

Marble Snow is one that peaked my interest but I also wonder how many were one of a kinds. Avalon Deluxe was also same grex

'Marble Snow' is a 'Marble Throat' hybrid, and since I already used 'Marble Throat' to make 'Andromeda', I don't think the results using that one would be much different, in fact it would probably be weaker. Might as well go to the source.

'Avalon Deluxe' doesn't show that "black hole" look that I was looking for. I think he just registered it because it has a double flower. The red coloration of that one makes me wonder how true the black coloration is on the others, though. It might be partly the photography. I wouldn't have expected that cross to produce black, but then 'Vulkan' is kind of an odd plant in that very few of its offspring look anything like it, so who knows?

The other thing I'm a bit suspicious of in the pictures (of 'Chariot' et al) is the green zone. I have a feeling this may be our old friend "temperature banding", which only shows up as a result of cooler temps than either I or Stephania ever see. Still, it gives me something to think about. I think I'd be better off trying to make a Neo. 'Black Hole' that would be stable in warm temps before trying to cross to an Orthophytum.

I just got around to checking out this thread. Wow! those are a couple of spectacular plants, Lisa.

Thanks, Paul!

I just harvested seeds of a couple more Neo/Ortho crosses the other day so we'll see what happens.

And Lisa Im waiting to see what happens with what i have tried. I dont have the diverse genus that you have so Im a bit limited for now

What have you tried, hdd? Care to share?

Hi friends, just want to up date Lisa's x Neophytum 'Andromeda' pup, which I got months ago.
The plant is doing fine and also get better when exposed to more direct sunlight.

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{{gwi:506568}}

{{gwi:506570}}

Looking good, Stephania! If you don't fertilize too heavily it should turn quite pink as it matures. I think you got the #2 clone, but they're very similar. I can't tell which is which without looking at the tags, so I'm just going to register it under one name.

Sadly, Supernova never did pup, and now it's on its way out. I don't know what else I can do at this point, but that picture may be all anybody ever sees of it. I still have a couple of its siblings but they're not as nice.

*sigh* Back to the drawing board......

Keep trying Lisa 'Super Nova' is a winner. It will be worth all the work. First time I saw that photo I lost my....haha no not those...it was my sox

May be you should think of the tissue culture process, Lisa
yes...to preserve the universe LOL

Lisa,...below your photo you call it a *%#@! thing,and then expect it to pup for you ? tsk,tsk....no wonder its sulking.
Supernova has feelings too... ;^)
Give her a nice fertilizer cocktail,and make friends again.
Bad Bob

Well, I don't think it can read, Bob, and I never said those things to its face. I've been nothing but complementary and I did give it some fertilizer a couple of months ago but it's only gone downhill.

Even if I had access to tissue culture facilities, Stephania, I'd need a growing meristem and there just doesn't seem to be any. It bloomed, or at least it formed a cluster of floral bracts in the center some time last year, but I never did see an actual flower open up. Now it's just a cluster of drying, half-brown leaves. Not 100% dead, but getting there.

On the positive side, I have some teeny tiny seedlings of another xNeophytum cross that are already showing great promise. Stay tuned.....

I have Orthophytum 'Blaze' which had flowered last year.
After lasting, it took about nearly 5 months with nothing.
But then, finally 4 pups emerged from the last-flower crown on newyear 2007.

So, I do hope, your 'Super Nova' could have some pup soon.

I can recall that long time ago, there was an imported product namely "MM"
which,in Thailand, we use to treat some stunt bromeliads to shoot more pup.

Also, I've read in an East Everglades Orchid Society forum that
they use some kind of hormone to induce the kiki (pup) of Phalaenopsis
It would be the same substance...here they said

"...I contacted Jim Brasch, the Director of Plant Hormones Canada (makers of Keikigrow Plus) and he stated the following: "Thank you for the inquiry. It happens to identify a major concern. Keikigrow Plus should not be used in the area where roots are expected. The hormone (a cytokinin) in Keikigrow Plus is an anti-auxin. That is to say that it will inhibit root development. If assistance is required for root development, Keikiroot may be applied. If Keikigrow Plus has been used to produce the keiki (and therefore not causing stress on the plant) in excessive amounts, then the plant should be warmed as much as possible and the extra Keikigrow Plus removed carefully with a Kleenex or similar wiper." There is extensive information on both Keikigrow Plus and Keikiroot on Plant Hormones Canada's web site (www.orchidmall.com/hormones), including a slide show on how to use their products...."

I have Orthophytum 'Blaze' which had flowered last year.
After lasting, it took about nearly 5 months with nothing.
But then, finally 4 pups emerged from the last-flower crown on newyear 2007.

So, I do hope, your 'Super Nova' could have some pup soon.

I can recall that long time ago, there was an imported product namely "MM"
which,in Thailand, we use to treat some stunt bromeliads to shoot more pup.

Also, I've read in an East Everglades Orchid Society forum that
they use some kind of hormone to induce the kiki (pup) of Phalaenopsis
It would be the same substance...here they said

"...I contacted Jim Brasch, the Director of Plant Hormones Canada (makers of Keikigrow Plus) and he stated the following: "Thank you for the inquiry. It happens to identify a major concern. Keikigrow Plus should not be used in the area where roots are expected. The hormone (a cytokinin) in Keikigrow Plus is an anti-auxin. That is to say that it will inhibit root development. If assistance is required for root development, Keikiroot may be applied. If Keikigrow Plus has been used to produce the keiki (and therefore not causing stress on the plant) in excessive amounts, then the plant should be warmed as much as possible and the extra Keikigrow Plus removed carefully with a Kleenex or similar wiper." There is extensive information on both Keikigrow Plus and Keikiroot on Plant Hormones Canada's web site (www.orchidmall.com/hormones), including a slide show on how to use their products...."