This hybrid was pollinated 15^th July 2013 by using Coelogyne Memoria Wilhelm Micholitz as the pod parent and Coelogyne Lyme Bay as the pollen parent. It was flasked on 12^th September 2014 and deflasked 12 month later. It flowered for the first time on 10^th April 2019.

As this hybrid contains the combined genes of four parents in its background, this hybrid will represent the first complex Coelogyne hybrid to be officially registered. Its production could introduce much more complicated breeding programs in the future. Managing constructive and positive Coelogyne development could become less predictable and there will need to be more rigorous recording of both parentage and results. Growers are urgently encouraged to support the registration and databases maintained by the RHS to avoid the undocumented chaos that some growers have created with other orchid genera in the past.

This particular hybrid is very attractive with a large flower 110mm across and has potential as a future parent for further development. It is very similar to and shares three of the same parents as Coelogyne Kirribilli Colin (hybrid Coelogyne Mem Wilhelm Micholitz x Coelogyne usitana) and the Coelogyne usitana component from the pollen parent, Coelogyne Lyme Bay (Coelogyne usitana x Coelogyne speciosa).

Coelogyne Mem Wilhelm Micholitz x Coelogyne Lyme Bay is more open than Coelogyne Kirribilli Colin. The sepals and petals have a distinct pale green colouring. It is very difficult to observe the genetic influence from the only other ancestor, Coelogyne speciosa.

The psuedobulbs are broad at the base - 50mm – tapering quickly to two leaves after 80mm and slightly quadrangular, very close together forming a compact plant with very short internodes.

The leaves are broad 90 -110mm wide and around 300mm long with many prominent veins.

The peduncle protrudes from the developing psuedobulb (i.e. synanthous) around 120mm in a semi-pendulous fashion so that the flowers are produced at or below the rim of the pot and basically facing downwards.

The flowers open in close succession with each flower lasting about three weeks and only two open at any one time. The sepals are 50mm x 20mm, quite open and displaying a very distinctive mid-rib. Both sepals and petals are pale coloured white with very strong green tonings, especially obvious in the mid-rib. The petals are 40mm x 10mm and protrude at an angle around 90 degrees giving the flower a very open character.

The tube of the flower is 50mm from base to the tip of the lip and only around 20mm across. The tube is very dominated by a dark chocolate colouring that envelops both inside and outside of the lobes and extends well out towards the lip. It fades into an off-white, slightly vague slightly rounded tip. Underneath the tube an off-white patch extends from the base, narrows towards the end of the lobes and widens again under the tip.

The prominent column, 35mm x 10mm, is a pale lemon/green colour developing into a much darker mustard tip. The column lies fairly flat and is partly enclosed by the side lobes. This gives the impression of a more tubular flower. The bracts are deciduous.

Two low distinctive keels extend from the base to well out onto the lip. A middle keel also the same dark colour as the tube, starts at the base of the flower and only extends to the middle of the side lobes.

On the rear part of the outside lobes there is some clear paler colouring showing distinct veins extending from the base to about one third the way towards the tip.

As the flower ages the dark chocolate colourings fade to a light tobacco tone and the whole colouring of the flower is much lighter.

Rating: ♦♦♦

Registration: Registration with the RHS as Coelogyne Kirribilli Joseph Feld was recorded in May 2019. It has been named after my son-in-law, Joseph Feld.

Varieties: None known.

Hybrids: None registered

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