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The Orchid family is the largest in the whole plant kingdom, consisting of 735 genera and more than 17,000 species. On top of the species, there are more than 100,000 orchid hybrids. Each year, about 1,000 new orchid hybrids are added to the list. Orchids can be found in most parts of the world. However, it is only in the tropical and sub-tropical regions where orchids thrive both in numbers and in diversity. This region is also home to some of the most exotic and rarest orchid species in the world.
In the early 19th century, orchid hunting was a passion to western collectors. The reckless exploitation by these orchid collectors led to the destruction of many natural habitats. Fortunately, towards the end of 19th century, with the development of new hybrids through breeding programs, orchid hybrids soon replaced wild orchids and became the main focus of orchid enthusiasts. The orchid hybridization programs in Singapore was started 80 years ago by Professor R. E. Holttum. His hybrids such as Aranthera James Storie and Arachnis Maggie Oei were important cut-flowers for over 20 years throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The other famous hybrid, Oncidium Goldiana better known as the 'Golden Shower' or the 'Dancing Lady' orchid, flowered in 1939. It is such a great success that it is still loved by many from around the world.
To produce a good hybrid, the breeder not only needs to have good knowledge and experience in the crossing of orchid species, he also has to have good stud plants which have good dominant characters to pass them on to their offspring. However, even with good experience and stud plants, not all the offspring will turn out to be desirable. As such, many new breeds will be discarded upon completion of the selection and evaluation process. In addition, each new hybrid takes 2-4 years to grow from the seedling to the flowering stage. The creation of each successful new hybrid, therefore costs much time, effort and substantial investment from the breeder.
An opportunity of a lifetime, few will have the privilege of experiencing an orchid named after them. Good hybrids are usually limited and are used for naming only after distinguished visitors such as Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and Premier Zhu Rongji during their official visits to Singapore. With more commercial effort in orchid hybridization, for a relatively affordable fee (from US$4,000), the orchid naming service is now available to you for commemorating a person, celebrating someone's birthday, anniversary, wedding or just to show you care.
Our selections of new orchid hybrid are of exceptional quality, each with the potential to be distributed worldwide. They have gone through at least five years of painstaking selection by renowned breeders. For our exclusive range of premium hybrids, the breeders are so confident of the quality of their plants that they even guarantee that their plants will win awards in international orchid shows!
Registered Orchid Hybrids
[New orchid hybrids are available for naming and registration. For more details, please email to bugsnbuds@yahoo.com] |
