Casa Vicente X Worth Waiting For

The goal: testing the fertility and potential of  91-54-1, a first generation halfbred from Holden's Ht-24T and Chinese Empress. I had been making this type of cross since the late 1970s but was the first seedling I considered for introduction. Its potential flaw, from a hybridizer's standpoint, was that its signal was well-hidden. The falls were so dark that the black signal wasn't readily noticed, and the plush texture extended past the signal area onto the blade to further blur the edges. The question was how dominant this pattern would prove to be, or whether 91-54-1 could produce a variety of colors and patterns with the right mates.  Casa Vicente had already produced diverse offspring in other test crosses, so was a natural choice for the test.

Yes, 91-54-1 passed the tests [other Sibling Sheets to come] and was registered as Worth Waiting For.  It has not been introduced. 

On maiden bloom, several siblings were selected for further evaluation. The one on the left was the best of the relatively conventional type:  onco-like beard, heavy veining & stippling, and a marked signal.  The one on the right caught my eye, however, with its extraordinarily bushy, two-color beard. The center is deep chocolate while the sides are almost butterscotch. My notes indicate that close inspection revealed a signal, but the plush brown falls are so dark it's not noticeable from normal viewing distance.

1991 Crosses | BreedersDigest | Photo Gallery