Andy Easton's remake of this grex used the alba form of
Splendid Cymbidium (Cymbidium insigne) with the "album", or blushed lip, form of
Orchid (Cymbidium seidenfadenii). The resulting seedlings all exhibited lip markings consistent with
seidenfadenii (either the striped lip form or the blushed lip form), allowing us to conclude that:
1) The "album" or blushed lip allele in
seidenfadenii is dominant over the striped lip allele (which is opposite to most pigment-associated alleles in the genus). *
2) Both
seidenfadenii alleles are dominant over
insigne.
Andy Easton concluded from his cross that
seidenfadenii should just be considered a variety or subspecies of
insigne. The current reasoning for
seidenfadenii being considered a separate species was published in Orchid Digest Vol. 85 No. 4. At this time I am in favour of keeping it separate unless genetic analysis shows otherwise.
* If the "album", or blushed lip, allele was recessive, then one of two scenarios would have occurred: 1) either it shares the same locus as the alba allele and so the cross with
insigne alba would produce 100% blushed or alba lips (depending on which allele is dominant), or 2) it is at a different locus and the cross would not produce any blushed lips (either the spotted
insigne or the striped
seidenfadenii would dominate).
