Modern Tolumnias

Meet the ancestors

The first of 35 species was found in 1836 and all have come from the equatorial
regions of the world like the Caribbean, Brazil, Ecuador etc within 10 degrees
latitude of the equator, principally in exposed locations where humidity and
moisture are high and air circulation is very good.

As members of the Oncidium group they were initially registered as such. While the
flower shape was similar, orchid enthusiasts recognized the differences in form
such as the lack of pseudo bulbs, triangular leaf section and more compact growth.
To differentiate them in common language they were referred to as Variegata or
Equitant Oncidiums in recognition of their home range. Most frequently, even now,
they are just plain Equitants.

William Whitmore Goodale Moir 1896- 1985

In cultivation they remained pretty much as separate species until the early 1950s
when W. W. Goodale Moir found several species that appealed to him while on a
business trip to the Bahamas'. He imported these to his native Hawaii and began
a hybridizing program almost immediately. Moir was a prolific breeder registering
over 1200 hybrids and was co-incidentally also a very keen breeder of Cordylines
and Bromeliads.

Vison and Commitment

Moir was a senior agronomist with a prominent Sugar

company and had long exposure to the development
of new varieties of cane bred for a specific purpose.
As a result he had been trained in goal setting and
understood the patience required to produce the
goal. But he was also something of a visionary
because he initially selected just five species to work
with in producing whatever his mind had originally
conceived. Year on year he would show his hybrids
and was (for a while) the subject of much ridicule.

Remembering of course that he was initially showing against standard

Oncidiums, his plants were often referred to as Moirs weeds. But he
persisted with his breeding and continued to register his successes
almost single handedly. In 1986, a year after his death, the Royal
Horticultural Society finally gave official recognition to the variant as a
stand alone member of the Oncidium family and converted his
registrations dating back to 1957 to the genus Tolumnia.

The first of his five primary species is Tolumnia

pulchella which he chose for its pink genes, large
size, full shape and good floral presentation on long
often branching inflorescences.

Tolumnia triquetra is, for fairly obvious

reasons known as the triangular orchid
and in it Moir recognised the potential
for spots, patterns and a compact
growth habit. The genetic contribution of
this species has unquestionably had the
greatest impact on the diversity of
pattern within the Tolumnia group. The
intrigue and anticipation that came with
new hybrids of this species is apparently
the major reason that Moir persisted
with his breeding.

Next was Tolumnia guianensis which brought

overall roundness and flatness to the flowers.
Given the balanced size of its segments, Moir
believed it aided in filling out petal shape.

The fourth of his species is Tolumnia urophylla. This

he claimed gave him non fading yellows, good size
and a much expanded lip. Interestingly, its 2n count is
84 while the others are only 40 -42 chromosome pairs
so he also dramatically increased variability with its
use. He also selfed this species extensively and from
his descriptions used a very select clone that was a
much bigger variant than the others in the production
of his (to that date) highly successful hybrid Golden
Glow. It seems likely that this clone was also a
polyploid form.

Moirs fifth species was perhaps his boldest and divided opinion of him as either
a master breeder or a very lucky, lunatic. Known as the bee orchid, Tolumnia
henekenii has a reputation for being very hard to grow and even more difficult
to get pods to set. He is on record as saying that there were two reasons for its
use. First was to improve flower substance and second, but most importantly,
was to control the tendency of flowers to elongate vertically.
More than any other cross
among his 1200 registrations I
think this one really defines him
as a breeder of uncanny
expertise. Not only was he was
growing and flowering it
successfully within two years but
it achieved exactly what he
wanted without the additional
headaches of bulk, hairy texture
or extra flower segments that at
first glance could so easily have
come along for the ride.

Some six years into his program and after fostering a small interest among
others in mainland America, Moir saw the need to introduce a sixth species.
Tolumnia variegata was that species and its principal role was to shorten and
thicken flower stems without compromise to flower counts or shape. While
influential to this end its contribution is not as obvious in a developmental
sense as the preceding five species.

PRIMARY HYBRIDS- are now very difficult to find. Moir registered

10 between 1957 and 1962. They are:
pulchella x henekenii =
Delight
triquetra x urophyla= Golden Glow
triquetra x variegata = Helen Brown
variegata x guianensis = Pastel
triquetra x henekenii =
Red Velvet
pulchella x variegata =
Skipper Kilbourne
triquetra x guianensis =
Tiny Tim
pulchella x guianensis = Waikiki Sunset
triquetra x pulchella = Catherine Wilson
urophyla x pulchella = Erma Warne

Tiny Tim

Erma Warne

Catherine Wilson

Pulchella

Rainbow

Tiny
Tim

As you can see the improvement can be profound, immediate and ongoing. For
example, Pulchella was crossed onto Tiny Tim (triquetra x guianensis) to
produce Rainbow.

Look at the ongoing influence of species and in particular Moirs nucleus

species reinforced through careful line breeding and shown here in the family
tree of Pink Panther. More recent breeders have introduced new species into
modern Tolumnias but the foundation was clearly laid by Moir. Now that you
have met the ancestors I finish with a gallery of modern Tolumnias for your
appreciation.

Tol Sniffen Jennifer Dauro

Tol Golden Luis

Hapsburg

Tol Keysha Oka

Rrm Jessica Butcher Embers

Tol Susan Perriera Peppers

Tol Big Bang Sunrise

Tol Anthony Johnson

Tol Tom Wilson Rosemeath

Tol Irene Gleason Snowfire

Tol Willowbank Passion Premium

Tol Stoplight

Tol Willowbank Whisper Spray Pattern

Rrm Luke Butcher Classic

Tol Pink Profusion Windy Hill

Rrm Molly