Evans Orchid Lab - Notes from the Glove Box

Why Grow Orchid Flasks From Seed

photo © Larry Evans

Blooms from mericlones, such as this popular Blc. Toshie Aoki 'Pizzaz' AM/AOS, will be the same on all plants.

There are two distinct types of orchids in flask, seed grown and tissue cultured.

Tissue culture flasks, also called mericlones or meristems, are recommended for the large commercial grower who needs twenty-five to hundreds, or even thousands, of "identical" plants. All plants will have exactly the same genetic makeup and the same clonal name. Environmental factors will be the only major source of difference between one tissue-cultured plant and another (of the same clone). This is the reason you can buy a "seedling" that has an award for flower quality (AM, FCC etc.) even though the plant has not yet bloomed. The quality of the flowers should always be as good as the "parent" plant; however, it will never be any better, and it will never be anything new.

Some have asked "Where is the adventure in that? Where is the surprise? Where is the thrill?" Most of us have room in our collections for some mericlones, as long as they are not all the same. Even without the surprise, they can still be very much enjoyed.


photo © Lynda Strum	photo © Lynda Strum	photo © George Dabbert
The three plants above are all from the same seed pod of Brs. Rex x Milt.Richard Kanayama. As you can see, there is a great variety of color, shape and spottedness; some are even fragrant.

If you're looking for adventure, growing flasks from seed offers just that. Seed-grown plants take their genes from both parents, drawing from a vast pool of possibilities. They are each one a unique individual, with every plant having its own unique genetic "blueprint". Because some genes control more than one trait, and many traits are controled by more than one gene, the possible combinations are enough to keep even the most discriminating collector happy. Two plants from the same seed pod can be as alike or as different as any two siblings born to the same parents. There is a blending of the genetic backgrounds of both parents that can pull the best of each, or the worst, together into one plant. It is this genetic blending that gives orchid growing its never-ending variety, and probably why we always need just one more plant in our collection.

Many people find the anticipation of blooming a seed-grown orchid for the first time exhilarating. Will it look like they expect? Will it be better? Will it be award-quality? These are questions that need only be asked of seed-grown plants, and can only be answered by time.

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