* THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF *

* THE CREATION OF HYBRIDS *

As I said at the end of the previous page,

Never rely on a primary flowering.

In fact, subsequent flowerings may differ from the first.

I'll deal with this part by taking the example of a hybrid for which I have photographs

from the primary flowering in 2016 and subsequent flowerings up to 2023.

Epicactus 'Sourire de Jeanne', obtention, photo and collection Étienne Haugedé.

In 2016, Étienne Haugedé, friend, collector and excellent hybridizer, published photos of a hybrid he had just obtained and already named.

The photo above is one of them.

The number of petals was impressive, which was not surprising since the mother of this hybrid was Ep. 'American Sweetheart'.

This was probably the primary flowering, and Étienne, justifiably happy to have created a marvel,

had momentarily forgotten that you should never trust a primary flowering.

Étienne kindly agreed to send me two cuttings of this hybrid, which I added to my collection.

The two pots are still there in 2024 and have flowered several times.

This slow-growing hybrid began to flower in 2022, and here are a few photos from 2022 and 2023.

Photo taken from my collection on 03/05/2022.

Another photo taken on 04/05/2022.

'Sourire de Jeanne' is still a beautiful hybrid, but the number of petals is much reduced compared to the primary flowering.

Photo taken on 02/06/2023.

The number of petals is much the same as in 2022.

The hybrid now seems stabilized, since the photos from 2022 and 2023 are almost identical.

The hybrid is ready to be registered and given a name.

To do this, a registration form must be filled in, giving a detailed description of the plant and flower.

This form, completed with photos, must be sent to the ESA (Epiphyllum Society of America).

Registration form provided by ESA.

And, to finish the article, here's the step I'd carelessly omitted:

repotting hybrids in individual pots.

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