Curt Knebel, of Erlau, Germany, was the foremost epi hybridizer: in the decades before WWII. In his book Phyllokakteen, (Phyllocactus) he asserts that he
developed the first multi petal phyllos. (For the purposes of this artide, "phyllo" will be treated as a German equivalent of "epi".) The flowers are
´Heureka´ and 'Phyllocactus flore pleno' (Many Petaled Epi). Herr Knebel describes his work-
In the list of his originations, Knebel writes -"No 92 Heureka- Double flower with many of the sepals transformed into petals .... To the best of my knowledqe, No 92 and No 93 are the first known double Phyllos. They can serve as a starting point for future hybridists for developing double Phyllos with even large flowers and many other colors.
No 93. Phyllocactus flore pleno Originated from the same sewing as No 92, a double Phyllo which differs from No 92 by a somewhat darker color of the flower only. It has narrow petals like No 92."
"Another step forward in hybridizing, which in other days could hardly have been imagined in phyllo cultivation, has been my success in transforming sepals into petals and thus achieving a really double flower. I was the first one in Phyllo history to do this. Thus a step has been taken which will allow future generations of growers the chance to continue this work and develop it further. The real meaning of this step will be better appreciated by everyone when they realize that all our other double flowers, such as roses, originated this way."
In the list of his originations, Knebel writes -"No 92 Heureka- Double flower with many of the sepals transformed into petals .... To the best of my knowledqe, No 92 and No 93 are the first known double Phyllos. They can serve as a starting point for future hybridists for developing double Phyllos with even large flowers and many other colors.
No 93. Phyllocactus flore pleno Originated from the same sewing as No 92, a double Phyllo which differs from No 92 by a somewhat darker color of the flower only. It has narrow petals like No 92."
The exact parentage which produced these two Is not clear. Another multi petal hybrid, 'San Diego' was reportedly raised from a seed from Curt Knebel.
It seems likely it came from the same cross that produced No 92 and No 93.
Unfortunately, none of these plants are in general circulation. A certain grower in San Diego claims to have 'Heureka', and to have shared cuttings with a collector in another state. It is possible 'San Diego' is out there somewhere.
Though Knebel believed he had paved the way for further multi petal flower development, there is no record of anyone having used either of his "double Phyllos" as parents. Of course, to say that there is record of such crosses does not mean none were made. The ancestry of John W. Lee's ´Ruby Snowflake´ is a complete mystery.
In the early days of commercial hybridizing in the US, it seems cross information was kept secret because growers feared competitors could duplicate their crosses and obtain identical results once they had both parents. Their fears were unfounded. Two crosses using identical flowers does not produce identical offspring.
As stated in the article Multi Petaled Flowers in this issue, 'Robert E. Bailes' is from Joerg Siepke Ex Natural. 'Jörg Siepke' is one Curt Knebel's flowers, so his work is, not completely irrelevant to the development of today's outstanding multi petaled flowers.
Unfortunately, none of these plants are in general circulation. A certain grower in San Diego claims to have 'Heureka', and to have shared cuttings with a collector in another state. It is possible 'San Diego' is out there somewhere.
Though Knebel believed he had paved the way for further multi petal flower development, there is no record of anyone having used either of his "double Phyllos" as parents. Of course, to say that there is record of such crosses does not mean none were made. The ancestry of John W. Lee's ´Ruby Snowflake´ is a complete mystery.
In the early days of commercial hybridizing in the US, it seems cross information was kept secret because growers feared competitors could duplicate their crosses and obtain identical results once they had both parents. Their fears were unfounded. Two crosses using identical flowers does not produce identical offspring.
As stated in the article Multi Petaled Flowers in this issue, 'Robert E. Bailes' is from Joerg Siepke Ex Natural. 'Jörg Siepke' is one Curt Knebel's flowers, so his work is, not completely irrelevant to the development of today's outstanding multi petaled flowers.
Dieser Artikel ´Curt Knebel and the first multi petaled hybrids´, wurde in Epiphyllum Society of America Volume 53 veröffentlicht.
Wiedergabe mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Autors und der ´Epiphyllum Society of America´.