Papilionanda Josephine van Brero, one of the great

heritage orchids of Southeast Asia.

76
 The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering
Legacy & Papilionanda Josephine van Brero
Emrys Chew

T his article examines the legacy of

Johannes van Brero (1864 - 1940),
Java’s foremost orchid pioneer during the
for culture of orchid seedlings in Southeast
Asia’ (Holttum, 1978). Widespread interest in
acquiring and flowering the new hybrids led
last decades of colonial rule in the former in 1928 to the formation of what is today the
Netherlands East Indies (NEI). Professor Orchid Society of South East Asia (OSSEA).
R.E. Holttum, Director of the Singapore
Botanic Gardens (SBG, 1925-49), regarded Previously, one orchid hybrid alone dominated
van Brero as the doyen of orchid growers the horticultural landscape of the Indo-Pacific.
in Dutch Java. His hybridizing efforts Where few local orchids produced large, lovely or
contributed enormously to ‘the first initiative lasting flowers, or flowered freely, the floriferous
➭

1. Johannes van Brero turned 70 in 1936, the year in which he was to name his
most famous orchid hybrid. 2. The Imperial Netherlands personified, clasping the
Indonesian island chain inscribed as her ‘most precious jewel’ (Braakensiek, 1916).
3. ‘Map of the Capital, Bandoeng and Surroundings’ (1882). Tjipaganti in the north
4 (top, left of centre) was where van Brero’s residence and orchid nursery were situated
(c. 1920-40). 4. Bandoeng, a quintessential ‘Indo-European’ garden city, celebrated
5 as a ‘city of flowers’ in the 1930s. 5. J. van Brero’s address and phone number, as
listed in the Bandoeng Telephone Directory (January 1936).

MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2017 77

The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

Papilionanthe [Vanda] Miss Joaquim (Ple. teres Left: De Orchidee,

prewar Bandoeng’s
× Ple. hookeriana) had become ubiquitous in premier orchid
gardens from Singapore to Malaya, Ceylon, Java journal, published
and Hawaii. The floricultural virtues of the original written contributions
from van Brero and
variety ‘Agnes’ FCC/RHS inspired Holttum to other Dutch pioneers.
declare ‘the sun of the species orchid is setting…
the hybrid outshines its ancestors. The orchid
goes … the way of … all cultivated flowers. Man
improves on nature’ (Teoh, 1982).

The Dutch pioneering initiative was a game-

changer, introducing elements of novelty and
variety hitherto unseen. The hybrid seedlings Right: Published in
three editions during
from Java stimulated long-term market demand the 1930s P.M.W.
for ‘new free-flowering orchids suitable for Dakkus’ Orchideeën in
local cultivation’ (Holttum, 1928). Not only Nederlandsch-Indië was
consulted and quoted by
did they spark enthusiasm for orchid growing Holttum in his own Flora
as a hobby, they did so on a scale that supported of Malaya: v1 Orchids.
orchid growing as both sustainable industry
and specialized profession within a growing kind of innovation that would transform the
community of interest. immediate postwar decades into a golden
age of vandaceous breeding, establishing
A few survivors are still cultivated as ‘heritage Vanda as arguably the most widely and most
orchids’, much treasured for heirloom qualities that creatively hybridized genus in Orchidaceae.
represented historic innovation or improvement. Eight decades after its debut, the semi-terete
They were themselves pioneers, ‘the forerunners Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (Vanda
of the present great profusion which has made insignis × Papilionanthe teres) is perhaps better
orchids the most abundant and varied garden known by its colloquial abbreviation ‘JVB’ and
flowers’ of Southeast Asia (Holttum, 1992). previous classification under Vanda. The hybrid
genus name reflects a recent transfer of the terete
This article evaluates the best of van Brero’s vandas to a separate genus Papilionanthe, in
seedlings. By 1952 they had spearheaded the line with molecular taxonomy (Gardiner, 2012;
Shaw, 2013; Elliott, 2013).
Left: Mevr. J.A. van
Brero’s 1934 floral
arrangement of rare Johannes van Brero was not quite the ‘unsung
Cattleya, Cypripedium
and Dendrobium, on hero’, but tributes were soon lost amid the tumult
top of a box filled with of global warfare and national revolution, which
sprays of Papilionanthe
Miss Joaquim, all set obtained Indonesian independence in 1949
for despatch by air to (Teoh, 2009; Novianto, 2013). Preeminent as
Queen Wilhelmina.
Tjipaganti Orchid he was among his peers, precious little seems
Nursery supplied to have survived in terms of primary source
quality hybrid
seedlings as well as documentation, accumulated over the course
cut flowers. of a lifetime. Biographical data and anecdotal
fragments were gleaned from old journals,

78
ORCHID HYBRIDS OF DUTCH JAVA

1 2 3

1. Papilionanda Emma
van Deventer (van
Deventer, 1926).
2. Dendrobium Louisae
(Chevalier, 1935).
3. Dendrobium Caesar
(Nagrok, 1937).
4. Advertisement for
Nagrok Orchid Nursery,
one of van Brero’s
leading contemporaries
in West Java (c. 1930s). 4 5 6

7. Dendrobium
Salak (Nagrok,
1940). Photo
courtesy of Neo
Tuan Hong.
8. Papilionanda
Petamboeran
(Nagrok, 1941).
9. Papilionanda
7 Mevr. L. Velthuis
(Chevalier, 1945).
5. Dendrobium Wilhelm Stuber Photo courtesy of
(Chevalier, 1939). Photo courtesy of Emil Yap.
Neo Tuan Hong. 6. Papilionanda 8 9
Madame Dinger (Nagrok, 1939).

magazines, directories and genealogies online. is the most populous of all islands. Three
Crucially, it was personal communication with factors account for this phenomenon: the
a great-grandson of this pioneer, along with inexhaustible fertility of Java’s volcanic
vintage photographs supplied out of an old family ecosystem; the agricultural sophistication
album, which formed a substantial starting-point of the indigenous society; and the ruthless
of research for this historical sketch. I hope this efficiency of Dutch colonial administration.
telling of ‘the JVB story’ provides sufficient
contextual detail with analysis to enable deeper Java’s perpetually fertile volcanic ecosystem
appreciation of the pioneer, the orchid, and the has supported an exceptional abundance of life:
woman for whom it was named. the evolution of diverse flora and fauna, hominin
existence since Java Man (Homo erectus erectus)
The Netherlands’ most precious jewel and human civilization from river-mouth ports
to river-basin polities further inland. Intricate
Despite being the world’s 13th largest island, irrigation systems were developed to sustain the
and the fifth largest among over 21,000 largely agrarian political economy of kingdoms
islands in maritime Southeast Asia, Java such as Majapahit. ➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 79
ORCHID HYBRIDS OF J. VAN BRERO

2 3

1. Dendrobium Indonesia (van

Brero,1930). Photo courtesy of Neo
Tuan Hong.
2. Papilionanda Josephine van Brero
(van Brero, 1936).
3. Aranda Punctata (van Brero, 1940).
4. Papilionanda Madame Butterfly
(van Brero, 1940). Photo courtesy of
David Lim.
5. Papilionanthe Miss van Deun (van
Brero, 1940).
4 5

Dutch rule after the Java War (1825-30) secured It was during the late 1850s that a pair of
a high degree of pacification, centralization, newlyweds left their ancestral heartland of
appropriation and modernization seldom Haarlem, North Holland, for far horizons
paralleled in colonial history. It achieved in Java, the central island of the NEI state.
administrative efficiency with sufficient disease Johannes van Brero the Elder (1827-82) was a
eradication to deliver a population explosion. A tailor in his early 30s, whose immediate concern
massive increase in the availability of exploitable was a textile industry depressed for decades; his
labour was matched by implementation of the partner Angeniza Maria, in her mid-20s, was the
notorious Cultivation System (1830-70), newly minted Mevr. van Brero-Stuffers (Mrs.
designed to maximize revenue from forced van Brero, née Stuffers). Completing an arduous
cultivation of cash crops. two-month voyage of 14,200 nautical miles
via the Cape of
Good Hope, the
couple settled
at Soerabaja
(Surabaya), East
Java, where they
raised a family.
Pieter C.J. van
Brero (1860-

Left: An artistic portrait of Papilionanda Josephine van Brero

with its parents Vanda insignis and Papilionanthe teres var.
andersonii. Above: As newly appointed purveyor of orchids,
van Brero (his back to camera) treated the Governor-General
of the Netherlands East Indies (wearing hat) to a private
exhibition of Spatulata dendrobiums (c. late 1930s).

80
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

1934), the eldest of three sons, became a

notable physician and psychiatrist, specializing
in tropical medicine at Buitenzorg and Lawang.
The youngest, Johannes van Brero (b. 9 August 1 2
1864; d. 26 April 1940) became an official in the
NEI Postal Service, until he was pensioned off
in 1919 at the retirement age of 55. He embarked
on a successful second career as an orchid
grower at Tjipaganti, Bandoeng (Cipaganti,
Bandung) in West Java.

The van Breros’ arrival in Southeast Asia is

consistent with the pattern of Dutch expansion
overseas. The ebb and flow of international trade
(generating profits, savings and investment), 3 4
colonization and emigration were the norms
by which the Dutch transcended existential
threats and developmental constraints imposed
by the peculiar geography of their homeland.
‘Netherlands’ means ‘lowland’, an apt name
for the flat country located between the Central
European highlands and the North Sea, in which
one-quarter of the land is at sea level or below.
For the Dutch, the struggle for mastery of
the natural environment focused primarily on
water, obtaining security via safeguards against
flooding. Dutch engineers designed dikes and
dams to keep the sea at bay, even as canals
and pumping stations—driven by windmills— 5
redistributed freshwater for public utilities
and crop irrigation. Dutch port cities, towns
and villages developed key specializations in
entrepôt trade, industry and agriculture. Dutch
policymakers, shipbuilders, merchants and
sailors saw the sea as a means of transcending
demographic pressures via chartered trading
companies, the world’s largest merchant fleet
and a blue-water navy.
6 7

1. Josephine van Brero, the orchid pioneer’s daughter, as a young lady (c. 1920s). 2. Two Josephines, mother and daughter,
with a pet dog in the garden of their Tjipaganti home (c. 1920s). 3. A.J.Th. Boester, the dashing army captain who married
Josephine van Brero. 4. Josephine van Brero, aged 21, bedecked with roses (not orchids) on her engagement day in 1927.
5. Johannes van Brero with his three-year old grandson Robert Boester in 1939. 6. The graves of J.A. van Brero-Bloem
(1873-1937) and J. van Brero (1864-1940) in Bandoeng. 7. Josephine van Brero, in the final decade of her eventful life,
was perhaps not fully aware of how famous her name had become through her namesake orchid. ➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2017 81
 The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy
& Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

the postal service in 1864, the year of van Brero’s

birth. Initially, it enhanced the operation of colonial
bureaucracy and business interests, and expedited
the requests of native aristocracy. Before long.
a large indigenous population, further swelled
by Dutch expansion from Java into the outer
islands, was guaranteed public access under the
government’s Liberal and Ethical policies (1870-
1920). The postal service attended to the delivery
of letters, money orders and parceled goods
(including consignments of live plants, such as
orchids), so van Brero’s work was cut out for him.
Sound working knowledge of the postal system
Top: Cornelis Anthonisz’s undoubtedly facilitated communication and
equestrian portrait of Reinoud commerce throughout the archipelago. This would
III van Brederode (1492-
1556), Lord of Brederode and prove indispensable when his entrepreneurial
ancestor of the van Breros. second career was underway.
Above left: Reinoud III’s
insignia displays the heraldic
colours of red (Gules) on gold (Or), by coincidence
Johannes van Brero was twice married, both
the same combination as the JVB flower. Above right: times at Buitenzorg: in June 1888, aged 24;
According to family sources, van Brero was mindful of and September 1904, aged 40. By a curious
his aristocratic roots. He consulted Dutch legal experts
about his daughter’s right to use Brederode insignia. He
presented her with an orchid whose flowers of red on
gold were a fitting emblem of their illustrious heritage.

Dutch proficiency in wealth extraction and

accumulation made them pioneers of modern
capitalism. Dutch capitalism increased in scope
and sophistication as it extended from their
limited hinterland in metropolitan Europe to Left: Papilionanda
Josephine van Brero
vast colonial frontiers in the Americas, Africa ‘Hoon Siang’ (JVB)
and Asia. Entrepreneurial success stemmed is a free-flowering
from a hybrid template altogether more robust, yet slow-growing
tetraploid, best
enterprising, disciplined and frugal, combining cultivated in a pot.
traits inherited from the profit-driven Flemish Watered and fed
mercantile ethos with the predestinarian zeal of generously in a warm
sunny environment,
a Reformed Protestant work ethic. This was how a mature plant
the Dutch monopolized world trade in spices and can support a pair
other commodities, improved strains of cinchona of inflorescences plus a seed capsule! Right: Ahead of
Singapore Botanic Gardens’ 21 and Joey Grezaffi’s 29,
to yield 90 percent of the world’s quinine, and a total tally of 30 made Singapore Orchids at Mandai
established world-class botanic gardens at Gardens the world’s top producer of JVB progeny.
Buitenzorg (Bogor, post-1945). Managing Director Amy Ede was all smiles as she presented
Ambassador David Marshall with his namesake JVB hybrid
in 1985. Capturing the moment for all time with his camera,
The Dutch colonial government had introduced Marshall exclaimed: “You have immortalized me!”

82
coincidence, his prospective in-laws were West Java. From its vantage point on the edge
the same on both occasions; his wives were of Java’s largest alluvial basin, enfolded by
daughters of a Dutch Batavian couple, Victor volcanic mountains, the provincial capital of
Albert Leopold Adolf Bloem and Sophia the Parahyangan highlands had tremendous
Wilhelmina Bloem-Simons, hence sisters: potential. Richly cultivated rice terraces and
highland plantations of coffee, tea and cinchona
i. Cornelia Maria Sophia Adolphine van Brero- extolled the wonders of agricultural fertility in
Bloem (1868-1926) became van Brero’s first a milder tropical monsoon climate, yielding
wife in June 1888. The marriage lasted for bumper harvests for indigenous farmer and
16 years, producing one son, Victor Johannes European planter alike. Rail access from 1880
van Brero (1889-1901), and two daughters, increased the range of possibilities afforded
Johanna van Brero and Angenzia Sophia van by urban development in a cooler, healthier
Brero. The couple divorced in 1904. environment, some 700 to 800 metres above
sea level, averaging daily temperatures of 18
ii. Josephine Albertine van Brero-Bloem °C to 27 °C. A ‘Map of the Capital, Bandoeng
(1873-1937) became van Brero’s second and Surroundings’ (1882) shows the layout of
wife in September 1904. Their marriage the city and its suburbs. Johannes van Brero’s
lasted for 33 years, until her death on 22 residence and orchid nursery at Tjipaganti (c.
October 1937. They had one daughter, 1920-40) is located right at the top, left of centre.
Josephine van Brero (1906-1996).
Urban development from the early 1900s made
The change in van Brero’s domestic circumstances Bandoeng tabula rasa for hybrid synthesis
was preceded by an equally dramatic sea- that showcased all the innovation of the
change in Dutch colonial policy. A growing modern NEI state. The municipal authorities
moral consensus drove policy-makers under drew inspiration from Ebenezer Howard’s
Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper to repay their late Victorian garden city movement, with
nation’s ‘debt of honour’. Queen Wilhelmina green belts containing carefully balanced
of the Netherlands announced a new Ethical areas of residence, industry and agriculture.
Policy (1901-42) pledging Dutch efficiency to Three key features distinguished it, however,
the cause of NEI welfare. Colonialism might be from the typical European model: geography,
tenable if reforms in education, agriculture and encompassing climate and culture in a world
administration helped to develop native potential beyond Europe; flora, encompassing plant type
and natural resources. Dutch paternalism in the and variety for tropical growing conditions; and
colonial state was matched by the mother country’s social environment, the authentic experience of
maternal instincts, as depicted in iconic imagery living in a colonial plural society.
of the Imperial Netherlands personified, holding
in her hands the Indonesian island chain, inscribed Bandoeng was cast as a new type of ‘Indo-
as her ‘most precious jewel’ (Braakensiek, 1916). European’ garden city, whose selective cultural
hybridity combined the best of both worlds.
Ethical colonialism in the hybridity of It was envisioned as the centrepiece of an
a tropical garden city
imagined larger landscape the Dutch labelled
Nowhere was this brand of ethical colonialism as ‘Tropical Europe’. For its charm and
more vibrantly expressed than in the creation of sophistication, it was nicknamed ‘Paris of
a tropical garden city at Bandoeng (Bandung), Java’ (Parijs van Java). Dutch architects and
➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2017 83
 JVB HALL OF FAME

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12
1. Papilionanda Tan Chay Yan ‘Pride of Malaya’ FCC/RHS. 2. Papilionanda Tan Chay Yan ‘Siew Hong’ AM/
MOS, CCC/MOS. 3. Papilionanda Patricia Low (T.M.A., 1961) ‘Lydia’ AM/AOS. 4. Mayara Charlie Mason
(Seng Heng, 1964) ‘Seng Heng’ AM/MOS. 5. Papilionanda John Ede (S’pore Orchids, 1993). 6. Papilionanda
Nonthaburi (T. Orchids, 1991) ‘Giant’ FCC/AOS. 7. Papilionanda Usha (SBG, 2001). Photo courtesy of Melida
Demorizi. 8. Papilionanda Tan Hoon Siang (SBG, 2004). Photo courtesy of Wong Siew Kwun. 9. Papilionanda
Singapore Orchid Growers’ Assn (Neo, 2016) ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ AM/OSSEA, CCC/OSSEA. 10. Papilionanda
Chew Chin Hin (Chew, 2015). 11. Papilionanda Pamela Janukowicz (Toh Garden, 2015). 12. Papilionanda
T.M.A. x Vanda Doctor Anek

84
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

engineers were given free rein to incorporate to Bandoeng. In 1917 the War Department and
distinctive ‘New Indies’ or ‘Tropical Art army barracks were the first elements of state
Deco’ designs. Urban architecture, landscape apparatus to relocate, followed by construction
architecture and ornamental horticulture of an imposing Governor-General’s Palace at the
served as handmaidens of a hybrid modernity, core of the government complex.
setting indigenous elements in a Western
framework. The symbolism was obvious: Dutch Tjipaganti in North Bandoeng was developed
omnicompetence had forged a modern colonial as a high-class residential district for officials,
state out of myriad indigenous principalities, plantation owners and holiday visitors. It was
including over 300 ethnic groups from over admired for its spacious villas, parks, schools,
900 island communities in a maritime domain hospitals, museums and research institutes. This
nearly the size of Europe. was van Brero’s neighbourhood, as indicated
by a single address and phone number listed in
Bandoeng was to be a horticulturally distinctive the Bandoeng Telephone Directory of January
‘city of flowers’ (Bloemenstad), the charm 1936: ‘van Brero, J, Nijlandweg 86 Bd 965’.
offensive of ethical colonialism. In 1934 Given the size of the property and his modest
the popular news magazine Mooi Bandoeng scale of operations, it is not inconceivable that
reported that ‘many beautiful parks make it van Brero worked from his backyard, using
a flowering garden city par excellence’. By officially allocated garden space as Tjipaganti
showcasing the blossoming of the Ethical Policy Orchid Nursery (Orchideeënkwekerij).
in all its benevolence, the colonial authorities
hoped such beautification would not be short- The Dutch were, of course, horticultural
lived but deliver a lasting message about pioneers of a garden design noted for dense
‘moral geography’, a paradise regained for both plantings of highly coloured flowers in
work and leisure, ranging from the aesthetic geometric settings. At Buitenzorg (Bogor,
(landscaping) to the therapeutic (gardening). post-1945) the English-style garden planted
at the behest of Stamford Raffles, during his
Bandoeng was intended as a beacon of moral tenure as Lieutenant-Governor of British Java
improvement for a plural society. The physical (1811-15), was transformed into world-class
environment would be structured and styled botanic gardens. At Bandoeng, the municipal
to maintain racial stratification and residential authorities maintained an Orchid Plaza
segregation wherever appropriate. Ironically, (Orchideeplein), a fine piece of landscape
such distinctions were believed to empower architecture featuring various kinds of orchids.
the Dutch colonialists in their newfound moral Such public amenities were supported by
purpose, by perpetuating their paternalism as a horticultural facilities for plant cultivation,
reformed upper caste. Iconic images of Parijs breeding and propagation at government
van Java in its heyday are visual reminders of nurseries and botanic gardens, located at
colonial stereotyping. Along the elegant central Taman Sari, Kebon Bibit, Plesiran and
promenade at Bragaweg were a profusion of Cibeunying Park (Ignasia, 2008).
exclusive cafés, restaurants, boutiques, hotels and
theatres, patronized by celebrities such as Charlie The prestigious Institute of Technology,
Chaplin. The clearest sign that Dutch colonialism Bandoeng (ITB), North Bandoeng’s most
was not about to abandon its moral imperative famous landmark since 1920, is probably the
best-known example of the Ethical Policy’s
was the decision to move the capital from Batavia
➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2017 85
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

injunction to extend higher education to handwritten description. The most valuable of

indigenous students. Its Sundanese pavilion all contributions, however, were the seedlings
roofs, like lotus flowers emerging from green of 19 original hybrids, offered to discerning
terrace plains, also supply the best illustration collectors throughout the region.
of New Indies hybrid architecture. ITB and
the Tjipaganti Mosque at Nijlandweg, just Here, too, the cultural transformation wrought
down the road from van Brero’s residence, by the pioneers who collected, cultivated,
would be the only two areas open to cross- hybridized and traded orchids during Bandoeng’s
cultural ‘mingling’ for indigenous folk in an golden age would explain the selection of this
otherwise exclusively European enclave. One city as the preferred venue for the inaugural
of ITB’s alumni would become Indonesia’s meeting of the Indonesian Orchid Society in
first President: Soekarno’s political evolution 1956. A key difference between the international
from his student days (1921-26) would largely reconfiguration of the postwar world order and
explain the choice of this city to host the the multicultural regeneration of the postwar
historic first Asian-African Conference for orchid world order was the willingness of the
non-aligned states in 1955. latter to acknowledge their debt to the legacy
of trailblazers in the colonial era who once
Orchid pioneers and pioneer orchids brought fame to their country for its vibrant
For Johannes van Brero, the 1920s-30s saw orchid culture (Novianto, 2013).
the culmination of an unexpectedly fruitful
second career as orchid pioneer. At Tjipaganti, The orchid growers of Dutch Java were a band
he achieved renown as an orchid collector, of gentlemanly capitalists whose collective
grower, photographer, hybridizer and trader enterprise yielded a constellation of free-
(Steenis-Kruseman, 1950). He procured flowering new hybrids. Consolidating Java’s
outstanding forms of regional species, including reputation for innovation and creativity in
antelope dendrobiums from New Guinea; hybridizing were crosses such as:
Phalaenopsis schilleriana var and
var. odorata from the Philippines; and Java’s 1. Papilionanda [Vanda] Emma van Deventer
own Phalaenopsis amabilis var. gloriosa. All (Ple. [V.] teres × V. tricolor ) (W. van
of these he described in the local orchid journal Deventer, 1926). The earliest known hybrid,
De Orchidee, to which he contributed regularly pollinated by van Deventer as far back as
(Brero, 1935, 1936 and 1937). He also donated 1908, first flowering in 1919, on the eve of his
plants to public institutions. In 1927-28, he sent return to Europe.
specimens of Calanthe vestita from Banjoemas, 2. Phalaenopsis Deventeriana (Phal. amabilis
Central Java, to Buitenzorg Botanical Gardens. × Phal. amboinensis) (van Deventer, 1927).
He was a principal organizer of the Bandoeng
Orchid Show, a major component of the 3. Dendrobium Louisae (Den. lineale × Den.
Bandoeng Flower Show. In 1934 his efforts phalaenopsis) (C.A. Chevalier, 1935).
were rewarded with a Gold Medal for the 4. Dendrobium Caesar (Den. striaenopsis ×
show’s ‘Most Beautiful Orchids’. Orchideeën Den. statiotes) (S. van Nagrok, 1937).
Album Brero (1937) is his compilation of 97
original photographs of orchids, including many 5. Dendrobium Caprice (Den. microphyllum ×
regional species of Dendrobium, each with a Den. discolor) (Chevalier, 1939.)

86
GOLD BLEND Evolution of the ‘Tan Chay Yan class’ Vanda alliance hybrid

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

1. Papilionanda Tan Chay Yan ‘Charis’, the author’s very first orchid. 2. Papilionanda T.M.A. ‘Mandai’ (S’pore Orchids
remake c. 1960s). 3. Papilionanda Elishea Hidajat (Alsagoff, 2001). 4. Papilionanda Annelore Vanderlint (Neo, 2011)
5. Papilionanda Doctor Benjamin Chew (Chew, 2015). 6. Papilionanda Chua Ngin Neo (Lee Kim Hong, 1957). Photo
courtesy of Eka Putra Hendra. 7. Papilionanda ASEAN Golden Jubilee (SBG, 2017).

6. Dendrobium Wilhelm Stuber (Den. 16. Papilionanda [Vanda] Prinses Beatrix

lasianthera × Den. phalaenopsis) (V. coerulea × Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim)
(Chevalier, 1939). (Tiggelovend, 1940).
7. Paraphalanthe [Vandaenopsis] Prinzes van 17. Paraphalanthe (Vandaenopsis) Amoena
Oranje (Pps. [Phal.] denevei × (Pps. [Phal.] denevei × Ple. [V.] hookeriana)
Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim) (Chevalier, 1939). (Tiggelovend, 1940).
8. Papilionanda [Vanda] Madame Dinger 18. Paraphalanthe [Vandaenopsis] Superba
(Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim × V. tricolor) (Pps. [Phal.] denevei × Ple. [V.] teres)
(Nagrok, 1939). (Tiggelovend, 1940).
9. Paravanda (Vandaenopsis) Bogoriana 19. Papilionanda [Vanda] Petamboeran (V. foetida
(Pps. [Phal.] denevei × V. coerulea) × Ple. [V.] Miss van Deun) (Nagrok, 1941).
(L.M.H. Tiggelovend, 1939).
20. Papilionanda [Vanda] Mevr. L. Velthuis
10. Dendrobium Australia (Den. bigibbum × (Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim × V. sanderiana)
Den. nindii) (Nagrok, 1940). (Chevalier, 1945).
11. Dendrobium Engeline (Den. lasianthera ×
Den. Louis Bleriot) (Nagrok, 1940). It is only by aggregating 20 top hybrids from the
collective endeavour of five other growers that
12. Dendrobium Karlan (Den. Sanders Crimson × we finally get a quantitative result comparable
Den. Statterianum) (Nagrok, 1940.) to van Brero’s singular achievement (Table I).
13. Dendrobium Morgenster (Den. stratiotes ×
) (Khoe May Seng, 1940). In Sander’s List of Orchid Hybrids, van Brero is
credited as the originator of 19 hybrids flowered
14. Dendrobium Queensland (Den. stratiotes ×
between 1930 and 1941 (Sander & Co., 1946).
Den. superbiems) (Nagrok, 1940).
From Table I, we observe evidence of an
15. Dendrobium Salak (Den. stratiotes × unfettered experimental approach, amounting to 18
Den. discolor) (Nagrok, 1940). intergeneric/intersectional hybrids, 15 vandaceous ➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 87
 Table I. Orchid Hybrids of Johannes van Brero
1930 Papilanthera [Renantanda] Morgenrood (Ren. storiei × Ple. [V.] teres)
Dendrobium Indonesia (Den. phalaenopsis × Den. ) Papilionanda [Vanda
(Ple. [V.] Miss van Deun × V. insignis)
1936 Papilionanthe [Vanda] Miss van Deun
Papilionanda [Vanda] Josephine van Brero (Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim × Ple. [V.] teres)
(V. insignis × Ple. [V.] teres) Paravanda [Vandaenopsis] Charlotje de Neve
(Pps. [Phal.] denevei × V. luzonica)
1937 Spathoglottis Spa. gracilis × Spa. vieilllardii)
Dendrobium Rose Marie (Den. leporinum × Den. phalaenopsis) Vanda Pride of Tjipeganti (Trots van Tjipeganti)
Dendrobium Sarie Marijs (Den. antennatum × Den. phalaenopsis) (V. coerulea × V. insignis)
Arachnopsis Rosea (Arach. x maingayi × Phal. schilleriana)
1939
Papilionanda [Vanda] Ple. [V.] Miss van Deun × V. suavis)
Aranthera Caprice (Arach. x maingayi × Ren. storiei)
1941
1940
Papilionanda [Vanda] La Tosca (V. dearei × Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim)
Aranda Punctata ( × V. dearei)
Papilionanda [Vanda]
Aranda Queen of Purples (Arach. hookeriana × V. coerulea) (V. sumatrana × Ple. [V.] teres)
Aranthera Scarlet Pimpernel (Arach. x maingayi × Ren. coccinea) Paravanda [Vandaenopsis] Ochreata (Pps. [Phal.] denevei × V. insignis)

hybrids, 12 primary hybrids, with many named in many of the Java pioneers – stemmed from
his final year and even listed posthumously. the basic technique of sowing the seeds among
the roots of the seed parents, hoping for the
Significantly, the choice of name for his first best. R.A. Rolfe, the first curator of Kew’s
hybrid, a Spatulata-Phalaenanthe intermediate Orchid Herbarium, described the procedure in
dendrobium, expressed proto-nationalistic pride The Orchid-stud Book: “Care should be taken
in the land of his birth: the archipelagic colonial to choose a plant that will not want potting
state that since the announcement of the Ethical for some time, and one where the compost is
Policy had begun to call itself ‘Indonesia’. in a healthy condition. The plant should be
Vanda Pride of Tjipeganti (Dutch, ‘Trots van removed to the shed, and the seeds sprinkled
Tjipeganti’) expressed similar sentiments at thinly over the compost, after which a label
the local level, naming the neighbourhood in should be inserted containing the number of
which his home and nursery were situated. the cross. A light sprinkling with a sprayer
Some names were inspired by contemporary should now be given to settle the seeds… When
culture, whether in literature or the performing once the seed has been sown the compost must
arts: ‘Rose Marie’, the American child actress; never be allowed to become dry, or the young
‘Sarie Marijs’, a traditional Afrikaans folk song, embryo will shrivel and quickly die” (Rolfe &
from a former Dutch colony also in the southern Hurst, 1909). As in nature, the germination of
hemisphere; ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’, the aristocratic viable seeds would rely on a critical external
hero of Baroness Orczy’s historical fiction; and source of carbohydrates (especially sugars)
‘Madame Butterfly’ as well as ‘Tosca’, both supplied through the symbiotic association of
operas by Puccini, whose titles are the names mycorrhizal fungi with plant roots.
of their respective heroines.
Although fairly miniscule by comparison, the
The seedling batches raised at Tjipaganti were resultant batches of seedlings distinguished
all the more remarkable for not utilizing the themselves as the progeny of highly select
asymbiotic method of orchid seed culture breeding stock. Like the parent plants, the
introduced by Holttum at SBG from 1928 key selling point of the offspring was an
onward. This innovations credited for delivering exceptional quality that made them desirable
much higher germination rates and seedling to acquire, on top of an extreme rarity that
counts, is nowadays viewed as standard, often made them exclusive to own. Of course,
taken for granted. It helps to be reminded that new hybrids offered an additional frisson of
the earliest hybrid seedlings – raised by John excitement from the certainty that something
Dominy, Agnes Joaquim, Charles Maron and uniquely different might arise from the creative

88
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

process. The novelty factor had, by the 1930s, single best example of how hybridization might
enabled orchid hybrids to overtake the species improve a set of valuable traits; its plant vigour
in cultural importance. and freedom of flowering made it a popular choice
for tropical gardens worldwide. Holttum placed
A maiden bloom and an orchid society in the a certain premium on flowering frequency in the
twilight of empire local context. In this case, he noted that while
From Tjipaganti in 1934 van Brero reported the the flowers of both parents were undoubtedly
first flowering of an extraordinary vandaceous attractive, Vanda insignis did not bloom ‘so
hybrid, a primary cross of Vanda insignis, a strap- well in the uniform climate of Singapore’ while
leafed epiphyte from the Lesser Sunda Islands, Papilionanthe teres var. andersonii (called var.
with Papilionanthe teres, a terete-leafed climber longalabia in Java) was ‘the least free-flowering
from the eastern Indian Ocean littoral extending variety in Singapore’ (Holttum, 1957).
across Burma to the Himalayan foothills. Listed
in 1936, it was to be the only one among all his How did the offspring measure up to its parents
hybrids to be named for a family member. and its peers? Was there any advance in terms
of plant growth habit or flowering attributes?
The value of a hybrid is measured by the degree Holttum considered Papilionanda Josephine
to which a new combination of genetic material van Brero a ‘very beautiful hybrid’ with ‘one
inherited from the parents has perpetuated and especially fine variety’. Its semi-terete nature
improved a set of desirable characteristics in made it well adapted to outdoor cultivation in
the progeny. For decades, Papilionanthe [V.] tropical lowland conditions, especially when
Miss Joaquim ‘Agnes’ (1893) prevailed as the given adequate exposure to bright equatorial ➭

1 2 3

4 5
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Vanda coerulea’s contribution of delphinidin to the floral
pigmentation of JVB hybrids
1. Papilionanda Tan Chin Tuan (T.M.A., 1958), the
first blue-mauve alternative to the usual gold blend.
2. Papilionanda Chia Kay Heng (Chia, 1972). 3.
Papilionanda Mandai Roy (How Yee Peng, 2003). 4.
Papilionanda Henecia Kim HyunJoong (Toh Garden,
2014). 5. Papilionanda Diana Yuen Lan Tan (Chew, 2015).

MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2017 89

The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

sunshine, watering and feeding. There was just scene in Java,” recalled Holttum, “where by 1928
one peculiar tendency: ‘The plants are slow in a few growers (notably van Brero) had already
growth’. A slower rate of growth implied possible begun to raise hybrid seedlings. In Java also they
struggle against fast-growing competitors in open were importing fine species from the Moluccas
terrain, including its own terete and semi-terete and New Guinea. It seemed to Laycock therefore
relatives. So it was best grown individually in that the time was ripe for the formation of a
pots or hanging basket. Although slow growing society which might bring together those people
it nonetheless possessed hybrid vigour, ready to locally interested and also stimulate a wider
put forth new roots to sustain new growth, and interest in the improvement of orchid culture,
flowering more freely than either of its parents in both in quality and in variety” (Holttum, 1978).
a local climate that offered no obvious external
stimuli to induce flowering. Throughout the interwar period (c. 1918-
41) orchid cultivation became increasingly
Moreover, the flowers were distinctive in popular in Malaya and Singapore, not least
character and colour, capturing the golden because ever-blooming clumps of “Vanda
glow of a tropical sunset (Ede and Ede, 1985). Miss Joaquim are to be found in almost every
A mature plant, when grown properly, had little Malayan garden with any pretensions to being
difficulty producing upright spikes of 5-10 a garden” (Laycock, 1931). In 1928 Laycock
flowers. Each flower measured up to 8 cm tall became founding President of the Malayan
by 7.2 cm wide; the petals and sepals reflexed Orchid Society (MOS), the future Orchid
and undulate at the edges but substance firm, Society of South East Asia (OSSEA), along
shaded a rich blend of primrose yellow, apricot with co-founders Holttum, the SBG Director,
orange and peach pink; the column white, tinged and Emile Galistan, the green-fingered civil
mauve, extending downwards to a nectary servant who was a master orchid grower.
spur emitting a pleasant fragrance by day; the Together with other growers from around the
side-lobes, overlaid ochre, curved inward to region, they produced a steady supply of seed
bracket a mid-lobe flushed orange, streaked capsules for SBG’s orchid breeding programme
and spotted carmine distally; the lip broad and under Holttum’s supervision. Even the Great
fleshy, suffused plum red. Depression could not dampen society activities,
which included the exhibition of well-grown
It was Holttum who perceived most clearly the specimens in orchid shows, the publication of
significance of van Brero’s pioneering legacy. the Malayan Orchid Review (MOR), and the
Not only did his efforts join with others to redistribution of both species and new hybrids
galvanize orchid growing throughout the region, from the collections of members.
they also engendered the formation of the one
volunteer organization dedicated to advancing For such ‘progress in orchid culture’, Holttum
that goal. Holttum was, of course, familiar with acknowledged the pivotal role of Java’s orchid
the modus operandi of his friend John Laycock, pioneers. By linking demand to the supply of
the Singapore-based British lawyer who was a hybrid seedlings, with value added in terms
widely travelled, renowned orchid collector and of originality, uniqueness and difference,
amateur hybridist. Laycock had noticed how they cultivated the ground on which the
orchid-dealers from Java would, time and again, founders could establish their community of
bring over plants of Vanda and Phalaenopsis for interest. Significantly, van Brero was the only
sale in Singapore. “This caused him to look at the pioneer mentioned by name, suggesting either

90
 HEREDITARY
INFLUENCE
How far does JVB dominance
extend?
1. Papilionanda Mimi Palmer
(Gem Nursery, 1963). Preliminary
DNA tests suggest that the original
Gem Nursery Group (top left
& right) and its crosses are not
biological descendants of JVB. The
author’s remake (left), compared
1 2 beside seed parent Papilionanda
Tan Chay Yan (SBG 770)(right),
shows JVB’s pervasive influence.
2. Papilionanda Wong Poh Nee’s
backcross to Vanda tessellata,
Pda. The Girls’ Brigade Singapore,
retains the family likeness (right
top & bottom).
3. The latest JVB hybrids, typified
by Papilionanda Aileen Chew,
offer an infinite variety of improved
forms, reflecting significant
advances in vandaceous breeding.
4. Papilionanda Cedric Saunders
shows the limits of JVB
dominance, against an equally
formidable polyploid
3 4 Vanda Gordon Dillon.

preeminence or personal acquaintance. Of all made him a doting grandfather. A delightful

the Dendrobium hybrids raised by SBG, Holttum portrait (dated 1939) captures a shared moment
noted that the first to flower was a repeat cross of between grandpa van Brero and his three-year-
van Brero’s Den. Rose Marie in 1940. Laycock, old grandson Robert Boester.
for his part, continued to view ‘Java standards’
as the benchmark for excellence. The surname van Brero had aristocratic roots,
being a simplified version of van Brederode
What’s in a name? (Boester, 2015-16). The Lords of Brederode
There were two women for whom Papilionanda were a major political force in medieval
Josephine van Brero might have been named: Holland. Hendrick, Count van Brederode
the originator’s wife as well as his daughter, (1531-68), a convert to the Reformed Christian
who had been given her mother’s name. Family faith, joined the Prince of Orange and Count
sources are unambiguous in stating that the Egmont in resisting the imposition of the
orchid was named for the younger Josephine Spanish Inquisition. As sole spokesman for the
van Brero (b. 7 January 1906, Weltesvreden, ‘Covenant of Nobles’ (Eedverbond der Edelen),
Batavia; d. 29 February1996, Soest). On 10 he read out a petition calling for religious
November 1927, at Bandoeng, the 21-year-old tolerance (5 April 1566), for which he was duly
Josephine married Captain Antonius Johannes banished and his family dispossessed by the
Theodorus Boester (1897-1950), a dashing draconian Spanish Governor, the Duke of Alba.
30-year old infantry officer serving in the Alba’s repressive measures triggered the Eighty
Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL). She Years War (1568-1648) that would eventually
was thereafter known as Mevr. Josephine confirm Dutch independence, though not restore
Boester-van Brero, the Dutch equivalent of the van Brederode-van Brero inheritance. The
Mrs. Josephine Boester, née van Brero. The ruins of Brederode Castle, near Santpoort-Zuid,
orchid was presented as a unique gift (Boester, would become the first national heritage site
2016); she had become a dutiful mother, which (rijksmonument) of the Netherlands. Although ➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 91
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

Holland and Java were more than 11,400 km Colonel A.J.Th. Boester received the Medal for
apart, it is a fascinating coincidence that the Order and Peace (Ereteken voor Orde en Vrede)
flowers of Papilionanda Josephine van Brero from Queen Wilhelmina, but may as well have
should reflect the van Brederode heraldic been for his greater contribution to military
colours of red on gold. history, editing the first in a seven-volume
post-mortem on the anatomy of Dutch military
In his final years Johannes van Brero gained the defeat, entitled Nederlands-Indië Contra Japan
highest recognition, via prestigious appointment (1949). Boester discloses Dutch government
as purveyor of orchids (leverancier van defence assumptions that the KNIL would fight
orchideeën) to the Governor-General of the ‘in expectation of [international] support, which
Netherlands East Indies (Boester, 2015). This might be given to us’. It hardly compensated for
would be the last time such an appointment health shattered by active duty in two consecutive
was made, since Jonkheer Alidius Tjarda van wars, punctuated by prolonged internment.
Starkenborgh Stachouwer was the last Governor- Ironically, despite the bounty of surrounding
General (1936-42) before the NEI state was cinchona plantations, there was no quinine to
itself dissolved by the Japanese. There is one treat the malaria from which Boester perished,
surviving photo of a unique encounter between six weeks after Dutch rule was ended formally
van Brero (his back to the camera) and the by transfer of sovereignty to the new Indonesian
Governor-General (wearing a hat) at a private Republic (27 December 1949).
viewing of antelope dendrobiums acquired
from New Guinea, the final territory added to So the 1940s were a devastating decade for the
the NEI state in 1920. What happened to these younger Josephine. What started with the loss of
orchids and the nursery at Tjipaganti after 1940 is her father, now ended in the loss of both husband
unknown. Josephine van Brero-Bloem (d. 1937) and homeland. As a widowed mother of three by
and Johannes van Brero (d. 1940) were spared the age of 44, she faced the daunting prospect of
the horrors of war; their remains were interred repatriation to a Europe largely foreign to her,
in a cemetery at Bandoeng. but for the fact that she had begun training as a
teacher there. Relocating to Utrecht, Holland,
During the Japanese Occupation of Java (1942-45) for the next 46 years – first at Baarn, finally at
Josephine van Brero’s husband, Major A.J.Th. Soest – she would live to see her 10 grandchildren
Boester, as commander of the KNIL 14th infantry and the first few of 11 great-grandchildren,
battalion, became a prisoner-of-war (ID: 7991) attaining a ripe old age of 90 before her demise
at LOG camp, East Bandoeng, along with 3,000 in February 1996.
other military personnel. She herself was interned
(ID: 23494) at Tjihapit ‘woman’s camp’, Northeast Paradoxically, as Josephine van Brero closed
Bandoeng, from November 1942 until mid-1945. the chapter of her life in Southeast Asia, a plant
Subsequently, along with other women and children, bearing her name was poised to make orchid
she was relocated to ADEK camp, Batavia- world history. In March 1949 a seed capsule from
Buitenzorg region, for the remaining months. this hybrid was dispatched to SBG for sowing
and sub-culturing. From this new dawn would
No sooner had the Pacific War ended than the arise a new generation forever linking the grex
KNIL was recalled to fight the Indonesian War name ‘Josephine van Brero’ to both innovation
of Independence (1945-49) in a futile attempt to and distinction in vandaceous breeding. Its
reimpose colonial authority. In 1949 Lieutenant mesmerizing allure as the progenitor of orchid

92
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4 5 6

NOVELTY
Creativity and innovation in hybridizing. All these hybrids
have Pda. Josephine van Brero as a parent or grandparent.
1. Mayara Ammani (Choo; Thiagarajan, 1963).
2. Papiliovanvanda Fascination (S’pore Orchids, 1964).
3. Papilandachnis Mandai Prince (S’pore Orchids, 1969).
4. Erinara Chandra Gunasekera (Koh Keng Hoe, 1970).
5. Mayara Andromeda (S’pore Orchids, 1975).
6. Mayara Mandai Glow (S’pore Orchids, 1977).
7. Papilionanda Singa Joaquim Centenary (SBG, 1993).
8. Luilionanda Anthony Koo (Suphachadiwong, 2000).
7 8 Photo courtesy of Joseph Yeo.

champions was shortly confirmed by the performing as a stud plant for the first time from
meteoric ascent of an award-winning firstborn: late 1948 to early 1949. The flowers of van Brero’s
Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Chay Yan (1952). hybrid, pollinated by Tan, yielded viable seed that
became fairly precocious seedlings. Labelled as
The making of a vandaceous matriarch (Vanda Josephine van Brero × V. dearei) under the
In 1934 van Brero had sent Laycock two code number SBG 770, they first flowered in June
seedlings of Papilionanda Josephine van Brero. 1952 with flowers of a consistent high quality.
Only one survived the Japanese Occupation of
Singapore (Ede and Ede, 1985). Other seedlings The cross was named Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan
were imported by Lim Hong Hee, a professional Chay Yan, in memory of its originator’s father,
grower, who sold several to wealthy Straits who had himself been Malaya’s first rubber
Chinese entrepreneur and orchid enthusiast planter, hence a pioneer of the rubber industry. Its
Robert Tan Hoon Siang (Yeoh, 1959). finest cultivars gained worldwide fame, winning
top awards/prizes at major shows, which added
It was the acquisition of a lifetime for Tan, who impetus to Singapore’s hosting of the 4th World
had made it his ambition to revive orchid culture Orchid Conference (WOC) (1963):
and the orchid society in postwar Singapore and
i. ‘Pride of Malaya’, the winner of a Gold
Malaya. A suitably golden-flowered cultivar
Medal plus FCC/RHS Chelsea (1954);
was assigned a role in Tan’s revival initiative,
ii. ‘Subha’, AM/RHS (undated); ➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 93
The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

iii. ‘Siew Hong’, the Best Vanda of the 2nd of its progeny. Kamemoto was unequivocal
World Orchid Show, Honolulu (1957) plus about impact of this ‘Polyploid Revolution’:
AM/MOS (1959); “The success of producing… V. Tan Chay
iv. ‘Seow Chin’, AM and CCC/MOS (1959); Yan can be attributed to amphidiploidy of…
V. Josephine van Brero” (Kamemoto, 1959
v. ‘Tan Yeow Cheng’, AM/MOS (1959);
and 1978). Although other cultivars of this
vi. ‘Ann Marcus’, HCC/AOS (1963); grex were recognized, for example ‘Mok’
vii. ‘Alice’, AM/AOS (1963). and ‘Mah’, their provenance was uncertain
Farmer and scholar alike puzzled over the and their performance as stud plants untested.
inclusion of Vanda dearei in the registered It is the amphidiploid plant with the grex
parentage, but none had any doubt about the name abbreviated to ‘JVB’, distinguished by
hereditary influence of Papilionanda [V.] the varietal name ‘Hoon Siang’, which
Josephine van Brero (Chew, 2008). Described is credited as the progenitor of numerous
as ‘a blend of apricot, peach and orange, registered hybrids.
with a blush of red’ (Ede and Ede, 1985), the
Over three decades of its utilization as a
much admired art shades in the blooms of its
stud plant (c. 1950-1980), the total number
offspring were a welcome change from the
of registered JVB hybrids had risen above
pinks and purples of the older semi-terete and
80 (Ede and Ede, 1985). At the last count in
terete hybrids. The advent of Papilionanda
October 2018, the total number of progeny had
[V.] Tan Chay Yan inaugurated the production
reached 176 (164 as seed parent, plus 12 as
of ‘quarter-terete’ vandas that outclassed those
pollen parent); the total number of descendants
earlier hybrids, being dependably robust and
361 (265 if one discounts Vanda Mimi Palmer
floriferous under full sun in tropical lowland
and its progeny). These results far surpass
conditions, producing large, beautiful flowers,
those accomplished by JVB’s closest semi-
as durable as they were distinctive. The author’s
terete rivals. Like JVB, they proved to be
uncle, Dr. Chew Chin Hin, former Deputy
amphidiploid, serving overwhelmingly as seed
Director of Medical Services, Singapore, was
parents when used in hybridizing. Conversely,
one of those who witnessed the shift in breeding
whereas the original hybrids were made in Java,
trends in line with taste: “Vanda Miss Joaquim
those most often used as stud plants were from
was considered too common, Vanda Tan Chay
American remakes:
Yan rare and special in those days. Tan Chay
Yan was akin to Rolls-Royce and our national i. Papilionanda [Vanda] Emma van Deventer
flower to common Ford!” (Chew, 2015) (Ple. [V.] teres × V. tricolor) (1926), the
progenitor of 49 registered hybrids, notably
Studies in orchid cytogenetics at the Pda. [V.] Nellie Morley (Pda. [V.] Emma
University of Hawaii offered definitive van Deventer × V. sanderiana) (1952), var.
scientific explanation for the qualitative ‘Pride of Hawaii’ FCC/AOS plus 21 other
breakthrough in hybridizing. Professor AOS awards.
Hariyuki Kamemoto discovered that Tan Hoon ii. Papilionanda [Vanda] Mevr. L. Velthuis (Ple.
Siang’s Papilionanda [V.] Josephine van Brero [V.] Miss Joaquim × V. sanderiana) (1945),
was a tetraploid amphidiploid. Used as a stud the progenitor of 76 registered hybrids.
plant, it ‘value added’ by imparting an extra set
of chromosomes, thereby improving the floral Nowhere has the breeding trend in JVB
attributes and plant growth characteristics hybrids been more fully consolidated than in

94
 1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

DOWNSIZING Small yet perfectly formed ... all with JVB as a parent
1. Papilionanda Chaiyot (Sombuntham, 1973). 2. Quisumbingara Ilse Kerscher (S’pore Orchids, 1977).
3. Papilionanda Bangkok (T. Orchids, 1978). 4. Papilionanda Mandai Merriment (S’pore Orchids, 1984; Chew’s
remake, 2015). 5. Papilionanda Beth (Grezaffi, 1991). 6. Vanchoanthe Doctor Della Lee (How Wai Ron, 2004).
Photo courtesy of Wong Siew Kwun. 7. Papilionanda Ambrosian Twinkle (Chew, 2009). 8. Papilionanda Andrew
Kaien Tan (Chew, 2017). 9. Papilionanda National University of Singapore (Puah; OSSEA, 2018).

Singapore, which has the lion’s share (95/176). JVB was reclassified under Papilionanda, as
A list of these hybrids in Table II, arranged subsequent registrations indicate.
chronologically by registration year, reveals
the eagerness of local hybridizers to emulate Nevertheless, there have been outstanding JVB
Tan Hoon Siang, with successful pollinations hybrids from countries other than Singapore.
in 1954 resulting in a series of new hybrid
combinations from 1957 onward. The period
1957-1965 witnessed an unbroken line of JVB Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Chaiyot (JVB x
hybrids registered through consecutive years. V. [Ascda.] Yip Sum Wah) (1973).
Ten were registered in 1961 alone; and four
or more registered annually in 1962, 1964, Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Bangkok (JVB x
1993, 2000, 2015 and 2016. Mid-way in 2013, V. [Ascda.] Erika Reuter) (1978).
➭
MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 95
 1 2

3 4 5

VIP & CELEBRITY ORCHIDS

1. Mayara Prince Norodom Sihanouk (SBG, 1962).
2. Sealara David Marshall (S’pore Orchids, 1985).
3. Papilionanda Nawaz Sharif (SBG, 1999).
4. Papilionanda Obama (Chew, 2009).
5. Papilionanda David Cameron (SBG, 2015).
6. Papilionanda Jane Seymour
(Neo; Gardens by the Bay, 2016).
7. Papilionanda Aung San Suu Kyi (SBG, 2017).
All with JVB as a parent, or (no.1) a grandparent.
6 7

The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy & Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

Papilionanda [Vanda] Nonthaburi (JVB x (1963) HCC/MOS, AM/OSSEA.

V. Gulf of Siam) (1998) ‘Giant’ FCC/AOS. [Renantanda] Charlie Mason
Papilionanda [Vanda] Cedric Saunders (JVB (Pda. [V.] Tan Chay Yan x Ren. storiei)
x V. Gordon Dillon) (2002). (1964) AM/MOS.
[Vanda] Sek Hong Choon
(Pda. [V.] Tan Chay Yan x V. Ernest
Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Claude Vorbe
Fujinaga) (1965) AM/MOS.
(JVB x V. [Ascda.] Princess Mikasa) (2009).
[Ascocenda] Yingluck
Notable descendants, the progeny of JVB Shinawatra (Pda. [V.] Singa Joaquim
hybrids, include: Centenary x V. [Ascda.] Tubtim Velvet)
[Vanda] T. S. Kuah (Pda. (2011).
[V.] Tan Chay Yan x V. sanderiana)
(1959) AM/MOS. The turn of the millennium has ushered in a
[Renantanda] Prince Norodom further development in the shape of ‘dinner-plate’
Sihanouk (Pda. [V.] Tan Chay Yan x Ren. papilionandas. To be fair, there have been some
coccinea) (1962). superb examples not bred from JVB, typified
[Vanda] Mimi Palmer by Papilionanda Pure Delight (Pda. Mevr. L.
(Pda.[V.] Tan Chay Yan x V. tessellata) Velthuis x V. Doctor Anek) (2001). Yet, time
➭
96
Table II. JVB Hybrids Made in Singapore

1952 Papilionanda [Vanda] 1979 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Mandai Bronze

(JVB × V. dearei) FCC/RHS, AM/MOS, AM/AOS (JVB × V. [Ascda.]
1957 Papilionanda [Vanda] Chua Ngin Neo 1981 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] V. [Ascda.] Madame Nok)
(JVB × V. Clara Shipman Fisher) 1982 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Sunblest (JVB × V. [Ascda.] Leng)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Memoria Alex Donald 1984 Papilionanda [Vanda] Mandai Maestro (JVB × V. Sankamphaeng)
(JVB × Pda. [V.]
Papilionanda [Vanda] Mandai Merriment (JVB × V. merrillii)
Papilionanda [Vanda] T.M.A. (V. sanderiana × JVB)
1985 Sealara [Vandaenopsis] David Marshall (JVB × Pps. [Phal.]
1958 Papilionanda [Vanda] Agnes Cheok (Pda. [V.] Nam Kee × JVB)
1993 Papilionanda [Vanda] John Ede (JVB × V. Adrienne): winner of
Papilionanda [Vanda] Lee Shew Lee three Challenge Cups and Grand Champion, Singapore Orchid
(JVB × Pda. [V.] Show 1994
Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Chin Tuan Papilionanda [Vanda] Mandai Glow (JVB × V. Sandiglow)
(JVB × V. Rothschildiana) AM/MOS
Papilionanda [Vanda] Singa Chiba (JVB × V. David Parker)
1959 Papilionanda [Vanda] Belle of Singapore (JVB × V. Ellen Noa)
Papilionanda [Vanda]
Papilionanda [Vanda] Howell Mundell (JVB × V. Tatzeri) (JVB × Ple. [V.] Miss Joaquim)
1960 Papilionanda [Vanda] 1996 Papilionanda [Vanda]
(JVB × V. Memoria T. Iwasaki) (JVB × V. Orglade’s Sandpebbles)
1961 Papilionanda [Vanda] Chew Gim Tuan Papilionanda [Vanda] Takeshi Numata (JVB × V. Katsuura)
(JVB × V. Bill Sutton) PC/MOS
1997 Papilionanda [Vanda] Atsuko Johmori (JVB × V. Dawnchild)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Choo Liang Hong (JVB × V. Honolii)
1999 Papilionanda [Vanda] Nawaz Sharif (JVB × V. Nina)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Lim Hong Hee (JVB × V. Manisaki)
2000 Luilionanda [Luisanda] Lsa. thailandica)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Maureen Goh (JVB × V. Leahi)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Double Happiness (JVB × V.
Papilionanda [Vanda] Ong Geok Phong (JVB × V. Onomea)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Hongkong-and-Shanghai Bank
Papilionanda [Vanda] Patricia Low (JVB × V. Katsuura)
(JVB × V. Jennie Hashimoto) AM/AOS
Papilionanda [Vanda] Lee-Ann Gan (JVB × V.
Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Swee Kok (JVB × V. Helen Paoa)
Papilionanda [Vanda] V. Darres’ Golden Heritage)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Wee Khim (JVB × V. Pukele)
2001 Papilionanda [Vanda] Elishea Hidajat (JVB × V. Rasri Gold)
Papilionanda [Vanda]
V. Waipuna) AM/MOS Papilionanda [Vanda] Usha (JVB × V. Doctor Anek)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Toh Kim Buan 2003 Papilionanda [Vanda] V. Asean Queen)
(JVB × V. Mabelmae Kamahele) 2004 Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Hoon Siang (JVB × V. Somsri Pink)
1962 Papilionanda [Vanda] V. Manila) HCC/OSSEA
Papilionanda [Vanda] Gillian Trevor (JVB × V. Eisenhower) Vanchoanthe [Perreiraara] Doctor Della Lee
(JVB × Vdcy. [Prra.] Luke Thai)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Katong (JVB × Ple. [V.] Cooperi)
2008 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Iskandar (JVB × V. [Ascda.] Amelita Ramos)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Russet-Glow (JVB × V.
2009 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Ambrosian Twinkle
Papilionanda [Vanda] Teo Bee Gek (JVB × V. Ernest Fujinaga) (JVB × Vanda miniata [Asctm. miniatum])
1963 Mayara [Renantanda] Ammani (JVB × Ren. storiei) AM/MOS Papilionanda [Vanda] Obama (JVB × V. Manuvadee)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Blue Moon (JVB × V. coerulea) 2011 Papilionanda [Ascocenda] Annelore Vanderlint
Papilionanda [Vanda] Tan Wee Gee (V. Frank Cook × JVB) (JVB × V. [Ascda.] Suksamran Gold)
1964 Papilionanda [Vanda] Frieda Valberg (JVB × V. Iwalani) 2013 Papilionanda [Vanda] Aileen Chew (JVB × V. Tristar Blue)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Then Leng Foong (JVB × V. liouvillei) Papilionanda [Vanda] Alphonsus Pang Chong Soon
Papilionanda [Vanda] Uncle Chips (JVB × V. Halelena) (JVB × V. Pat Delight)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Wong Poh Nee (JVB × V. tessellata) Papilionanda Tom Bernardin (JVB × V. Aroon’s Delight)
Papiliovanvanda [Opsisanda] Fascination 2014 Papilionanda V. Kultana Blue × JVB)
(JVB × Vvd. 2015 Papilionanda Chew Chin Hin (JVB × V. Siriporn Pink)
1965 Papilionanda [Vanda] Alison Bell (JVB × V. Hilo Blue) Papilionanda Chua Chu Kang (V. Kultana Red × JVB)
Papilionanda [Vanda] V. Jill Walker) Papilionanda David Cameron (JVB × V. Blue Horizon)
1967 Papilionanda [Vanda] Joanna (JVB × Ple. [V.] Poepoe) Papilionanda V. Wirat Gordon)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Verna Maria (JVB × V. Henrietta Ho) Papilionanda Doctor Benjamin Chew
1968 Papilionanda [Vanda] Fong Hong Gnoh (JVB × V. lamellata) (JVB × V. Kulwadee Fragrance)
Papilionanda [Vanda] Mandai Lake (JVB × V. Florence Tham) Papilionanda Khaw Boon Wan (JVB × V.
1969 Papilandachnis [Aranda] Mandai Prince (JVB × Arach. hookeriana) Papilionanda Pamela Jakubowicz (V.
Papilandachnis [Aranda] Sunburst (JVB × ) 2016 Papilionanda V. Varut Fuchsia)
1970 Erinara [Hawaiiara] Chandra Gunasekera Papilionanda V. Bitz’s Heartthrob)
(Rnps. Lena Rowold x JVB) Papilionanda JR Asia (JVB × V. Suksamran Spots)
Papilandachnis [Aranda] Arach. Maggie Oei) Papilionanda Singapore Orchid Growers’ Assn
1972 Papilionanda [Vanda] V. Dawn Nishimura) (JVB × V. Ratchaburi Fuchs-Katsura) AM/OSSEA
1973 Papilionanda [Vanda] Sunbrero (JVB × V. insignis) 2017 Papilionanda Andrew Kaien Tan (JVB × V.
Quisumbingara [Aeridovanda] Aristocrat (JVB × Aer. lawrenceae) Papilionanda ASEAN Golden Jubilee (JVB × V.
1974 Papilionanda [Vanda] Nona Manis (JVB × V. Kekaseh) Papilionanda V. Varut Fuchsia)
1975 Papilionanda [Vanda] Heah Hock Heng (JVB × V. Hilo Rose) 2018 Papilionanda
(JVB × V. Orange Glow)
1977 Quisumbingara [Aeridovanda] Ilse Kerscher (JVB × Aer.
Sealara Lim Fei (JVB x Pps. labukensis)

MALAYAN ORCHID REVIEW 2018 97

 The JVB Story – Johannes van Brero’s Pioneering Legacy &
Papilionanda Josephine van Brero (continued)

and again, the new JVB hybrids have proven

themselves second to none: Papilionanda
Usha (2001), Pda. Tan Hoon Siang (2004),
Pda. Pamela Jakubowicz (2015), Pda. Chew
Chin Hin (2015) and Pda. Singapore Orchid
Growers’ Assn (2016), to name several of award
calibre. Here the colloquial abbreviation ‘JVB’
has become a signature hallmark of excellence,
virtually guaranteeing that every desirable trait
imparted by large-flowered polyploid strap-leaf
vandas will be suitably fortified with hybrid
vigour, sun tolerance and disease resistance.

In the making of these new-generation hybrids,

JVB has again demonstrated why it is the
undisputed ‘Queen of the semi-teretes’ (Ede
and Ede, 1985). Johannes van Brero’s gift to a
Top: Platoons beloved daughter is arguably his greatest gift to
of Papilionanda
T.M.A. at Mandai
the orchid world.
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