ORCHIDS Magazine September 2013

ORCHIDS www.aos.org

THE BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY

VOL. 82 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2013

ORCHIDS

CONTENTS

September 2013

Volume 82

Number 9

The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society RON MCHATTON Director of Education [email protected] JOHN wRENCH Advertising Manager [email protected] EDITORIAL American Orchid Society at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, Florida 33156 ADVERTISING John Wrench American Orchid Society at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, Florida 33156 Email [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MISSING ISSUES Membership Services Department Tel 305-740-2010 Fax 305-740-2011 Email [email protected] EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Larry Barnes, Mark Chase, Raymond Cloyd, Phillip Cribb, Calaway Dodson, Alec Pridgeon, Julian Shaw, Yin-Tung Wang, Norris Williams

FORMER EDITORS Dr. David Lumsden (1932–1940), Dr. Louis O. Williams (1940–1943), Gordon Dillon (1943–1967; 1970–1973), Merle Reinikka (1968–1969), Richard Peterson (1973–1984), Stephen R. Batchelor (1984), Alec Pridgeon, PhD (1984–1988; 1989–1991), Chuck McCartney (1988–1989), James B. Watson (1991–2013)

Volume 82, Number 9 September 2013 Orchids (ISSN 1087-1950) is published monthly by the American Orchid Society, Inc., at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Editorial Office: 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 (telephone 305-740-2010; fax 305-7402011; email [email protected]; website www.aos.org). ©American Orchid Society, Inc. 2013. Printed by Allen Press, 810 East 10th Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. Subscription price of Orchids is $65 a year within the US, $85 Canada and Mexico and $105 for all other countries. Single copies of current issue cost $6.99 (plus shipping and handling). Prices are subject to change without notice. While Orchids endeavors to assure the reliability of its advertising, neither Orchids nor the American Orchid Society, Inc. can assume responsibility for any transactions between our advertisers and our readers. Periodical postage paid at Miami, FL and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: American Orchid Society, Inc., at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156. The American Orchid Society follows the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families with regard to questions of botanical nomenclature and synonymy in orchid species names and the International Orchid Register for hybrid nomenclature and parentage in editorial. The opinions and recommendations that appear in Orchids regarding the selection and use of specific plant-care products, including but not limited to pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, are those of the individual authors, and not those of the American Orchid Society, which neither adopts nor endorses such opinions and recommendations and disclaims all responsibility for them. When selecting and using such products, readers should seek and obtain the advice of the manufacturer and of responsible government agencies. Mail date: August 24, 2013.

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FEATURES

534 PAPHIOPEDIUM IN CHINA Part VII: Paphiopedium section Barbata Holger Perner 544 IN SEARCH OF THE STAR OF AFRICA Angraecum stella-africae Clare and Johan Hermans 551 PARAPHAlAENOPSIS Bornean Jewels Robert Fuchs 556 CATTlEyA CRISPA The Sleeping Giant A.A. Chadwick DEPARTMENTS

In Every Issue

For the Novice 522 A Scaly Problem The AOS Education Committee

AOS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 514 AOS DIRECTORY OF SERVICES 514

Orchid of the Month Rossioglossum Thomas Mirenda

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE 520 QUESTIONS AND ANSwERS CALENDAR

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568

CONTRIBUTIONS 570

Collector’s Item 528 Aerangis distincta Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison

ORCHID MARKETPLACE

572

ORCHIDS CLASSIFIEDS

575

AD INDEx

Nomenclature Notes 560 Amoana (Laeliinae), a New Mexican Orchid Genus Carlos Leopardi, Germán Carnevali and Eric Hágsater

575

SIDEBARS Species and Natural Hybrids of Aerangis 530

Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison

Orchid Evolution 564 Part VIII. Floral Polymorphism and Speciation Alejandro Zuluaga Parting Shot 576 The Pencil Drawings of Pavel Arlt Ron McHatton

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AOS NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS

Tom’s Monthly Checklist 524 September: the month of entropy Thomas Mirenda

An Aerangis Compendium

531

A New Book by Isaobyl la Croix How to Grow Aerangis distincta Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison The 21st WOC in South Africa Johan Hermans How to Grow Paraphalaenopsis Robert Fuchs

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FRONT COVER Printed on 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Angraecum stella-africae, the Star of Africa, photographed in situ by Bart Wursten in the Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve in the Wolkberg Mountains of South Africa

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AmericAn Orchid SOciety A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization Founded in 1921 MISSION The mission of the American Orchid Society is to promote and support the passion for orchids through education, conservation and research VISION STATEMENT The American Orchid Society provides leadership in orchids

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Membership Benefits Orchids — The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society AOS Orchid Source Directory (growers, affiliated societies, judging centers) Members-Only section of www.aos.org

Discounts at select gardens and arboreta in the United States (see www.ahs.org) 10 percent discount on some purchases First-time members receive a free copy of Your First Orchid and 15 percent off additional AOS-produced books (plus shipping)

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Membership Policy Membership in the American Orchid Society is open to all individuals without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. All activities of the American Orchid Society are conducted in accordance with the principles of nondiscrimination and mutual respect. Further, the American Orchid Society does not condone or endorse any conduct that is not in accord with these principles.

ServiceS ron McHatton, PhD ([email protected]) Chief Operating Officer (305-740-2012)   AOs policy information   Education   Nomenclature   Orchid information   Orchids — Editorial   publications — books, calendar, Orchid   Source Directory Accounting ([email protected]) Alain gonzalez (305-740-2013) Advertising ([email protected]) John wrench (305-740-2016)   Advertising — Orchids, Orchid Source   Directory, Website Administration and Finance ([email protected]) gladys g. greenberg, MBA (305-740-2014)   Administration   committee Volunteers   Finance Affiliated Societies ([email protected]) Naya Marcano (305-740-2010)   Liability insurance   shows Awards and Judging ([email protected]) Bill walsh (305-740-2019)   calendar of Events   payments and certificates Development ([email protected]) gladys g. greenberg (305-740-2014)   Annual Giving   bequests   major Gifts   planned Giving Membership (305-740-2010) Maria San Juan ([email protected]) Naya Marcano ([email protected])   AQ Plus   back issues — Orchids   calendar and book sales   change of Address   damaged and missing issues   membership brochures and benefits    membership Questions   remove Name from mailing List   Website (technical and password issues) Information Technology (305-740-2010)

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at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 Tel 305-740-2010 Fax 305-740-2011 Email [email protected] Website www.aos.org Main Office Monday–Friday (by appointment only)

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For questions not addressed above please contact [email protected] or call 305-740-2010

Pronunciation guide the pronunciation of orchid names can be daunting for the novice and experienced grower alike. presented below is a simplified  pronunciation guide specific to the names found in this issue of Orchids magazine. An attempt has been made to represent each  syllable using easily recognized sounds or words separated by hyphens and not standard phonetic symbols. endings such as  –atus or –anum have two commonly encountered pronunciations.  represented here the broad “a” (ah) has been used, ah-tus  or ah-num however the alternative endings, -ay-tus and -ay-num, are often heard among American orchid growers. 

Aerangis(ay-air-ANG-iss) aestivum (eh-STEEV-um) Alamania (al-ah-MAN-ee-ah) alboviride (al-boh-VEER-ih-dee) album (al-BUM) alcicornis (al-see-KOR-niss) Amoana (am-OH-an-ah) angolensis (ang-GOH-len-sis) Angraecum (an-GREY-kum) angustifolium (an-gus-the-FOLL-ee-um) ampliatum (am-PLEE-ay-tum) appendiculata (app-en-DIK-yew-lahtum) appletonianum (ap-pel-tone-EE-ah-num) arachnopus (ah-RACK-no-pus) articulata (are-TIK-yew-lah-tah) biloba (bye-LOH-ba) Boisduval (Bwa-DUE-val) bouarensis (boo-are-en-sis) boltonii (bohl-TONE-ee-eye) Bonatea (Boh-nah-TEE-ah) brachycarpa (brak-ee-KAR-pah) brevilabium (breh-vee-LAY-bee-um) burmanicum (burr-MAN-eh-kum) Calanthe (kal-AN-thee) callosum (kal-OH-sum) cardiophora (kar-DEE-oh-for-ah) carnea (KAR-nee-ah) Catasetum (kat-ah-SEE-tum) Cattleya (KAT-lee-ah) Chamaeangis (kam-ay-ANG-is) Chamaeanthus (kam-ay-AN-thus) Chirioana (kye-ROE-ah-nah) collum-cygni (KOL-um-SIG-nee) concavipetala (kon-kav-ee-PET-ah-lah) confusa (kon-FUSE-ah) coriacea (kore-ee-AY-cee-ah) coursiana (kour-SEE-ah-nah) crispa (KRIS-pa) cryptodon (kryp-TOE-don) Cymbidium (sim-BID-ee-um) Cypripedium (sip-rih-PEED-ee-um) decaryana (dee-KARE-ee-ah-nah) Dendrobium (den-DROH-bee-um) denevei (den-EV-ee-eye) Devereauxara (dev-ehr-OH-are-ah) Diaphananthe (dye-aff-an-AN-thee) Disa (DEE-zah or DYE-zah) Disperis (DISS-per-iss) Distincta (diss-TINK-tah) divitiflora (dih-vit-EE-ee-flor-ah) dowiana (dow-EE-an-ah) ellisii (el-LISS-ee-eye) Encyclia (en-SIK-lee-ah) ensata (EN-say-tah) epipactidea (ep-ee-PACK-tid-ee-ah)

Eulophia (yew-LOH-fee-ah) fastuosa (fast-YEW-oh-sah) fuscata (foos-KAH-tah) gracillima (grah-SILL-ih-mah) grande (gran-DAY) gravenreuthii (grah-ven-RUTH-ee-eye) Habenaria (hab-en-AIR-ee-ah) hainanense (HIGH-nan-en-say) hariotiana (hair-ee-OTT-ee-ah-nah) hians (HIGH-ans) hildebrandtii (hill-deh-BRANT-ee-eye) hologlottis (hole-loh-GLOT-tiss) humblotii (hum-BLOT-ee-eye) hyaloides (high-ah-LOY-des) insigne (in-SIG-nee) insleayi (ins-LEE-eye) jacksonii (jack-SON-ee-eye) kienastii (kee-NASS-tee-eye) kirkii (kir-KEE-eye) kotschyana (kah-CHEE-ah-nah) krameri (KRAY-merr-ee or KRAY-merreye) labiata (lah-BEE-ah-tah) Laelia (LAY-lee-ah) laycockii (lay-KOCK-ee-eye) labukensis (lah-BOO-ken-sis) longicauda (long-EE-kow-dah) lueddemanniana (lewd-eh-MAN-ee-ahah) luteoalba (lew-TEE-oh-AL-bah) macrocentra (mack-roe-SEN-trah) maireae (MY-er-ee) measuresianum (meh-zuhrs-EE-an-um) megaphylla (meg-ah-FILL-ah) microchilum (mye-kro-KYE-lum) Microterangis (mye-kro-tehr-ANG-iss) modesta (moe-DESS-tah) mooreana (MORE-ee-ah-nah) monantha (MOWN-an-thah) montana (MAHN-tan-ah) mossiae (MOSS-ee-eye multifolium (mull-tee-FOLL-ee-um) mystacidii (miss-tah-SID-ee-eye) Neofinetia (nee-oh-FIN-ay-ah or commonly nee-oh-FIN-ett-ee-ah) nervosa (nerr-VOH-sah) Oestlundia (est-LUND-ee-ah) oerstedii (ehr-STED-ee-eye) odontoglossa (oh-don-toe-GLOSS-ah) oligantha (oh-LIG-an-thah) Oncidium (on-SID-ee-um) Oncidiinae (on-SID-ee-ih-nee) ottoniana (awh-TONE-ee-an-ah) pallidiflora (pahl-id-EE-flor-ah) Paphiopedilum (paff-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum) Papilionanthe (pap-ee-lee-OH-nan-thee)

Paraphalaenopsis (pair-ah-fayl-en-NOPsis) pardinum (par-DEE-num) patula (pat-YEW-lah) Perrierangraecum (PAIR-ee-ay-an-GREYkum) Polystachya (pol-ee-STAK-ee-ah) primulina (prim-YEW-lee-nah) puberulum (pew-BUR-yew-lum) pulchella (pull-KEL-ah) punctata (PUNK-tah-tah) purpurata (um) (pur-PUR-ah-tah [um]) qingyongii (CHING-YONG-ee-eye) Renanthera (ren-ANN-ther-ah) rhodosticta (row-do-STICK-tah) Rhynchostylis (rink-oh-STY-liss) roseovitattata (rose-ee-oh-VEE-tah-tah Rossioglossum (ross-ee-oh-GLOSS-um) rostellaris (ross-TELL-air-iss) rusituensis (rew-sih-TOO-en-sis) rutenbergianum (roo-ten-BERG-ee-anum) Satyrium (say-TEER-ee-um) schlieperianum (SCHLEE-perr-ee-ahnum) seegeri (SEE-gerr-eye) serpentilingua (sir-pen-tih-LING-yew-ah) sinicum (SY-nih-kum) somalensis (sow-MAL-en-sis) spiculata (SPIK-yew-lah-tah) splendida (splen-DEE-dah) stella-africae (STELL-ah-aff-RIH-kay or aff-RIH-kee) stelligera (stell-ih-GERR-ah) Stenoglottis (sten-oh-GLOT-iss) stylosa (STY-loh-sah) sukhakulii (soo-kah-KOO-lee-eye) thomsonii (tom-SON-ee-eye) Ticoglossum (tee-koh-GLOSS-um) transvaalensis (tranz-VAHL-en-sis) tridentatum (try-DEN-tah-tum) ugandensis (yew-GAN-den-sis) Vandachostylis (VAN-dah-ko-STY-liss) venustum (VENN-ooh-stum) verdickii (vir-DICK-ee-eye) versicolor (verr-sih-KOH-lor) wardii (WARD-ee-eye) warneri (WAR-nerr-eye) warscewiczii (var-sheh-VITZ-ee-eye) williamsianum (will-ee-ums-EE-ah-num) wolterianum (wohl-TERR-ee-ah-num) ying-xiangii (ING-SHEE-ung-ee-eye) zambesiaca (zam-BEES-ee-ah-kah) zeyheriana (ZAY-err-ee-ah-na)

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AmericAn Orchid SOciety nAtiOnAl VOlunteerS Officers Sandra Tillisch Svoboda president Thomas Etheridge Fred Missbach Vice presidents Jean Hollebone secretary Peter Furniss treasurer Max Thompson Assistant treasurer Chris Rehmann immediate past president Trustees 2011–2014 Jeff Bradley, Russell Clark, Nancy Mountford, June Simpson 2012–2015 Jeanne Buchanan, Mario Ferrusi, Ron Giles, John Ingram, Frank Smith 2013–2016 Fred Clarke, Harry Gallis, MD, David Toyoshima, Carol Zoltowskit

Honorary Vice Presidents Roger Brown, Donna Craig, Peter R. Furniss, Ernest Hetherington, Ann Jesup, Phil Jesup, Thomas Sheehan Past Presidents Albert C. Burrage, F. Eugene Dixon, Wharton Sinkler, Rodney Wilcox Jones, Frederick T. Bonham, George W. Butterworth Sr., Frank J. Lind, Robert M. Scully Sr., G. Ferguson Beall, Walter Slagle, Lewis C. Vaughn, Keith Shaffer, Dr. Jonathan W. Williams, Norman B. Merkel, Dr. Lawrence L. Vance, Merritt W. Huntington, Raymond McCullough, William E. Farrell, Paul B. Moore, Dr. David H. Brown, FL Stevenson, Dr. J. Woodson Phillips, Donna Craig, Mary Davidson Dunnell, Donald E. Herman, Peter R. Furniss, Marvin Gerber, Milton O. Carpenter, Roger Brown, Robert J. Griesbach, Art Moore, Carlos Fighetti, Chris Rehmann

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Executive Committee [email protected] Sandra Tillisch Svoboda, Chair Thomas Etheridge, Peter Furniss, Jean Hollebone, Fred Missbach, Chris Rehmann, Max C. Thompson Affiliated Societies Committee [email protected] Lynn Fuller, Chair Manuel Aybar, Rosalie Dixler, Pat Dunn, Mario Ferrusi, Dot Henley, Robert Henley, Jean Hollebone, Candace Hollinger, Betty Kurka, Marilyn Lee, Wayne Marine, Norma Raiff, William Riley, Gladys Roudel, Johnita Turner, Marie-Christine Viallet Conservation Committee [email protected] David Horak, Chair Steven Beckendorf, Hilda Belman, Joseph Dixler, Leon Glicenstein, Theodore Green, Aaron Hicks, Tom Mirenda, John Salventi, Philip Seaton, Marilyn Shapiro, John Sullivan, Mark Sullivan Advisory Members: Anita Aldrich, Paul Bechtel, Phillip Cribb, Robert Gabel, Eric Hágsater, Johan Hermans, Alexander Hirtz, Ann Jesup, Saw Lwin, Ned Nash, K.C. Pradhan, William Rhodehamel, Rapee Sagarik, Kiat Tan, Ileana Teran Development Committee [email protected] Carlos Fighetti, June Simpson Education Committee [email protected] Bev Tall, Chair Edward Baenziger, Cynthia Coty, William Ellis, Steve Fischer, John Fordham, Lynn Fox, Carol Klonowski, Ron Midgett, Jeanne Rhinehart, Louise Roesser, John Stubbings, Sandy Stubbings, Gregory Truex Finance Committee [email protected] Peter Furniss, Chair Russell Clark, Fred Missbach, Nancy Mountford, Chris Rehmann, Max Thompson governance Committee [email protected] Mario Ferrusi, Chair Tom Etheridge, Harry Gallis, Jean Hollebone, Taylor Slaughter Information Technology Committee information_technology_committee  @aos.org Greg Filter, Chair Howard Bronstein, Ted Kellogg, Frank Slaughter

Judging Committee [email protected] Harry Gallis, Chair Marion Allen, Kathy Barrett, Michael Blietz, Patsy Boersma, Howard Bronstein, Glenn Brown, Judy Cook, Sallie Delahoussaye, José Exposito, Carlos Fighetti, Aileen Garrison, George Hatfield, Lowell Jacks, C. Todd Kennedy, Terry Kennedy, Julius J. Klehm Jr., Joe Lankton, Joe Peterson, Bonnie Riley, Bryon Rinke, Jennifer Ritchie, Paul Sheetz, Taylor Slaughter, James Spatzek, Linda Thorne, Susan Wedegaertner, Robert Winkley, Janice Yates Library/Archives Committee [email protected] John Ingram, Chair Doris Asher, Christine Chowning, Diana Dunn, Robert Fuchs, Gail Furniss, Norito Hasegawa, Ernest Hetherington, Carlos Ossenbach, Francis Plimpton, Chris Rehmann, Thomas Sheehan, Marilyn Stark Membership Committee [email protected] Frank Smith, Chair Jeanne Buchanan, Fred Clarke, Lois Dauelsberg, Laura DeCarlo, Nile S. Dusdieker, Lynn Fuller, Maurice Garvey, Jayme Hennek, Susan Heuer, David Janvrin, Wayne Louie, Alexa Noel, Ty Triplett, Sarah Waddoups, Charles S. Wilkins Jr., Colleen Wold, H.W. Zoufaly Nominating Committee [email protected] George Hatfield, Chair Jeanne Buchanan, John Ingram, Chris Rehmann, Beverly Tall, Robert Winkley, Carol Zoltowski Publications Committee [email protected] Greg Allikas, Chair Kathy Barrett, Glen Decker, Harry Gallis, Wesley Higgins, Cynthia Hill, Jean AllenIkeson, Phil Jesup, Tom Oder, Kent Peterson, Ken Slump Public relations Committee [email protected] David Toyoshima, Chair Jeanne Buchanan, Fred Clarke, Norman Fang, Carri Raven-Riemann research Committee [email protected] Carol Zoltowski, Chair Tom Etheridge, R.J. Griesbach, Patricia Harding, Marcia Miller-Hjelle, Nancy Mountford, Thomas Sheehan, John Stommel, Cynthia Van Der Wiele, Norris Williams, Kenneth Wilson, Lawrence Zettler

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Questions and answers not get enough light as they are shaded by those above. Much more importantly, plants will drip on each other and this is a surefire way to pass pests and diseases from plant to plant — virus, rots and insects. Everything on your bottom shelf can be infected by multiple problems in no time flat. If you have the space, you might want to reconfigure this system so that plants are not directly over other plants. — Thomas Mirenda ([email protected]). ORCHIDS OUT OF DOORS   Question  I live on a small lot in suburban South Florida and can grow orchids outdoors all year. I built the small shade house in this picture to house our orchids. Shading it a bit also is a palm tree on the neighbor’s side of the fence. According to my light meter, the light level is just about perfect — more or less 2,000 l.c. depending on the time of day. I have installed a wireless outdoor temp and humidity sensor mounted in the shade house. The shade cloth is fixed on the sides and back but can be rolled up in the front when the sun is not shining directly on it. I put plastic on the top to keep the rain and there are three small fans that keep the air moving. I plan to buy a Mist King system for humidity control. The misting system comes with a timer and I know we need to make sure the leaves aren’t wet at night. My question is how often should the misting system turn on and for how long should each “burst” of mist last? — Mark Klinefelter ([email protected]).   Answer Thank you for sending the images of your new structure.....very nice. In South Florida you may find that humidity is not a problem except for the drier winter days. There’s no good rule of thumb as to how long your plants should be misted and much depends on air movement, outdoor humidity and the system itself. I would suggest on a hot day see how long it takes for water droplets to evaporate and use that as a guide to figuring out an interval for your misting system. It would be great if your system allows you to set it differently for sunny vs. cloudy days or with variation in temperature. One reason I don’t care much for automatic systems is their inflexibility unless you invest in an expensive system. For instance, what would be good settings for a hot summer day may be useless on a cloudy day or even a sunny winter day. What worries me more is that your orchids are stacked on top of each other. For a variety of reasons this can be a bad situation. First, plants lower down may 518  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

THOSE UGLY CANES   Question I grow a number of cane dendrobiums and would like to know what to do with the canes after they have flowered? From a casual perspective, after flowering, they just SIT there! The remain green so I assume they are still taking up water through their roots but what other function do they have? Can I just cut them off? I have seen in some books that you cut them up into sections and place horizontally on potting medium to produce little plants. Does this really work? — Anonymous   Answer Dendrobiums will often put out additional flower spikes on older canes. Any nodes that have previously bloomed won’t bloom again but often lower down or uppermost unbloomed nodes might still send out a spike, even on an aged cane. And, yes the old canes do feed and support the newer growths. For these reasons they should be left on the plant until they are no longer green or become truly unsightly. If your plants are getting too large, or old canes stop flowering or just look really bad it’s time to remove them and repot the plant. One word of caution — don’t do this in the fall or winter when your

plants aren’t actively growing. Doing so can dramatically stress or even kill the plants. They won’t establish well and can rot easily. Wait until you see good new root growth and then repot in a fresh, well drained mix and support with a stake. Keep your plants out of windy conditions and water very carefully (slow water stream) until well established.

It is true that many of the cane dendrobiums will produce small plantlets if cut into sections. Each piece of cane must have at least one node (old leaf scar) because it’s the tiny undeveloped growth bud at this spot that actually produces the plantlet. Lay the sections horizontally on moist potting media or sphagnum moss and keep them moderately shady and humid. Depending on the plant, the dormant buds will begin to grow little plants over a period of a few months. When the little plants have developed roots about two inches long they can be potted up and grown on. People who grow cymbidiums know about sprouting backbulbs and it’s effectively the same idea. It’s a good way to propagate new plants for your friends. — Thomas Mirenda (email mirendat@ si.edu)

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past, present, Future

Malibu Orchid Society Turns Fifty by Gerlinde and Georg Stelzner   THE BEGINNING  In  the  spring  of  1963,  Hugo  Freed  founded  the  nowprospering Malibu Orchid Society (MOS)  in  Southern  California.  Hugo,  a  wellknown  orchid  hybridizer  and  lecturer,  was the general manager of Arthur Freed  Orchid Company, operating since 1946 on  Bonsall Drive in Malibu. Hugo’s brother,  Arthur,  was  the  famous  Hollywood  producer of film musicals. Orchid  societies  were  relatively  rare  at  that  time  and  the  consensus  was  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  organize  a  viable  one  in  Malibu.  However,  there were other orchid  societies  in  Southern  Gerlinde Stelzner California  that  had  been  around  for  some  time  and  orchids  were growing in popularity. Furthermore,  the decision to hold the 5th World Orchid  Conference  (WOC)  in  Long  Beach,  California in 1966 had just been announced  at  the  4th  WOC  in  Singapore  in  1963.  The  Southland  Orchid  Show  Committee,  representing  all  of  Southern  California’s  orchid societies at the time, was founded  to prepare for that upcoming event. Much  support  was  going  to  be  needed  for  the  conference and, because Hugo Freed was  already  involved  in  the  World  Orchid  Conferences by virtue of his attendance at  the prior conferences, he was motivated to  start  the  Malibu  Orchid  Society. About  a  dozen  people  had  been  meeting  monthly  in Hugo’s office to discuss orchid culture  and this group became the nucleus of our  new fledgling orchid society. There  were  eight  charter  members  including  Amado  Vazquez,  then  head  grower for Freed’s orchid range and later  to  become  the  founder  of  Zuma  Canyon  Orchids here in Malibu. Madelaine Fobert,  Hugo  Freed’s  secretary,  served  as  our  membership  secretary  for  20  years.  Talk  about  dedication.  One  can  assume  that,  in  one  way  or  another,  all  MOS  society  members visited or contributed to the 5th  WOC in Long Beach. How often do you  get  an  event  like  that  in  your  backyard?  After  operating  informally  for  six  years,  the  MOS  incorporated  on  June  27,  1969  listing nine directors. Unfortunately, most  of those directors have now passed on.   THE EARLY YEARS  For  the  first  couple  of  decades,  MOS  meetings  were  520  OrchidS SepTeMber 2013

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held  in  various  places  and  during  much  of  the  1970s,  regular  monthly  meetings  were  held  in  schools,  restaurants  and  the  Malibu  Civic  Center.  Board  meetings  were  held  in  the  homes  of  members,  rotating  locations much as we do  today. It was the custom  at the time for the hosts  and other MOS members  to  prepare  refreshments  for  these  meetings.  One  of  still-living  members  from that time is Margaret Wilson. While  chatting  with  Margaret  recently,  she  related a story about a time when she and  her husband, Dwight, hosted one of these  board meetings. Dwight asked Margaret to  bake a pie rather than purchase one readymade.  So,  Margaret  baked  the  pie.  Not  everyone is cut out to be a baker and after  dinner  she  noticed  that,  while  the  filling  was  gone,  no  one  had  touched  the  crust.  Margaret  purchased  pies  for  future  MOS  board meetings.   BUILDING THE FAMILY  Social  events  hold  societies  together  because  members  become  part  of  the  “family”  and  the  MOS  was  no  exception.  Over  the  years,  many  social  functions  such  as  summer  picnics  were  held  on  the  large  grounds on the end of Bonsall Drive where  the Freed nursery was then located. Hugo  Freed  retired  in  1974  after  managing  the  orchid  firm  for  28  years.  The  business  was sold in 1978 to Amado Vazquez, and  Zuma Canyon Orchids was born. Amado’s  son George was in charge of sales and his  wife,  Maria  Vazquez,  ran  the  laboratory.  All  real  orchid  nurseries  had  their  own  flasking  laboratories  in  those  days  —  you  couldn’t  live  without  one.  At  some  point  in  time,  the  business  was  moved  to  its  present  location,  still  on  Bonsall  Drive, but somewhat closer to the ocean.  The  Zuma  Canyon  facility  was  used  for  society  picnics  in  the  summer  and  many  interesting  parties  over  the  intervening  years.  I  remember  one  year,  1986,  when  an MOS picnic was held at Zuma Canyon  Orchids  with  a  contest  for  the  best  table  setting.  One  member,  who  wanted  to  be  sure to be one of the winners (all families  have someone who will go to any lengths  . . . right?), came early to install a crystal 

1 [1] Orchid growers in Malibu are blessed with a year-round benign climate and most of our members keep their collections outside

chandelier hanging from the sycamore tree  over  the  table,  which  was  draped  to  the  floor with all the dinner fineries of crystal,  a silver centerpiece with orchids and dress  code to match. Needless to say, they won.  During  this  time,  the  MOS  also  staged  fancy  holiday  banquets  at  the  Saddle  Peak  Lodge  in  Calabasas.  Centerpiece  contests  were  one  of  the  highlights  of  those affairs. Summer parties were also held at the  estate  of  longtime  members  in  central  Malibu.  Those  parties  always  drew  large  crowds.  Each  party  had  a  different  elaborate  theme.  One  was  a  Hawaiian  luau  complete  with  roasted  pig  and  hula  dancers. That affair included a leg contest  for men, won by none other than Amado  Vazquez.  Orchid  leis  were  flown  in  by  another  member  for  people  to  wear  for  the evening affair. Mai Tais made by Red  Marsh  were  always  a  standard  at  those  parties. Oh, the good old days. Red and Trudi Marsh were very active  MOS  members  and  Trudi  designed  our  Malibu  logo,  which  was  inspired  by  the  late Helen Pastushin and still used today.  Trudi could always be counted on to help  with  many  show  art  projects,  as  well  as  making  her  home  available  for  board  meetings.   THE SHOWS AND PUBLIC EXPOSURE  Before  orchids  became  a  commodity  sold  in  every  grocery  store  and  home  improvement  center,  these  exotic  plants  were  publicized  through 

orchid shows put on by local societies. One of the earliest in Southern California was the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, established in 1945. Helen Pastushin, an accomplished orchid grower and early member of the MOS, designed the MOS entries for these shows during the late 1960s and all through the 1970s. In 1982, Georg and Gerlinde Stelzner moved to Malibu and joined the MOS. Gerlinde had been designing exhibits for the San Fernando Valley Orchid Society for several years and became involved in similar endeavors for the MOS. Since 1982, Gerlinde has been the chief designer for MOS displays at several different orchid shows including the Santa Barbara show and the shows that used to be held at the New Otani Hotel and Garden in Los Angeles. EVOLUTION In the spring of 1996, the society moved its meetings to the Pacific Palisades Women’s Club, where we still meet. The organization’s monthly meetings have changed very little over these 50 years but there have been changes in the way the meetings are described and documented. Some records, provided by Mary McEdwards, show that for at least some time in the early 1970s, extensive notes were taken on the speaker’s lectures. These notes typically ran for several pages of typed script and provided an excellent compilation of practical information on orchid culture and the characteristics of different genera. These extensive notes provide a fascinating insight into the efforts of devoted members during that time. Another difference was that in the early days each newsletter devoted considerable space to recording the events of the past meeting. During the mid-1980s, the newsletter would list every plant on the prior meeting’s plant forum table, who had grown the plant and occasionally some notes about how it was grown; of course, the results of the judging were included with some eight to ten awards at a typical meeting. Unfortunately, lavish documentation of meetings gradually declined and would be very difficult to recreate today. The only difference between today’s meetings and those of the past was the introduction of a regular culture session, introduced in 1995 by then-president Sherry Hunter. Red Marsh gave the first culture session focusing on staking and repotting. These culture sessions have proven to be a popular component of our meetings. Participating in the Malibu Art Festival served the MOS as a place for exposure to

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3 [2]  the mOs display for the 1992 santa barbara international Orchid show featuring  an orchid-adorned working Ferris Wheel. [3]  Our 1996 display, the Art of Orchids, for  the 1996 santa barbara international  Orchid show.

the public and as a profitable fundraiser. For many years, the crowd always enjoyed our display, the orchid divisions available and, of course, the flowers. Unfortunately, like many events, participation is no longer profitable. THE FUTURE The MOS continues as a viable society with 50 years under our belt and, we hope, 50 more to come. In general, the very large collections like that of Red and Trudi Marsh are gone and, with the advent of readily available mass-market plants, there is less emphasis on getting every plant name right. Like all modern specialty clubs, it’s harder to recruit and keep members, but we are a family after all and we are adjusting to ever-changing times as we look forward into the future. — Gerlinde Stelzner and her husband Georg have been faithful Malibu Orchid Society members for 30 years. She, with the help of her husband and many other dedicated members, has been the chief designer of the MOS awardwinning show exhibits for this entire time, P.O. Box 1244, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (www.malibuorchidsociety.org).

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for the novice

A Scaly Problem Prepared by the American Orchid Society Education Committee/Photographs by Greg Allikas

Unlike the pests we have covered in previous columns, scale can be difficult to eradicate, especially if left unchecked for any length of time. while there are a number of species that affect orchids, the two most common are Boisduval scale and soft brown scale. Colonies of either can become entrenched at the base of a pseudobulb, under sheaths or in between the equitant leaves of tolumnias. You may not notice them until the pests have done their damage. although scale can be found on flat surfaces of leaves, the worst damage is done at the base of pseudobulbs where they can destroy the eye that would expand to be the next year’s growth. plants with tightly clustered pseudobulbs such as Encyclia are particularly at risk. if the infestation is severe, all secondary eyes may be damaged, thus sending the plant into a downward spiral from which it cannot recover. Female Boisduval scale show up as round, light-colored patches on plants whereas the males have a cottony appearance that can be mistaken for mealybugs or whiteflies. Close examination is needed (the insects are less than 1/16 inch [1 mm]) to notice the elongate shape and three longitudinal ridges. soft brown scale is easily identified by its oval waxy brown shell. Females lay eggs under the protective shells; the eggs then hatch into the crawler stage. as crawlers the insects can move from plant to plant, but only for short distances and especially if plants are touching each other. Because the crawlers are so small, they can also be distributed by moving air. while it takes around a month for a generation of scale insects to mature from egg to adult, the pests can have overlapping generations. it is this continual procreation that makes scale such a formidable pest to eliminate. the waxy armor coating protects egg-laying females from chemical controls. they are most vulnerable during the crawler stage. while you may eliminate crawlers with one treatment, it can take repeated application of chemicals to completely wipe out scale from your collection. as with problems of any sort, early detection makes fixing the problem much easier. this is especially true regarding scale insects. Most scale infestations are brought into an orchid collection on other plants. Depending on how dedicated 522  OrChidS SEPtEmbEr 2013

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and precision-oriented you are, the first line of treatment is at the door of your greenhouse. newly acquired plants should at the very least be thoroughly inspected before adding them to your population of healthy orchid plants. Other steps that some growers take range from giving new plants a prophylactic spray of broad-spectrum insecticide (or household remedy) to keeping new plants in quarantine for several weeks. Between those two extremes lies the sensible approach of gently scrubbing new plants with a toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol, paying particular attention to removing dry sheaths from the pseudobulbs just to be sure there are no buggers hiding under them. although you should have inspected any plant before plunking down your money, this second “hands on” treatment gives you another opportunity to evaluate the plant’s overall health. One caution about this practice is that you do not want to scrub hard enough to break plant tissue, because then you can spread disease. Other controls are similar to those mentioned for aphids and mealybugs. we go up the ladder from relatively low toxicity to poisonous measures. the main difference in treating scale is that due to the pest’s overlapping generations, applications must be repeated several times at 10- to 14-day intervals. this is

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3 [1] boisduval scale. the larger, dark brown round mass is the female scale insect. the numerous white rod-like are the male scale insects. [2] Soft brown scale on the underside of a Phalaenopsis leaf. [3] Soft scale infesting the roots of this orchid.

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extremely important when treating scale and three applications of pesticide is the minimum for effecting control. With the more benign treatments such as soaps or household remedies, the battle can be a long and prolonged one with control being limited to keeping the scourge at a nondestructive level. Orthene WP, malathion, Sevin (carbaryl) and imidacloprid are all also used as treatment of scale, with the above recommendation of repeated applications. Cygon (dimethoate) used to be the chemical of choice for treating scale but it is no longer available to the hobbyist and it could cause damage to certain orchids. Should you decide to use pesticides to treat scale, treat these substances with the respect they deserve by following label instructions and wearing protective clothing. They kill insect pests because they are poison! A new class of control has become popular with nursery operators; however, because of cost, it may not be practical for the orchid hobbyist. Growth regulators such as Enstar II have been reported as effective against scale while having minimal toxicity for humans. They work by interrupting normal development of the pests. Splitting the cost among several orchidists may be a workable solution for obtaining the product to treat a scale outbreak. Although there are other insects that can be annoying to orchid growers, most are uncommon (orchid blossom midge) or large enough to control mechanically (roaches, pill bugs). There is one

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additional insect that we will mention here before we move on to other families of pest. Whiteflies are related to aphids and mealybugs and treatment is the same for severe infestations. You know you have a whitefly problem if a white cloud of tiny insects arises when you touch an orchid plant. Yellow sticky traps can provide effective and permanent control against whitefly infestations. You can make your own by painting 4- × 6-inch (10- × 15-cm) cardboard cards yellow and coating them with a sticky substance such as mineral oil or petroleum jelly. (It may be easier to buy them from a garden supply store.) Hang the cards every 6 feet (1.8 m) or so apart

[4] this cattleya is host to a very well-established colony of boisduval or cottony  scale. [5] these cattleya buds will be seriously  damaged by this colony of whiteflies.

and replace when they become covered with whiteflies. Finally, there are biological controls such as parasitic and predatory insects that can be used to control scale, aphids, mealybugs and whiteflies. See www.aos. org for more in-depth information. www.AOS.Org    september  2013  Orchids  523

tom’s monthly checklist

September: the month of entropy By Thomas Mirenda A very bAsic goAl in the orchid world is to attempt to make order out of chaos. collection managers create and maintain databases so we can know exactly where each individual plant in the greenhouses is located. breeders keep exacting and elaborate records of their crosses. taxonomists use advanced molecular technology to place orchid genera in the order that best reflects their genetic and evolutionary relationships. even the average hobbyist is likely to keep a log of the plants they own and track their progress over the years with potting and blooming. the more we know about our orchids the more organized and methodical we can be with our collections, right? Why is it then that things seem to get more chaotic and confusing every year? call me old-fashioned (and many people do) but i often find that the massive quantities of data available, even if very well-organized and highly factual, seem to create even more confusion. there is a constant bombardment of information, procedure and regulation for practically every endeavor and, frankly, while these things are supposed to make our lives easier, they ultimately seem to have the exact opposite effect. Much of this alarming complexity is generated by the requirements of post 9-11 living and the growing, ubiquitous presence of technology in our daily lives. these things are not going away. so, take a breath! i think it is important at this moment in time to remember what it was that brought us to orchid growing in the first place: simple things like beauty, grace, wonder, joy, fragrance and of course, the fun of it! sloWing doWn in this fast-paced world, orchids remind us about patience and anticipation; what we call the slow life. We’ve all seen time-lapse photography of flowers opening. such images can be quite dynamic and dramatic, but this action happens at such a slow pace we barely notice it. if you were to do similar timed images of your orchid’s growing progress over the summer, you’d see that most new growths have now matured and are starting to slow down. Dendobium canes, for example, should now be reaching their tallest and producing a terminal leaf. Pseudobulbous orchids such as oncidiums, cattleyas and cymbidiums are still storing nutrients and bulbs may still fatten considerably. 524  Orchids sepTeMBer 2013

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catasetums and their relatives are naturally deciduous and it’s important to allow the plants to go dormant as fall approaches. They will sit for months in this state subsisting on the water stored in the pseudobulbs and atmospheric humidity before resuming grow in the spring

even so, be aware that temperatures and corresponding growth rates are going down and water and fertilizer should be adjusted accordingly. this seasonal transition should be reflected in your cultural efforts. be cool the fall brings us cooler temperatures, shorter days and longer nights. these environmental shifts are, for many orchids, the triggers that induce flower spikes. have you ever noticed that each of the Cattleya species blooms reliably the same time every year? how do they “know” when to do this? to my knowledge, none of them have ever looked at a calendar. it is their sensation of day length, temperature differentials and seasonal rainfall fluctuations that induces flowering at such specific times. While some of this can be manipulated by growers, most of us who grow in greenhouses see marked and very specific seasonal blooming of our orchids based on these seasonal shifts. Keep an eye out for the beginning of spikes on many types of orchids this month and next. Arrange your plants so that these emerging spikes have space to elongate unobstructed. Plants that have longer spikes, such as oncidiums and phalaenopsis, can benefit from the placement of a guiding stake at this time so they don’t go off on odd awkward angles. A little attention to this now will make for the best presentation when the plants ultimately bloom. cleAn And coZy dWellings if your plants had the benefit of growing outside over the summer

months, it is time to start preparing the indoor growing area for the upcoming winter season. if you are lucky enough to live in a climate where orchids can be outside year-round, humph! i’m quite jealous. the rest of us need to sterilize and prepare for the indoor return of orchids for the winter. check to be sure environmental equipment, heaters, humidifiers, fans, etc. are in good working order, and replace anything critical that might be ready to conk out. Planning the layout of where your plants should go for the best results based on your microclimates can’t hurt either. hArdy orchids if you’ve been adventurous enough to plant temperate orchids in your garden, they are probably starting to look rather sad by this time of year. Many have already retreated underground for the winter. clear off any necrotic foliage and try to mark where these little gems are located so that they can be properly mulched, protected, monitored and fed (if necessary) before winter comes. chAos When the vicissitudes of modern living and the pressures of your job become too much to bear, remember that your orchids are there, just steps away in the greenhouse, or right there on the windowsill and that indeed there are still many simple pleasures in this world. Thomas Mirenda is the orchid collection specialist at the Smithsonian Institution and an AOS accredited judge. 3000 Cedar Lane, Fairfax, Virginia 22031 (email [email protected])

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genus of the month

Rossioglossum

by Thomas Mirenda

526  OrchidS SepTeMber 2013

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JOrge cArlOS rAncO pupulin

With so many Worthy and compelling orchid genera out there to delight the species specialists, it will be many, many years before i have to revisit a particular genus in this column. But, some genera are just so fascinating and fantastic, i sometimes can’t resist wanting to feature them again. Rossioglossum, often bearing exceptionally large and colorful flowers with a remarkable lacquered sheen, warrants revisitation for a few compelling reasons, not the least of which being that a well-bloomed Rossioglossum will never fail to impress. Back in 2009, i wrote a short piece about this astounding genus of spectacular, predominantly mexican to Central american, Oncidium allies. since that time, molecular analysis has shown that the genus has a few other members that don’t, at first glance, conform floristically to the historical Rossioglossum norm, Thomas Mirenda namely large yellowand-brown flowers with curved sepals that remind us of a bouncing jester’s hat. many people assign the common name of clown orchid to members of this lovely genus but i feel that name does them a disservice. While clowns can be funny, or ridiculous, or downright scary, rossioglossums are superb plants with spectacular, impressive flowers. there is nothing funny about them! surprisingly easy to grow, though somewhat shy about blooming if their specific needs are not met, it would be exceedingly difficult to find showier flowers in the oncidiinae. those with large yellow-and-brown flowers are denizens of upper-elevation deciduous forests from mexico to Panama, those with white or pink flowers are found at somewhat more moderate elevations and one species, Rossioglossum ampliatum, is found in warm forests all the way to Peru. regardless of where they are from, rossioglossums require an unusual and counterintuitive cultural regimen in order to bloom well. Rossioglossum grande, arguably the showiest of the species, is found between 4,600 and 8,800 feet (1,400–2,700 m) in mexico and Guatemala. the year-round temperatures at that altitude are quite cool (summer days of 75 F [24 C] and winter

ArThur T. pinkerS

Surely You Jest!

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nights of 50 F [10 C] on average). this temperature regimen, combined with a winter dry period (remember it’s from a deciduous forest area) make the plant most suitable for those growers able to provide year-round cool conditions. this being said, we can cultivate this plant successfully through the torrid Washington, dC, summers, as long as they cool sufficiently during their winter rest. We cannot, however, bloom them to their full potential in our climate. Growers in the Pacific northwest, the cool, dry areas of coastal California, other northern states, Canada and temperate areas of Europe should have glorious results. though Ros. grande is possibly the most magnificent, all the Rossioglossum species are deserving of cultivation. Growers with warmer conditions will want to try Rossioglossum williamsianum, which is from lower elevations (under

3 [1] Rossioglossum grande ‘dene b.’ hcc/ AOS. grower: carol beule [2] Rossioglossum williamsianum flowered in costa rica [3] Rossioglossum rawdon Jester ‘Mario palmieri’ Fcc/AOS (grande × williamsianum). This particularly fine example was exhibited in guatemala in the winter of 2012. grower: Mario and Silvia palmieri

3,300 feet [1,000 m]) of Guatemala and honduras. this species has flowers that are similar to, if somewhat smaller than, Ros. grande but is equally showy in that it can have up to a dozen or more blooms of fuller form on a longer spike. Rossioglossum schlieperianum prefers cooler conditions like Ros. grande but the flowers differ in having more of a yellow background color and distinct differences in details of its column wings. many find the hybrid Rossioglossum rawdon Jester (grande × williamsianum), to be easier to bloom and more vigorous than either parent. though the flowers are

JAme e. mccullOch

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of the flowers is largely dependent on the size of the specific bee species involved; large flowers are pollinated by large bees and small flowers by small bees. Rossioglossum ampliatum, with its yellow and brown flowers, is clearly a malpighia mimic, presumably pollinated by a small oil-collecting bee These orchids mimic the malpighia flowers almost perfectly to attract the bees by deception, (there is usually no oil reward in the orchid flowers). When one examines Ros. ampliatum critically, we can see many physical similarities to the others in the genus, for example the sizable keeled pseudobulbs and the panduriform lip. While you may think I am jesting, I am now convinced that what we once knew as Oncidium ampliatum is indeed more closely related to Rossioglossum. One of the most impressively grown specimens of this outstanding species was actually grown on a cork mount. It had massive and beautiful pseudobulbs which, to my eye, were even more impressive than the well-flowered spikes! Thomas Mirenda is the orchid collection specialist at the Smithsonian Institution and an AOS accredited judge. 3000 Cedar Lane, Fairfax, Virginia 22031 (email [email protected])

frAncO pupulin

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GreG AllikAs

frAncO pupulin

considerably smaller than those previously mentioned, Rossioglossum insleayi, from Mexico, makes a terrific specimen plant. Its colorful flowers are more recognizably Oncidium-like. Two species once included in the genus Ticoglossum have been found to actually be embedded within the genus Rossioglossum. Though the flowers are much reduced, Rossioglossum krameri, found from Nicaragua to Panama, has a lovely shell-pink to cream-white coloration and a very long (up to six month) blooming period. Unlike most of the other rossioglossums, Ros. krameri will grow and bloom in intermediate to even warm conditions. Rossioglossum oerstedii, found in Costa Rica and Panama at elevations generally over 6,500 feet (2,000 m), is a decidedly cool-grower and is rarer in cultivation but has similar qualities and perky white-and-yellow flowers. While they will grow potted, I’ve found that both prefer dryer basket conditions and a coarser, well-draining potting mix than the cooler growers, which seem to like to be kept on the moist side while in active growth (spring and summer). All the rossioglossums prefer to be quite dry in the winter months. I am a little wistful about the loss of the genus Ticoglossum.. It was created to honor the country of Costa Rica with what, at the time, was believed to be an endemic genus. Costa Ricans refer to themselves as Ticos, a term that stems from their endemic linguistic propensity to use the diminutive suffix -ico rather than ito in common language, i.e., “poquitico” instead of “poquitito” as you would find in the rest of Latin America. While the addition of the previous two species is rather easy to accept, I need to include one rather controversial plant here, a plant many of us know and love by other names. Commonly known as the turtle shell orchid, Rossioglossum ampliatum seems, on first glance, to be far different from the rest because the flowers look so very much like what we think of as typical of oncidiums. But, what we have seen repeatedly in the orchid family is that floral characteristics evolve based on the available pollinators in their environment and therefore floral convergence happens frequently among distantly related or even totally unrelated species. In the Oncidiinae in general, many different genera mimic flowers in the Malpighiaceae. These large shrubs and trees grow in the same habitats and produce hundreds of thousands of yellow-and-brown flowers that offer a nutritious oil as a reward for the pollinators, oil-collecting bees. The size

7 [4]  Rossioglossum insleayi ‘erin’ hcc/AOs.  Grower: Jordan hawley [5]  Rossioglossum krameri, a beautiful central American species. [6]  Rossioglossum oerstedii, unusual in the  genus for its delicate white flowers [7]  Rossioglossum ampliatum, perhaps now  the most unusual species in the genus  with its most Oncidium-like flowers. 

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collector’s item

Aerangis distincta By Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison Images unless otherwise noted by Brenda Oviatt

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We’ve been groWing AerAngis for many years now, and have to say that our favorite thing about them is that there’s hardly a day of the year that we don’t have one in spike or bloom in our greenhouse. They’re nearly all fragrant (to greater and lesser degrees), and most are relatively easy to grow once you familiarize yourself with their needs. When we decided to write about one, it was difficult to pick a favorite. We settled on Aerangis distincta in part because of its wider availability, its greater tolerance of changing conditions than other Aerangis (making it easier to grow well) and because it has one of the largest flowers of any Aerangis. because there are frequently other Aerangis (e.g., Aerangis splendida) sold that are in fact Aergs. distincta, we explain the differences and what to look for. The genus name Aerangis was first used by H.g. reichenbach in 1865 and is greek for air [aer] vessel [angos], referring to the hollow spur or nectary. Many species were previously known as angraecums, but there were enough differences to warrant a new genus. even the novice will instantly recognize the similarities — the primarily white flowers with long spurs. As with angraecums, Aerangis are endemic to Africa and Madagascar (and locale). Aerangis distincta was described by the late Joyce Stewart and isobyl la Croix (1987). isobyl has told us that though it was not formally described until 1987, “there is a collection in the Kew herbarium dating from 1892. it has no flowers and was originally labeled as Aerangis alcicornis, but it is obviously Aergs. distincta.” As of this writing there are 57 Aerangis species and two natural hybrids. Limited DnA work is being done and recently all Microterangis (Chamaeangis) species were transferred to Aerangis. Chamaeangis (the genus from which Mictroterangis wer previously transferred) has been merged with Diaphananthe. We’re not changing all of our tags just yet. There is considerable confusion in Aerangis species, in large part due to improper labeling. Two instances come to mind in reference to Aergs. distincta. it has been hybridized with Aerangis biloba, but this unregistered primary hybrid sometimes appears as Aergs. distincta and not as the hybrid. it is unknown whether they’ve been mislabeled or if growers unknowingly use just the first part of the hybrid cross name. because of the increased flower count and flower size, there is a “wow” factor for this hybrid that is lacking in either species. There have

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been three AoS awards given to Aergs. distincta and the average flower count per inflorescence is three–four each. Five flowers on an inflorescence is excellent. We’ve had quite a number of people contact us with pictures of their Aergs. splendida, and if memory serves correctly, not a single one has actually been Aergs. splendida. Most have been Aergs. distincta. once you have a mature plant and bloom it, the differences between Aergs. splendida and Aergs. distincta are easy to see, both in the plant and in the flowers. Mature plants of Aergs. splendida have leaves up to a foot (30 cm) long, and though they’ll occasionally branch and

[1] it’s easy to see why the flowers of  Aerangis are likened to “birds in flight.”  the spur or nectary on Aerangis distincta  is 5–9 inches (13–23 cm) long. Grower:  botanica Ltd. [2] A specimen Aerangis distincta demonstrating the modest size and beautiful  fan-shaped arrangement of foliage.  Grower: botanica Ltd.

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The Species and Natural Hybrids of Aerangis and Country of Origin Africa alcicornis appendiculata arachnopus biloba bouarensis brachycarpa calantha carnea × chirioana = (biloba × kotschyana) collum-cygni confusa coriacea distincta gracillima gravenreuthii hologlottis jacksonii kirkii kotschyana luteoalba var. luteoalba luteoalba var. rhodosticta maireae montana mystacidii oligantha somalensis splendida stelligera thomsonii ugandensis verdickii var. rusituensis verdickii var. verdickii Madagascar citrata concavipetala coursiana

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cryptodon decaryana divitiflora ellisii fastuosa fuscata hyaloides macrocentra monantha pallidiflora pulchella seegeri





Madagascar and Comoros articulata boutonii modesta mooreana rostellaris spiculata stylosa Madagascar and Réunion × primulina = (citrata × hyaloides) punctata São Tomé flexuosa Comoros hariotiana hildebrandtii humblotii Annobón megaphylla



produce a new plant, it is not as common. Mature plants of Aergs. distincta are fan shaped, will branch and form clumps and are a beautiful sight even out of bloom. Their leaves though rarely exceed 6 inches (15 cm). Both species have large, similarly sized flowers, the sepals and petals of Aergs. splendida being more uniform in size, pure white with loose coiling spurs. Aerangis distincta has long lateral sepals; longer than the dorsal sepal and at least 3/8 inch (1 cm) longer than the petals. The sepals, petals and spur are almost always tinged with salmon-pink at the tips, and the spur is nearly straight. We have some plants that are more strongly colored salmon-pink than others; there is some variation, but all are beautiful! We have specimens of both Aergs. distincta and Aergs. splendida from Isobyl la Croix. Because Isobyl and the late Joyce Stewart originally described both species, we’ve called on Isobyl for expert information. We asked her to help us provide a key of things to look for to tell the difference between them, especially when looking at an immature, out-ofbloom plant. She replied, “There is a big difference in the leaves of the two species. In Aergs. distincta, the leaves are almost triangular in shape, widest at the apex and with deep lobes diverging from each other. They are olive green and slightly ridged and usually dotted with black. Aerangis splendida has glossy, dark green leaves, not so deeply divided and with the lobes rounded. They are widest a bit below the apex and can grow up to a foot (30 cm)

long or perhaps more, in fact they are not too unlike Phalaenopsis leaves.” In our experience reproducing these two species, we’ve had success with a selfing of Aergs. splendida and an outcross of Aergs. distincta. We had good germination of the seed of both, but whereas the Aergs. distincta thrived, the Aergs. splendida stalled out as protocorms. The Aergs. distincta have been replated and some are now growing on cork plaques in the greenhouse. We made many adjustments to the growing media in the lab and finally found something the Aergs. splendida like, but they are months (if not years) behind the Aergs. distincta, though both species germinated about the same time. We mentioned this to Isobyl and she related similar experience with her seedlings of Aergs. splendida, and we concur that this, in part, is why Aergs. distincta is more widespread in cultivation. Aerangis distincta is known only from Malawi. Isobyl notes that plants from the northern region of Malawi flower in the wild in March and April, and those from the central and southern regions flower in November and December. In cultivation, these differences persist. In the northern hemisphere the northern plants still flower in the winter (November and December) and the central and southern plants flower in the spring and early summer (May and June). Our plants, here in Montana, bloom consistently in July and August. Malawi, the home of Aergs. distincta, lies between 9 and 18 degrees south latitude and ranges from 200 to 9,900 feet (60–3,000 m) elevation with an average of 30 inches (90 cm) annual rainfall. A great portion of Malawi is the Great Rift Valley, and to the east of the valley is

Lake Malawi. The climate is hot in the low-lying areas in the south and temperate in the northern highlands. The altitude moderates what would be an otherwise equatorial climate. Between November and April the temperature is warm with equatorial rains and thunderstorms, with the storms reaching their peak severity in late March. After March, the rainfall rapidly diminishes and from May to September wet mists float from the highlands into the plateaus, with almost no rainfall during these months. The rains are slightly later in the north than in the south. In the south, the heaviest rain is usually in January and February, while in the north, March is usually the wettest month. There is variation from year to year of course, but this does have an impact on a specific plant species like Aerangis distincta growing in different regions. HOPE FOR SURVIVAL In our work with rare and endangered angraecoids, it’s always a relief to find one that has been grown and reproduced successfully ex situ! Aerangis distincta is not exactly widely available, but it can be found for sale

eric LA crOix 

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[3] the flowers open flat and can be up to 3  1/2 inches (9 cm) across and are tinged  with salmon-pink. Grower: botanica Ltd. [4] After just a day or two, the petals begin to  reflex (point backward). they have a light  gardenia-like fragrance; strongest after  dark. Grower: botanica Ltd. [5] After several days, the petals will be completely reflexed — very interesting from  above. Grower: botanica Ltd [6] in malawi, Aerangis distincta is found  growing on tree trunks and small  branches in riverine or evergreen forest,  typically near a river, usually between  3,300 and 5,800 feet (1,000–1,750 m),  but occasionally lower. 

(and this cannot be said of all Aerangis). Continued efforts in quality propagation, correct labeling of species and education are paramount for species survival. What can YOU do? Pick a threatened species orchid (and there are plenty of them) and work to keep it alive and protected, both

An Aerangis Compendium Isobyl la Croix, author extraordinaire, is writing a new book, dedicated to the memory of Joyce Stewart, covering Aerangis. She plans to include information on how the species grow in the wild, and have several photographs illustrating each species; showing the whole plant as well as just close-ups of the flowers. The book is currently in the preliminary stages and will be published by Timber Press in October 2014. As this is a “specialty book”, Timber Press will be setting up a dedicated website where people can sign up to pre-order it. We thoroughly enjoy Isobyl’s style of writing and highly recommend her books and articles. If you like Aerangis and want to know more about them, this book will most certainly be a “must-have!” Watch for advertising in Orchids and the Timber Press website (www.timberpress.com).

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7 [7] Notice the strongly triangular, deeply lobed leaves of Aerangis distincta. Grower: botanica Ltd. [8] Aerangis distincta leaves are slightly ridged and usually dotted with black. Grower: botanica Ltd. 

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in collections and in its native habitat; and encourage others to do the same. Share pollen, seed and information!

REFERENCES la Croix, I. 1987. NAME, Kew Bull. 42: 217 la Croix, I., and E. la Croix. 1997. African Orchids in the Wild and in Cultivation. Timber Press, Portland, OR. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Kew. http:// apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi.

Acknowledgments We’d like to thank Isobyl la Croix for sharing her wealth of information, insight, plant photos, her excellent books and articles and her personal communication over the years. Thanks also to Marion Allen (Chair; The Rocky Mountain Judging

Center) for researching AOS awards for us and to Julian Shaw (Registrar; The Royal Horticultural Society) for providing us registration information. Brenda Oviatt is an artist and Bill Nerison is an architect. They live on the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana (a corner of paradise) with their daughter Marisa, son Tristan and an assortment of animals. They’ve been growing orchids together for 30 years and in that time have grown in many settings. For the last 10 years, their orchid growing has focused on the ex situ propagation of endangered angraecoids and the education of hobbyists and growers (website www.botanicaltd.com).

How to Grow Aerangis distincta CULTURE We tell growers, especially novices, that it’s usually easier to grow orchids in pots rather than mounted; primarily because mounted ones dry out more quickly (thereby requiring more consistent care). There are, however, a few plants that seem best suited to mounts. We feel that Aerangis distincta is one of them. We grow them both ways and our potted ones never look as healthy or vibrant as the mounted ones. When we looked at our potted ones recently, we chuckled. They have the look of plants trying to escape their pots, and this seems to be the case no matter how free-draining the medium is and how comfortable it seems they should be. Also, like Phalaenopsis, Aerangis resent water sitting in their crown and this can happen more easily when they are potted. Good air movement and watering early in the day can prevent this problem. LIGHT There is an ideal range of light in which Aergs. distincta will grow and bloom well. In too low light, they will grow fine, and if you’re content with a beautiful plant that doesn’t bloom, this will suffice (they are nice to look at even when out of bloom and that can’t be said for all orchids). Intermediate light levels are best; our best plants are in an area that ranges from 400 to 900 footcandles, depending upon time of year. They grow well, bloom well and look good. They are also tolerant of considerably more light but will look less vibrant, often a bit desiccated, and the rich green leaves tend to yellow. Despite this appearance, often they will continue to bloom satisfactorily. TEMPERATURE In our greenhouse, plants get a range of 55 F (13 C) as a low in the winter and occasionally in excess of 96 F (36 C) in the summer. We’ve not found Aergs. distincta to be as picky about their temperature range as some of the Aerangis, which makes them easier to cultivate. As we write this, our outdoor temperatures have been in the mid–high 90s (35–37 C), with greenhouse temperatures in close proximity. Our oldest Aergs. distincta is in full bloom and has not suffered the same bud loss that some Aerangis will with a spike at these temperatures. With increased temperatures, our humidity also drops nearly to single digits with little effect on these plants or flowers. We’ve also had the occasional drop to as low as 40 F (4.5 C) without damage, though we’re sure they don’t want this on a regular basis. WATER/FERTILIZER For those using water high in total dissolved solids, reverseosmosis water is preferable, especially for mounted plants. We use half strength or less fertilizer and a periodic flush with clean water. We rotate fertilizer formulas and always provide micronutrients. Unlike some Aerangis (i.e., Aerangis verdickii), a pronounced dormancy does not seem to be required for Aergs. distincta. We’re at 47 degrees north latitude and we experience a slowdown in growth during the winter months with all plants, but we watch the root tips of Aergs. distincta, and if there is a visible growing tip, we continue with our regular watering regimen. Aerangis distincta has a vigorous, midsized root system for an Aerangis, and they must be allowed to dry between watering. We have a spot where the mounted plants are very happy and we don’t move them seasonally as with some orchids. They are joined with their neighbors and seem to like it that way.

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Paphiopedilum in China Part VII: Subgenus Paphiopedilum Section Barbata by holger Perner unless otherwise noted images by holder Perner

Paphiopedilum purpuratum was the first slipper orchid collected in china 534  orchids sePtember 2013

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JOHAnn BlAETTlEr

PaPhioPedilum aPPletonianum (Gower) Rolfe 1896 “Further, our new species has staminode differences from the former two species somewhat difficult to describe, but ascertainable with the kodachrome camera.” So wrote Jack Fowlie (1987), when he described a new species, Paphiopedilum hainanense. The other two species he referred to were Paphiopedilum appletonianum and Paphiopedilum wolterianum, the latter generally, and most justifiably so, regarded a synonym of Paph. appletonianum. A couple of weeks prior to his publication, Fowlie was shown the Paph. hainanense plant by Harold Koopowitz, who had brought the potted specimen along to a meeting of the orchid digest Publication Committee (Koopowitz pers. communication; Koopowitz 2011 for further details). Harold had gotten this plant from Emerson “Doc” Charles, who had it recently imported via Hong Kong. The plant’s origin was said to be Hainan, the large tropical Chinese island in the South China Sea. Harold regarded the Chinese plant as just a colorful form of the well-known Paph. appletonianum. Fowlie agreed, but still asked whether he could have the specimen. Gladly, Harold complied; after all, he could get more of them from Doc Charles. He even provided a color slide. To his surprise he found the formal description of Paphiopedilum hainanense, based on the plant he gave Fowlie and illustrated with his slide, in the very next issue of orchid digest. Jack Fowlie sometimes went to great lengths in his challenge to be on the forefront of Paphiopedilum research, indeed. Being a designated splitter, i.e., someone who focuses on separating characters and subsequently recognizes a considerable number of species in a given group, he published quite a lot of new taxa. However, Paph. hainanense is based solely on leaves that are more contrasting, flowers that are more colorful and a staminode “somewhat” different from some (but on no account all) specimens of Paph. appletonianum originating elsewhere. Leonid Averyanov extensively studied Paph. appletonianum populations in Vietnam (Hainan island lies 200 miles [320 km] off the coast of Vietnam) and could demonstrate a high variability within the species (Averyanov et al. 2003), which confirms that Paph. hainanense is fully embedded in Paph. appletonianum, and thus nothing but a synonym that is often arbitrarily applied to any more colorful Paph. appletonianum cultivars with nicely marked leaves, regardless of their

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origin. Additional synonyms of Paph. appletonianum published in China are Paphiopedilum tridentatum S.C. Chen, Z.J. Liu & J.Y. Zhang 2001, Paphiopedilum angustifolium R.F. Guo & Z. J. Liu 2002 and Paphiopedilum puberulum S.P. Lei & J. Y. Yang 2002. On Hainan, Paph. appletonianum occurs in the southwest of the central mountains at altitudes around 3,300 feet (1,000 m). It grows as a terrestrial in humus-rich soil of primary and secondary forests with granitic bedrock and flowers in late winter to early spring. The species is also found in southwestern Guangxi (Fu et al. 2002) and in southeastern Yunnan

[1] Paphiopedilum appletonianum in the wild on Southwest Hainan, January 2012, elevation approximately 3,300 feet (1,000 m). [2] Paphiopedilum appletonianum ‘Pride of Chantaburi’ at the All Japan Orchid Society show, Tokyo 2012. Grower: Etaro Sekino. [3] Typical Paph. appletonianum from Hainan. Grower: Hengduan Mts. Biotechnology.

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5 [4] specimen plant of Paph. appletonianum from the Chinese mainland. Grower: hengduan mts. biotechnology. [5] Close-up of a Paph. appletonianum cultivar from hainan Island.

(Liu et al. 2009, Xu et al. 2010), where it occurs at altitudes from 1,000 to 4,000 feet (300–1,200 m) in forests. The species is confined to areas with mild winters and needs to be kept warmer in winter than most other Chinese paphiopedilums. Like such species as Paphiopedilum callosum (not found in China) it is initially an easy grower but seems to exhaust itself relatively fast after a few flowering seasons and easily declines. Some extra care with 536  ORChIDs sEpTEmbER 2013

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frequent repotting (every 6–12 months) and extensive flushing of the substrate every few weeks to avoid the build-up of waste products and salts helps to keep the plants healthy and can lead to impressive specimen plants. However, producing seedlings to renew your stock, either by engaging a laboratory or doing it yourself, is a good policy to ensure its ongoing presence in a collection. It seems to me that, unlike most Paphiopedilum species living on cliffs and attaining many decades of age, many of those species that live as terrestrials on forest floors seem to have a rather short life cycle. They rarely form large clumps and might not live to an old age. Unlike their lithophytic and epiphytic cousins they probably don’t “hang on”

Paphiopedilum venustum (Wallich ex Sims) Pfitzer 1888 Until 1820 the horticultural world in the West only knew about the cypripediums of Europe, Siberia and North America. But in 1816 the Danish surgeon and botanist Nathaniel Wallich, born in Copenhagen in 1786 and died in London in 1854, while working in India for the British East India Company, received a new type of slipper orchid from the mountains around Sylhet (today northernmost Bangladesh). He was the superintendent of the East India Company’s Botanical Garden at Calcutta. Wallich named the plant Cypripedium venustum without publishing it, and had a collection of it in cultivation in Calcutta. In 1819 the nursery of Messrs. Whitley, Brames and Milne at Fulham (today part of South West London, England) imported living plants from the Botanic Garden in Calcutta. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, purchased a plant in November 1891 and flowered it soon after. A quick drawing was made while the flower still wasn’t fully expanded, and the new species published by John Sims (1820). Today, Curtis’s Botanical Magazine is

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much and easily succumb to unfavorable conditions, to be quickly replaced by seedlings nearby (see also KingdonWard’s observation of Paphiopedilum wardii cited below). Unfortunately, to my knowledge, no ecological research has been conducted yet on forest-floordwelling paphiopedilums to confirm or reject this theory. As previously noted, Paph. appletonianum is a rather variable species that has accumulated a number of synonyms. The horticultural trade generally encourages the continuance of these synonyms. It is obviously better to sell to a customer several different specimens of one true species under a couple of different names than just one or two plants. And collectors are always happy to have a broad range of different strains of a certain plant in their collection, better so if they happen to have different species names. Consequently, several of these synonyms will certainly linger on in horticulture. Aside from some really exceptionally dark clones of Paph. appletonianum, which apart from clonal names certainly don’t deserve scientific recognition, there is a nearly albinistic (semialbum) form in cultivation with tiny dark spots on the petals, as well as a true album form, Paph. appletonianum f. album Asher ex Gruss 2000, which is an attractive and desirable plant.

the oldest horticultural magazine and still published by Kew; Sims was then the editor. In the text Sims explains that, after the drawing was made, the flower became upright with an erect dorsal sepal and outstretched petals. There must have been some excitement about this new, never-seen-before type of slipper orchid at Kew — at least the premature drawing suggests this. The following year, 1821, saw the publication of the second species, Paphiopedilum insigne, from the mountains around Sylhet under the name Cypripedium insigne Wallich ex Lindley. Again Wallich had provided the specimen, this time sent by him personally to the Botanic Garden in Liverpool. William Cattley, made immortal in the orchid world by having the genus Cattleya named after him, received a specimen in flower from the botanical garden and made it available to John Lindley, who adopted the name informally given to it by Wallich and published it in his work on Cattley’s plant collection, Collecteana Botanica. Paphiopedilum venustum, together with Paph. insigne, opened the door for European horticulturists to the exciting world of subtropical and tropical slipper orchids. Interestingly the two species do occur together in some localities, but Paph. venustum grows as a terrestrial at the base of cliffs and Paph. insigne grows lithophytically higher up on the cliff (Pradhan 1975). According to Udai C. Pradhan, at such localities, hybrid swarms can be observed. Ganesh Mani Pradhan (Pradhan 1974) had reported in detail about the distribution and general ecology of Paph. venustum in northeastern India and adjacent regions. According to him, the distribution center of the species is in the state of Meghalaya, just north of the border with Bangladesh, and south of Assam. According to Liu et al. (2009), the populations in China are found in Dingjie County (Dinggye), South Tibet and Motuo County (Medog), southeastern Tibet, where they grow in humus-rich sites in thickets and forest margins at altitudes from 3,600 to 5,250 feet (1,100–1,600 m). Paphiopedilum venustum has vividly tessellated leaves; usually the bright green blotches among the dark green ones are bordered with whitish margins. This makes the mottling quite unique and is otherwise only seen in some specimens of Paph. wardii, and occasionally in a few Paphiopedilum sukhakulii (the latter not found in China). The flower is absolutely unmistakable. The venous pouch of near morbid charm is its hallmark. The

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spreading petals with their somewhat widened, round tips are usually more or less boldly spotted. From above the petal center toward the tips an interesting coloration in red tones from pinkish, over brownish pinkish to orange tones, or rarely even intensive dark raspberry tones, gives Paph. venustum a truly unique appearance. Although the whitish dorsal sepal with the green stripes is typical for most paphiopedilums in this section, and rather invariable in this species, the flowers otherwise do vary enormously. That makes Paph. venustum quite a rewarding collector’s item, and having a dozen or two of different clones in all their variability on your bench is real fun. In the shared greenhouse of Harold Koopowitz

[6] Paphiopedilum appletonianum can be found in wooded mountain regions in the southwest of Hainan. [7] A very good cultivar of the rare Paphiopedilum appletonianum f. album Asher ex Gruss. Grower: Nejboscha Popow.

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and Norito Hasegawa in California, I saw such a collection of different forms in the flowering season of Paph. venustum in late winter and early spring. It is not surprising that such variability has led to many names over the last two centuries. Most of these taxa have the rank of variety; however, two, Paphiopedilum pardinum (Rchb. f.) Pfitzer 1894 and Paphiopedilum qingyongii Z.J. Liu & L.J. Chen 2010, are synonyms at the species level. None of the taxa have scientific standing because they simply fall within the considerable variability of Paph. venustum. Only one form deserves recognition, Paph. venustum f. measuresianum (hort.) Braem 1998, which is the album form (incorrectly called Paph. 538  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

venustum var. ablum horticulturally). Once rare, this attractive white, green and yellow form is now common in cultivation due to extensive line breeding. The rest of the remarkable variability within Paph. venustum opens a wide field for clonal names, which is important in judging and further breeding. Interesting brightly colored forms with lots of orange can be achieved by crossing certain dark forms with the album form. Growing Paph. venustum under cool conditions during the winter and intermediate to warm temperatures in the summer is relatively straightforward and doesn’t seem to require any unusual precautions, at least not in our nursery in Chengdu, Sichuan.

[8] the markings and coloration of Paph.  venustum are unique. Grower: michiko  mineta.  [9] An excellent specimen plant of Paph. venustum f. measuresianum presented and  awarded at the All Japan Orchid society  annual show in tokyo 2012. Grower:  michiko mineta.  [10] A vividly spotted Paph. venustum.  Grower: harold Koopowitz. [11] A very intensely colored Paph. venustum. Grower: Norito hasegawa.  [12] Paphiopedilum venustum ‘Asahina’.  Grower: Katsuhiro roboshi.  [13] due to the rich patterns, the albinistic  form, Paph. venustum f. measuresianum,  is quite attractive. 

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Paphiopedilum purpuratum (Lindley) Stein 1892 This was actually the third paphiopedilum imported into Europe. John Lindley first published it in 1837 as a Cypripedium. He had to rely on the information given to him by the importer Joseph Knight (1778–1855), proprietor of Royal Exotic Nursery (later King & Perry), Chelsea. Knight, who in all likelihood had imported the plant from Hong Kong, stated it was from the Malayan archipelago. That he wasn’t shy of cheating people becomes apparent when looking into the scandal his book on Proteaceae caused; it was titled On the cultivation of plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae and published in 1809. In it a large number of Protea (sugarbush) species were published under Knight’s name but based on plant names the eminent Scottish botanist Robert Brown (1773–1858) introduced in a reading at the Linnean Society in London earlier in 1809. When Brown finally published the names in 1810 he was beaten for the authorship by Knight. While stealing authorship for plant names is quite unique and not very common today, giving false provenance for newly introduced plants, in particular orchids, is practiced today as it was in the past. During part of the importation of this new plant from Hong Kong, it was sold to the well-established Loddiges Nursery. Here a flowering plant was drawn by the botanical artist Sarah Ann Drake, who lived in the household of John Lindley. Drake’s drawing formed the base for the publication of Cypripedium purpuratum in Edward’s Botanical Register in 1837 by John Lindley, who only knew the drawing and didn’t see any plant material. This drawing, printed alongside the description, became the lectotype of the species over 150 years later, because no authentic herbarium material could be deposited by Lindley. Because it was growing in the compact Crown Colony of Hong Kong, it didn’t take long for botanists to find this showy slipper orchid. In 1851 Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach published it as Cypripedium sinicum, but soon realized that it was identical with Lindley’s concept of Cyp. purpuratum. He subsequently accepted Lindley’s taxon as the valid name. In 1892 Berthold Stein (1847–1899) transferred this, and many other species, into the newly established genus Paphiopedilum. It was long thought that Paph. purpuratum was endemic to Hong Kong and directly adjacent parts of the Chinese mainland. However, today we know that the species is distributed in a narrow line

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along coastal areas from Hong Kong to Guangxi in the west and farther into the hinterland of southeastern Yunnan and adjacent northern Vietnam. The species is also reported from Hainan Island, where it is rare. In 2001 I coauthored Paphiopedilum purpuratum var. hainanense F.Y. Liu et Perner, based on a collection made on Hainan. However, the material from Hainan does not differ sufficiently for scientific recognition from that of Paph. purpuratum from other locations and is therefore to be regarded as a synonym of Paph. purpuratum. Another synonym is Paphiopedilum aestivum Z.J. Liu et Y. Zhang 2001. Rudolf Jenny recently published a comprehensive treatment of Paph. purpuratum in botanical history (Jenny 2009). The habitat range of Paph. purpuratum is quite wide. It grows in the shade of forests and bamboo thickets, but also on exposed mountain slopes and in sunlit areas of forest floors (Barretto et al. 2011). It is found on bedrock consisting of sandstone, granite or limestone in friable loam, in leaf litter or in moss at altitudes from 100 to 4,900 feet (30-1,500 m). The plant usually grows as a terrestrial, but

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[14] Paphiopedilum purpuratum was the first slipper orchid collected in China. [15] The albinistic form of Paph. purpuratum is one of the rarest of slipper orchids. [16] The illustration of the type specimen, published as early as 1837 in Edward’s Botanical Register, is the lectotype of Paph. purpuratum.

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can be also found as a lithophyte, and is rarely epiphytic in moss at the base of trees and shrubs. Though this summary of literature data seems to indicate a wide range of conditions at the roots of Paph. purpuratum, I would guess, from a plant ecologist’s point of view, that the species should usually be found at a rootzone pH of around 6, whether it is with limestone or sandstone bedrock. Like Paph. venustum it doesn’t seem to be very complicated in cultivation and does well with the usual treatment for Chinese paphiopedilums, with cool winters and intermediate to warm summers, though, like Paph. appletonianum it is not always long-lived. It does best in open shade, i.e., under light conditions typically given to mottled-leafed paphiopedilums. In our greenhouse the plants flower in August. According to Liu et al. (2009) the populations in Yunnan and Guangxi flower from June to September and in Guangdong, Hainan and Hong Kong, from October to January. Generally the species expresses little variability and only one form can be justifiably regarded valid, Paph. purpuratum f. album Gruss et Koopowitz 2008. However, this album form is extremely rare and only one cultivar seems to have ever been found. Part of it was grown in Taiwan, another part in Japan. To the best of my knowledge this cultivar is extinct in cultivation, but seedlings have been produced by mating the regular form with the album cultivar. Most likely, all resulting seedlings will have fully pigmented flowers, but selfings or sibling crosses of these seedlings should result in a certain percentage of albinistic cultivars. It will take a few years before we will see whether the albinistic form can be recreated. Paphiopedilum wardii Summerhayes 1932 The last of the great British plant hunters, Francis Kingdon-Ward (1885– 1958) is memorialized in the name of this slipper orchid from northern Myanmar (Burma) and adjacent China. In 1911 Kingdon-Ward discovered a Cypripedium above the Salween River (Nu Jiang) in southeastern Tibet, in the area where Tibet and Yunnan border Myanmar. This plant was named Cypripedium wardii by Rolfe in 1913. In 1931 he managed to introduce a different slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum wardii, into cultivation in England. He had collected it on January 1, 1931 (date on the herbarium sheet of the type at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), just about 100 miles (160 km) to 540  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

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the west-southwest, on the eastern slope above the Nam Tsang Hka (Tsiang River), a tributary of the Mali River in northern Myanmar (northern Burma). However, he had seen and collected a single flower of this species at the same site much earlier, in late November of 1922, only to lose it on the way back to the camp. In a posthumous publication, KingdonWard (Kingdon-Ward 1960:109–116) recalls details of his discovery of Paph. wardii. That he had taken a photo of the plant he didn’t mention, but his photo was later published by Senghas and Schoser (1965). Kingdon-Ward wrote this: We had toiled up the long slope from the flat valley of the Tsiang, a tributary of the Mali Hka, to the

[17] Paphiopedilum wardii f. album with  relatively wide flowers. Grower: masahiro  saito.  18] Paph. wardii ‘Nishida’. A specimen plant  with good flower shape grown by shi-ichi  Nishita.  [19] A more compact type of Paph. wardii f.  album. Grower: hengduan mts. biotechnology.  [20] An interesting semialbum type of Paph.  wardii. Grower: tokyo Orchid Nursery.  [21] paph. wardii ‘Nishida’, close-up.  [22] the large and full flower of Paph. wardii  ‘riverside’ demonstrates the direction of  Japanese line breeding in this species.  Grower: masahiro saito.

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divide. The last few hundred feet were steep, and I halted a short distance below the crest to draw breath. Staring into the forest, not looking for anything in particular, I noticed a number of large scattered rocks. Suddenly my eyes lit on a plant with leaves mottled and blotched like a python, light seagreen and dark seaweed-green, from between which sprang an erect stem ending in a single glossy flower... I saw only a single flower, and collected it. Then I tossed it into the collecting-basket I carried. The basket was already nearly full, but I crammed the orchid in. Alas, when we reached the camp a couple of hours later nothing remained of it but a tattered and mutilated corolla. It was torn to shreds, and really there was nothing left to press. Thus a promising orchid was lost to my collection that year. But I never forgot where it grew. Kingdon-Ward didn’t give up and looked for it on subsequent expeditions, but failed to find the plant again out of its winter flowering season. Finally, in winter 1930, on yet another expedition to northern Myanmar he succeeded in finding the plant: Crossing the Mali-Tsiang divide north-east of Hkamti Long just after Christmas, I went straight to the spot where the slipper orchid grew. To my delight I found the rocks thickly covered with the mottled leaves: a large colony had sprung up where eight years ago I had seen only an early pioneer. You couldn’t miss them. Many plants were in bud, a few in flower and I was able to prepare some good specimens and complete my earlier field notes. Eleven months later, when I passed the place for the fourth time, on our way back to Hkamti Long, the colony was flowering magnificently. I dug up a few dozen plants and pressed more specimens. The living plants were packed in moss, in bamboo baskets, and sewn up in cotton cloth, then posted to England by sea. They were out of the ground for two months. Cypripediums have no pseudobulbs in which to store water, so it was no small triumph that several of them lived to flower at Kew. Kingdon-Ward returned to the site of his Paph. wardii colony in 1937. It was December and the plants should have www.AOS.Org    september  2013  Orchids  541

been in flower or bud, alas he found not a single one. He concluded that the colony was extinct and expected the reason to lie in some changes in the soil or a short life span (he estimated the colony in total was about 20 years old at disappearance). However, he found another colony some 30 miles farther south. In a Gardener’s Chronicle article (May 1932) KingdonWard mentioned having found Paph. wardii in most of the area west of the Tamai River and in the river valley itself. After Kingdon-Ward’s introduction of the plant into cultivation further collections did not occur and all specimens in cultivation came from that single introduction. It was in 1981 that Fred Tien Pe (Pe 1981), from Myanmar, announced in the Orchid Digest the rediscovery of Paph. wardii in Kachin State, northern Myanmar — the region where Kingdon-Ward had discovered it. Plants from the rediscovery were offered in the same issue by Ray Rands for $295. In 1987 Buddy Mark introduced the paphiopedilums of China in a comprehensive article in Orchid Digest and regarded Paph. wardii as a questionable Chinese species that would more likely be introduced into China from Myanmar through the horticultural trade. However, today it is listed in the Flora of China volume 25 as reliably occurring in Lushui County, western Yunnan. Liu et al. (2010) also report it from the southerly adjacent area northwest of Baoshan. Both lie east of the Gaoligong Mountains and proximally east of the Salween River. According to information from various sources in China, Paph. wardii is also found west of the Salween River in the Gaoligong Mountain area, i.e., directly adjacent to the populations in Myanmar. In cultivation, the plant is rather easy, and will do reasonably well even on a windowsill. It dislikes being too dry between waterings during the active growing season from late spring to autumn. Such conditions readily attract false spider mites. Similar to Paph. purpuratum, its closest relative, it requires modest light and the usual cool winter treatment with slightly reduced watering, followed by intermediate to warm summer conditions with ample watering. The best strains derived from line breeding can be found in Japan today, with large flowers, darker colors and broader segments in every subsequent generation. The albinistic form, Paph. wardii f. alboviride (Gruss & Roeth) Braem 1998, once rare, is now widely available through seed propagation. A quite interesting type appeared in seedlings raised by Andy Philips of Andy’s Orchids in San 542  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

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Diego, California. Here the fine spotting of the petals is replaced by an even chocolate-brown coloration. In 2007 another interesting new form, found on the eastern slopes of the Gaoligong Mountains, above the eastern bank of the Salween River in western Yunnan, was published as Paph. wardii f. ying-xiangii F.Y. Liu & Z.F. Zhao 2007. Although the leaves are typical of Paph. wardii, the flower, with purplish petals and lip, reminds one more of Paph. purpuratum and confirms the close relationship of the two species. Synonyms of Paph. wardii are Cypripedium wardianum E.W. Cooper 1951 (not to be confused with Cyp. wardii Rolfe 1913), Paphiopedilum microchilum Z.J. Liu & S.C. Chen

[23] Paph. wardii of the ‘chocolate’ strain,  bred by Andy philips, Andy’s Orchids.  Grower: hengduan mts. biotechnology.  [24] the close relationship to Paph. purpuratum is obvious in Paph. wardii f. yingxiangii. 

F. KiNgstON-Ward

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2001, Paphiopedilum burmanicum J. Y. Zhang & Z.J. Liu 2001, Paphiopedilum brevilabium Z.J. Liu & J.Y. Zhang 2001 and Paphiopedilum multifolium Z.J. Liu & J.Y. Zhang 2002. References

Sims, J. 1820. Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, volume 47. Mark, B. 1987 NAME Orchid Digest, 51(X), PAGE Flora of China, Vol. 25 Kingston-Ward, 1932. Gardener’s Chronicle, May 1932. Fowlie, J.A. 1987. NAME, Orchid Digest 51(3), PAGE Averyanov, L., et al. 2003 FIND REFERENCE Barretto, G., P.J. Cribb, and S. Gale. 2011. The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong. Kota Kinabalu and Hong Kong. Fu, L.K., T.Q. Chen, K.Y. Lang, T. Hong, Q. Lin, and R. Li. 2002. Higher Plants of China. Volume 13. Qingdao . Jenny, R. 2009. An Illustrated History of Paphiopedilum purpuratum. Orchid Digest 73(4):256–265. Kingdon-Ward, F. 1960. Pilgrimage for Plants. London . p. 109–116. Koopowitz, H. 2011. Jack Be Nimble. Orchid Digest 75(3):173. Liu, Z.J., S.C. Chen, L.J. Chen, and S.P. Lei. 2009. The Genus Paphiopedilum in China. Science Press, Beijing. Pe, F.T. 1981. A rediscovery of Paphiopedilum wardii Summerhayes. Orchid Digest 45(3):98–103. Pradhan, G.M. 1974. Paphiopedilum venustum (Wall.) Pfitz. Orchid Digest 38(5):195–198. Pradhan, U.C. 1975. A survey — Paphiopedilum venustum (Wall.) Pfitz. Orchid Digest 39(6):204–209. Senghas, K. and G. Schoser. 1965. Paphiopedilum sukakhulii. Die Orchidee 16:224–236. Xu, Z.H., H. Jiang, D.P. Ye, and E.D. Liu. 2010. The Wild Orchids in Yunnan .

Holger Perner is a plant ecologist trained in Germany and living in China since 2001. He works for the Huanglong National Park in Sichuan, southwest China. Together with his wife, Wenqing, he also runs a nursery and orchid laboratory in Chengdu. The company is registered with the national Chinese CITES authorities and conducts ex-situ orchid conservation by a proactive approach: artificially mass-

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propagating native orchids and marketing them internationally to mitigate collection pressure for the natural populations. Perner’s focus is on slipper orchids, which for the domestic market his laboratory and nursery is also raising the genera Phragmipedium and Mexipedium, but his attention has spread to include a wider range of terrestrial and epiphytic orchids. Besides propagating species he is an active breeder of hybrids, an international orchid judge and a frequent author. (email holger_perner@ hotmail.com).

[25] the first specimen of Paph. wardii  discovered and then lost, photographed  November 1922 by F. Kingdon-Ward. [F.  Kingdon-Ward] [26] Paph. wardii wild strain, mass-propagated from seed at hengduan mts.  biotechnology.  [27] Paph. wardii in its natural habitat in  West Yunnan. illustration from ‘the Wild  Orchids of Yunnan’, page 53.

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spotlight

In Search of the Star of Africa By Clare and Johan Hermans/Images by Johan Hermans except where noted

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2 [1] Lekgalameetse reserve, polokwane south Africa [2] the habitat of Angraecum stella-africae, Lekgalameetse reserve, polokwane south Africa

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In preparatIon for the 21st World orchid Conference (WoC) we traveled to south africa, mainly to discuss the exciting plans the local organizing team are preparing for the conference and show, which is to be held in september 2014. as a bonus we also had the wonderful opportunity to explore the exceptional orchid flora of this part of the world. the logo of the 21st WoC is Angraecum stellaafricae or the “star of africa,” and what could be more appropriate than to go in search of this rare and elusive species. the trip took us to the Drakensberg Mountains, one of the floral diversity hot spots of the world; its geographical location and different microclimates offer a multitude of plants, many of them found nowhere else. the Drakensbergs lie about 125 miles (200 kilometer) inland in parallel to the east coast of south africa and run for almost 620 miles (1,000 kilometer) northeast to southwest. a large part of the higher massif is a world heritage site known as the uKhahlamba–Drakensberg park. the Zulu name for the range means “barrier of spears” and the afrikaans name of “Drakensberg” or “Dragon Mountains” was given by the Dutch early settlers. the national park protects the immense variety of plant and animal life, the natural beauty of the landscape and ancient cave

paintings. this area was the origin of many garden plants now seen in the temperate parts of the world, mainly introduced during the middle of the 19th century and into the 20th century; including several Gladiolus, Nerine, Crocosmia, Agapanthus and Kniphofia. our main aim was to see some of the orchids, which are also wellrepresented; many are terrestrials and only found in these mountains. although the weather had been erratic and our local companions were not optimistic, we were looking forward to seeing many different species during the principal flowering season of January. our base was a spacious lodge in the Lekgalameetse nature reserve in the Wolkberg mountain range towards the northern end of the Drakensbergs near tzaneen in the Limpopo province. our local guides and companions included several of the organizers of the 21st WoC, all very experienced and enthusiastic orchid people. our lodgings were idyllic, surrounded by rich forest and overlooking an expansive valley. south african hospitality was immense with beautifully cooked meals, prepared by the different members of the team, forming the perfect background for nocturnal orchid reminiscences accompanied by carefully chosen local wines.

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5 [3] Disa patula var. transvaalensis, Luneberg  in the drakensberg near Wakkerstroom,.  mshlangampisa crater. [4] Satyrium longicauda on the sani pass in  the drakensberg. [5] the curious flowers of Habenaria epipactidea. [6] Disperis cardiophora photographed  on the sani pass in the drakensbergs  mountains of south Africa.

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Lekgalameetse means “the place of water,” which refers to its many rivers. The reserve is 72.27 square miles (18,718 hectare) in size and slightly off the beaten track, although the main tourist attraction of the Kruger National Park is only a few miles away. The reserve is popular with birders and butterfly specialists; more importantly it is also one of the few known localities of Angraecum stella-africae, but before our search for this elusive species began we explored for some more common local orchids. We met up with a group of local enthusiasts from the Wolkberg Orchid Society to explore the rich grassland and mountains of this region; their knowledge was invaluable in finding a great number of orchid treasures. Some of the open hillsides at higher altitude proved a perfect habitat for many terrestrial orchids. Here were the bright pink Disa patula var. transvaalensis and the very common but stunning Satyrium longicauda which has a color range between pure white and very dark pink. They often occurred together with the very unusual Disa versicolor, a widespread species with bright pink flower buds opening to red-brown flowers that go completely brown all too quickly; it is one of the few orchid species with flower buds far more attractive than its blooms. Disperis cardiophora inhabits the same grassland, it is locally common but only can be found in montane to subalpine altitudes in the Eastern Cape, Natal and Mpumalanga, and it is pollinated by oilcollecting bees. Habenaria epipactidea was another interesting find with its strange flowers; it is quite widespread in southern and eastern Africa at a variety of elevations. In the same meadow we also discovered many other interesting plant species including the scarce Aloe thompsoniae. The road margins were also rich orchid habitats; much of the region is now occupied by expansive cattle ranges but farmers generally leave a broad strip of land between the roadside and their barbwire fencing thereby creating an unintentional haven of untouched vegetation, rich in orchids and other wildflowers. Natural or managed fires occasionally sweep through the hills and clear the land of the thick build-up of parched grass thatch, thereby clearing the way for new vegetation, including many orchids. Members of the genus Eulophia are key species in this habitat; one of the most attractive was the vibrant yellow Eulophia odontoglossa. This cosmopolitan species occurs in many countries in central and southern Africa and is one of the easier www.AOS.Org    september  2013  Orchids  545

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9 [7] Bonatea boltonii photographed on the  road between Wakkerstroom and Nelspruit. [8] Eulophia odontoglossa growing along the  road to Nelspruit, south Africa. [9] Disa roseovittata is another orchid species found among the rich flora along  the road between Wakkerstroom and  Nelspruit. [10] Eulophia angolensis, dependent on  poorly drained wet areas, is threatened  by habitat destruction as swampy land is  drained. photographed near the end of  the drakensberg mountains.

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species to spot, with flower spikes reaching well above the grasses. Another yellowflowered species growing in similar habitat is Eulophia ensata; its inflorescences are more congested with flowers at the top lacking the red-orange marking on the lip. There are about 40 different eulophias in southern Africa, with many of them restricted to just a few localities. One of the rarest encounters of our trip was a small colony of Eulophia zeyheriana; it is only found in a few localities in this region. This species was found close to much larger colonies of the more common and similar Eulophia hians, which is very widely distributed throughout Africa and is also found in Madagascar; the main differences between the two are in the lip and spur: in E. zeyheriana the spur is very short at 0.079–0.118 inch (2–3 millimeter) and the lip has fleshy warty ridges whereas E. hians has a comparatively longer spur of 0.157–0.256 inch (4–7 millimeter) and the lip carries distinct toothlike crinkled lamellae. One of the great surprises was a magnificent plant of Bonatea boltonii on a roadside bank, just feet away from the busy passing traffic. Spotting orchids from a fast-moving vehicle is an essential skill to seeing terrestrial rarities! Bonatea boltonii is generally found in rocky conditions, so the roadside plant was a new habitat for the area. Bonateas are very similar to Habenaria but have fused lower petal lobes; lip and sepals at the base form the stigmatic process and they also carry a tooth at the front of the spur mouth. Vegetatively the species of Bonatea are quite different but once pressed a lot of them look very similar. The tall flower spikes with their striking large green and white flowers were a marvelous find. A little farther on was the equally striking and similarly rare pink-flowered Disa roseovittata again growing on a roadside bank. This time there were three plants in full bloom enjoying a rocky roadside habitat. The species was described only recently by the famous Douglas McMurtry in 2008 and is similar to Disa nervosa but has broader floral segments and a falcate shape to its petals; the type specimen came from the same area as the plants we found. In wetter boggy areas near to the road we also found some very memorable swathes of the yellow Eulophia angolensis in full bloom. Its habitat is under threat in some of these parts as the land is drained for building or road development. It is a widespread species in Africa and was first described by Reichenbach in 1865

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12 [11] While we tend to treat Stenoglottis species as semi-terrestrial in cultivation, here Stenoglottis zambesiaca clearly grows as an epiphyte on moss-covered trees and is often found on wet mossy rocks. [12] Aerangis verdickii grows as an epiphyte in drier areas of upland forest in the Drakensberg Mountains. [13] Polystachya ottoniana is often found in large colonies. This attractive species is not uncommon in cultivation.

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as Cymbidium angolense. With up to 40 flowers on a spike it quickly makes an impressive plant. Moving away from the grassland, we headed for the steeper slopes of the Drakensberg escarpment. Most of the slopes of the range have been farmed as commercial woodlands for many years but here and there parts of original forest remained in some of the steeper gullies. This fairly dense forest is the home of several unusual epiphytes. On a large tree trunk overhanging the steep hillside we were lucky to see Stenoglottis zambesiaca, in flower so early in the season. This is one of the more diminutive Stenoglottis species and is more commonly found on wet rocks and boulders; several small white-flowered Streptocarpus candidus were growing nearby. There were also large colonies of Polystachya ottoniana, which had come to the end of its flowering season. More unusual was Polystachya transvaalensis and the tiny Angraecum chamaeanthus. Several plants of Aerangis verdickii were spotted in drier patches of forest but by far the best colony was seen on a large tree in a local churchyard; all the main branches were festooned with plants, the sacred location plus a sturdy fence had obviously helped to keep plant collectors at bay! The steep ravines beckoned, so the next day we set off from our base in the Lekgalameetse Reserve to find the elusive Angraecum stella-africae. We had been warned that it was not easy to find and to see it in bloom would be even more unlikely. The start of the hike was at an idyllic spot close to a fairy-tale house of a local naturalist at the end of a long rough track just about reachable by four-wheel-drive vehicle. A steep path followed a stream into the ravine and then quickly ascended into a steep gorge where the unused path virtually disappeared. Initially the ascent was tough but passable, loose small boulders were a challenge to avoid falling over, but higher up the boulders became much larger and eventually became several meters tall and completely obstructed the way. Old wooden improvised ladders had obviously been helpful in the past but had rotted and had now become a hindrance. So the only way up was by holding onto small protrusions or tree stumps and hauling up the sheer cliff faces and boulders. As the ascent became steeper the climbing party also became smaller in number. Several hours later some managed to reach the top of the escarpment where the landscape opened up into a beautiful plateau of rough grassland dotted with rocky outcrops and www.AOS.Org

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[14-15] What began as an idyllic spot rapidly gave way to a steep gorge forged by small stream. Small rocks gave way to big rocks and then ultimately to large boulders. For the purpose of perspective, you can just make out in [12] part of our small party perched on a boulder to the left of the waterfall in the center of the image. [16-17] Angraecum stella-africae is the only species of Angraecum section Perrierangraecum on mainland Africa. It strongly resembles Angraecum rutenbergianum [17] from Madagascar and some populations are virtually indistinguishable. The remnant populations of Angraecum stella-africae and the elevation of its habitat suggests a common ancestor with Angcm. rutenbergianum. Angraecum stella-africae often self-pollinates. Note the dehiscing seed capsule below the flower and the green unripened capsule immediately behind this open flower.

single trees of the evergreen Englerophytum magalismontanum. This endemic tree is the main host of Angraecum stella-africae here and after some searching we finally found a few small plants of the orchid nestled amongst a matt of mosses and lichens. As predicted, the plants were not in flower but carried erect maturing seedpods, one old and brown, the second much fresher and green. Angraecum stella-africae is a fascinating species; it has been known for many years and is reported in the literature in the 1970s and ‘80s as Angraecum sp. Joyce Stewart et al. (1982) illustrate it as Angraecum sp. aff. Angcm. rutenbergianum; Stewart also mentions that plants had been found in Zimbabwe. The reference to Angraecum rutenbergianum is very appropriate as it closely resembles this species from Madagascar. Angraecum rutenbergianum is widespread at high altitudes in Madagascar and it is a very variable species with many forms and sizes of flower and plant. By 1983 Isobyl la Croix had also found the same plant in Malawi and Phillip Cribb (in la Croix, 1983) took the obvious step of describing it as a new species and named it the “Star of Africa.” It is the only species in the section Perrierangraecum on mainland Africa.

The resemblance of Angraecum stellaafricae to Angraecum rutenbergianum from Madagascar is undeniable and in some forms they are virtually identical but there are some differences mainly in the fact that Angcm. stella-africae is cleistogamous, which means that the flower often selfpollinates as soon as it opens; this also explains why it is very rare to find plants in bloom. Isobyl la Croix (1986, p. 277) speculated, from cultivated plants, that this self-pollination may be connected to air movement but it is more likely that evolution in pollination patterns is at play in this instance. The scattered distribution of the species is also intriguing, but if one joins the known isolated localities, almost 930 miles (1,500 kilometer) apart in Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa, one finds a remarkably straight line lying parallel with the distribution line of Angcm. rutenbergianum in Madagascar. In addition, the altitude at which Angcm. stella-africae grows, around 930 feet (1,500 meter), is also virtually equal to that of Angcm. rutenbergianum, which points toward a common ancestry. Unfortunately, Angm. stella-africae is very rare in cultivation and it is not known if it has been propagated from seed. Our search for plants in flower was

The 2st World Orchid Conference in South Africa The next World Orchid Conference (WOC) will be held September 10-14, 2014, in the Sandton area of Johannesburg. The WOC will celebrate its 21st birthday and we also understand that Tom Sheehan will also be celebrating a significant birthday in Africa. Although a few African orchid rarities will be in bloom, September is not the perfect time to see wild orchids in the Drakensberg or Johannesburg areas, but at this time the flowers of Namaqualand, near Cape Town, will be in full bloom and a sight to behold. There are very regular commuter flights to Cape Town and the WOC organizers will also be offering tours of the excitements of the Cape scenery, wine and flowers. An alternative is the famous Blue Train for a luxurious and leisurely trip between Pretoria and Cape Town. Apart from the World Orchid show and conference there are also many other attractions in and near Johannesburg; several of the major game parks, including the Kruger, are not that far away. Johannesburg at an altitude of 5,750 feet (1,750 m) has a pleasant climate with benevolent temperatures, bright days, cool nights (averages in September are 48.7 F (9.3 C) at night to 73 F (22.8 C) during the day) and a cool breeze. The show and conference will be held in the world-class Sandton Convention Centre, located in the heart of the upmarket business, shopping and hotel district. Sandton has a very relaxed feel, there are hotels of all standards and numerous restaurants to visit after the lectures have finished. A very efficient high-speed railway goes straight from the international airport to Sandton. The organizers are planning an impressive show and program of international speakers and seminars. There will be a number of social events plus the chance to see more of southern Africa on several organized tours. Installation starts on the afternoon of September 6, 2014. Judging is always a highlight, and a time for orchid connoisseurs to meet up and share their knowledge; this will take place on Tuesday, September 9. A grand gala dinner is planned for Saturday the 13th. The last African WOC was in Durban in 1981 and is still fondly remembered; since then South Africa has hosted numerous other world events including the football and rugby World Cup tournaments, major cricket matches, concerts and other cultural events. So do not miss the biggest world orchid show! Registration is now open on the 21st WOC website: www.woc21.org

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curtailed by the thick cloud that was swiftly moving in by midafternoon and started to envelop the mountain completely. So we started our descent surrounded by the mocking shrieks of local baboons echoing around the now damp and even more treacherous gorge. The way down was much quicker but also far more treacherous, the chance of slipping was greater and some of our orchid friends passed by at great speed and at an unplanned trajectory; it was slightly distracting to see one of the main organizers of the 21st WOC tumbling rapidly down the hill. To everyone’s relief and to the benefit of the next WOC he came to a sudden standstill amongst some shrubbery. Apart from some bruised ribs and egos we reached our lodgings without a major mishap; it was only later that we were told that the previous expedition had entailed some broken bones and far more dramatic misadventures! It is unlikely that any of the postconference tours of the forthcoming WOC will be as treacherous as this but they may well be as exhilarating. Clare Hermans is vice-chairman of the RHS Orchid Committee and responsible for recording awarded plants. Johan Hermans is Chairman of the RHS Orchid Committee and member of the AOS Conservation Committee.

18 [18] survivors! Finding Angraecum stella-africae not only in situ was every bit worth the trek.  Front left and right are Gerrit van ede and Anthony Grohovaz, two of the 21st WOc organizers with clare hermans at the back. 

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Paraphalaenopsis Bornean Jewels by robert fuchs/photographs, except as noted, by greg allikas

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the four species of Paraphalaenopsis [1] Paraphalaenopsis labukensis, from northern borneo described in 1981 [2] Paraphalaenopsis laycockii ‘roman sparkle’, aM/aos. grower: Joseph romans [3] Paraphalaenopsis denevei ‘orchidglade’, ccM/aos grower: Jones & scully [4] Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua ‘Whiskey hill’, cbr/aos grower: Millicent brown

white flowers are lightly dotted with pink; the distinctive lip is brightly marked with yellow and red and forked at the apex, giving the plant its common name, “serpent tongue.”

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EndEmic to thE island oF Borneo, the four species of Paraphalaenopsis are beautiful, interesting orchids that contribute many positive characteristics to their hybrids and are well worth growing in their own right. due to similarities in floral structure, the species were originally included in Phalaenopsis, but hawkes (1963) transferred the three thenknown species — Phalenopsis denevei, Phalaenopsis laycockii and Phalaenopsis serpentilingua — to the new genus Paraphalaenopsis. hybridizing began soon after the species were described and it became evident that, despite their floral similarities, Paraphalaenopsis did not breed with Phalaenopsis and, in fact have proven to be more closely related to other genera in the Vandae. the plants are morphologically quite distinct from Phalaenopsis. christenson (1998) summarizes these four species. all four have large, pendent to Robert Fuchs semierect terete leaves and produce pseudoumbellate rather than arched, branched inflorescences typical of Phalaenopsis. the dutch botanist Johannes Jacobus (J.J.) smith first described Paraphalaenopsis denevei in 1925. the species produces clusters of fragrant, greenish-yellow to tawny yellow-brown flowers, typically with a lighter picotee on the edges of the sepals and petals. the inflorescence can carry up to 15 long-lasting 2-inch (5-cm) flowers of heavy substance. Well-grown plants may have four to six terete, pendent leaves up to 30 inches (75 cm) long. Paraphalaenopsis laycockii is generally similar, with larger, 3-inch (7.5-cm) flowers typically whitish with a pale pink or mauve flush. the flowers are fragrant, although some find the odor unpleasant. this species is more common in cultivation than the other three. Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua is the smallest of the species although it is by no means a small plant. the fragrant

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Paraphalaenopsis labukensis is the largest species in the genus. It’s also the most recently described. The 2.5-inch (6.3-cm) purplish-brown flowers are fragrant of cinnamon, and the sepals and petals have a lighter, greenish picotee. The leaves can be up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length; even longer in well-cultivated plants. The first intergeneric hybrid, Pps. denevei × Vanda sanderiana, called Paravanda Jawaii was registered in 1938 by Atherton in Hawaii. Many of the subsequent hybrids were created in Java, including a number of primary crosses with Vanda and Papilionanthe species in the late 1930s and early 1940s. After the hiatus of World War II, additional hybrids with other vandaceous genera began to appear, many from breeders in Singapore. Currently there are more than 30 vandaceous hybrid genera that include one or more Paraphalaenopsis species. Paraphalaenopsis denevei is the species most widely used by hybridizers and has many positive characteristics, including fuller shape and better substance than the other species in the genus. Its negative characteristics include a short, crowded inflorescence and the overall size of the plant. Most hybridizers look for large flower size on compact plants, so breeding with members of this genus has to take into account the size of the leaves.

How to grow Paraphalaenopsis and its hybrids By Robert Fuchs The species’ habitats are low-elevation and equatorial, uniformly moist and warm to hot throughout the year with no distinct dry season. In cultivation, the species do well under conditions recommended for Phalaenopsis: warm temperatures with minimum night temperatures over 60 F (15.6 C), high humidity (50% or higher), no dry rest period and bright but indirect, subdued light. Because of their long, pendent terete foliage, the species are best grown in baskets or mounted. The hybrids with other vandaceous genera prefer higher light levels, similar to light conditions for most Cattleya alliance orchids (about 3,000 footcandles). Excellent air circulation is critical for these plants; they require regular watering but must not remain wet. Basket or slab culture is best in order to avoid a soggy medium.

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Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua brings its color and well-spaced inflorescence to its hybrids. The white flowers allow for cleaner, clearer colors in the progeny and, while the flowers are smaller than the other species, they are more evenly arranged on the inflorescence. Many Paraphalaenopsis hybrids produce short, crowded inflorescences, so better spacing of the flowers is a positive effect. Flower longevity is an important consideration for new hybrids. Unfortunately Pps. laycockii flowers only last a few days compared to the flowers of the other species, so crosses with this species must take that into account. Handsome as they may be, short-lived hybrid flowers are not generally an improvement. Paraphalaenopsis labukensis is a parent in several fairly recent and familiar hybrids. Many of its progeny have longlasting flowers of heavy substance. Dr. Tim W. Yam (1994) expertly discussed the early years of hybridizing with Paraphalaenopsis and the many intergeneric crosses produced using hybrids in the vandaceous alliance. His photographs show some beautiful, intensely colored flowers (particularly the hybrids with Renanthera in the mix), but most of these hybrids have few — if any — progeny. Perhaps some were reluctant breeders. Digging through hybrid and awards records for these crosses requires some diligence, as some were registered and awarded during the period when Paraphalaenopsis was included within Phalaenopsis for registration purposes; e.g., a hybrid genus we know today as Paravanda may be listed in the records as Devereuxara. The two genera were separated for registrations in mid-2002. Looking at the list of Paraphalaenopsis hybrids since Pv. Jawaii was registered in 1938, it’s clear that only a handful of these early crosses have been influential in modern breeding. Most of the hybrids registered were never used

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7 [5] Paraphalaenopsis Kolopaking ‘Crownfox’, HCC/AOS (laycockii × serpentilingua) Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [6] Paraphalaenopsis Kimmy ‘Crownfox’, AM/AOS (labukensis × denevei) Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [7] Paraphalaenopsis Ponce es Ponce ‘Alice Semke’, AM/AOS (labukensis × laycockii) Grower: Kurt Semke

for further breeding (or at least none of the results were registered). The most important ones are the primary hybrids Paraphalaenopsis Boediardjo (denevei × laycockii), Paraphalaenopsis Ponce es Ponce (labukensis × laycockii) and Paraphalaenopsis Kimmy (labukensis × denevei). These are the hybrids that form the foundation of current breeding with these very interesting orchids. These primary hybrids have impressive awards records from the American Orchid Society and other international organizations. There have been eight AOS awards to cultivars of Pps. Boediardjo, six awards to Pps. Kimmy and nine awards

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to Pps. Ponce es Ponce. However, the issue of plant size and crowded flowers remains. Paraphalaenopsis, whether species or hybrids, are large plants with often crowded, short inflorescences. “Modern” Paraphalaenopsis hybrids are, for the most part, the progeny of a very few primary and F2 intrageneric hybrids. Some breeders have tried crossing the species with more recent intergeneric

hybrids as well. Crossing Pps. Boediardjo (denevei × laycockii) back to Pps. denevei gives us Paraphalaenopsis Asean and crossing Pps. Boediardjo back to Pps. laycockii produces Paraphalaenopsis Nonito Dolera. Both of these hybrids appear as parents in other crosses and one cultivar of Pps. Asean has received two AOS awards: ‘Robert’s Ruby’ AM/ AOS and CCM/AOS. The hybrid of

[8] Paravanda. Redland Sparkler ‘Naranja Starburst’ HCC/AOS (Pps. Kolopaking × Vanda Madame Kenny) — 13 yellow flowers overlaid with red-orange. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [9] Paravanda Dato Anuar Bashah ‘Chili Pepper’ AM/AOS (Pps. Lenggeng × Vanda Dhongchai Pusavat) — 19 red-purple flowers on an upright inflorescence. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [10] Parastylis Seletar Jewel ‘Crownfox Pink Glow’ AM/AOS (Pps. laycockii × Rhychostylis coelestis) — 24 flowers on two inflorescences, pale pink with a dusting of fine, darker pink spots. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [11] Paravanda Marry Lim ‘Crownfox Sunrise’ AM/AOS (Pps. Boediardjo × Vanda Fuchs Golden Shiner) — butterscotch

flowers dusted with rust-red. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [12] Paravanda Crownfox Twinkle ‘Starburst’ AM/AOS (Pps. serpentilingua × Vanda falcata) — 12 creamy-white flowers. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [13] Pararenanthera Redland ‘Crownfox Inferno’ HCC/AOS (Pps. Boediardjo x Renanthera storiei) — 18 orange flowers with deep red markings. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [14] Paravanda Redland Stardust ‘Crownfox’ HCC/AOS (Pps. Asean × Vanda Sagarik Gold). Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [15] Paravanda Nadia Butler ‘Paul’s Passion’ HCC/AOS (Pps. laycockii × Vanda Meda Arnold) — an excellent arrangement of rose-pink flowers. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc.

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Pps. Boediardjo and Pps. labukensis is Paraphalaenopsis Eileen, also a parent of some notable hybrids. Progeny of Pps. Asean have been recognized with AOS awards as well. Paraphalaenopsis Asean crossed with Vanda Sagarik Gold (miniatum × curvifolium) is Paravanda Redland Stardust. Originally registered as an Asconopsis, cultivars of this hybrid have received two awards from the AOS and one from the South Florida Orchid Society. The cross of Pps. Asean with Vanda Crownfox Golden Dawn, Paravanda Crownfox Sun Splash, also has two awards from the AOS, ‘Orange Crush’ AM/AOS and ‘Pink Glow’ HCC/AOS. Paraphalaenopsis Nonito Dolera is a parent of several intergeneric crosses, one of which has received AOS flower-quality awards to date. Crossed with Vanda Yip Sum Wah, the result is Paravanda Maria Wood. Two cultivars, ‘Crownfox Plum Tart’ AM/AOS and ‘Pink Jubilee’ AM/ AOS, have been awarded under the old Paravandrum name. Many of the early intergeneric hybrids with Paraphalaenopsis used vandas or papilionanthes, the so-called terete vandas. More recent intergeneric hybrids with smaller-growing vandas (formerly ascocendas, ascocentrums and Neofinetia),

Vandachostylis, and Rhynchostylis have accomplished several important goals: the plants are more compact, the range of flower color has been greatly enlarged and the arrangement of the inflorescence has been improved. Examples of these newer hybrids include Paravanda Nadia Butler (Pps. laycockii × Vanda Meda Arnold), Paravanda Dato Anuar Bashah (Pps. Lenggeng × Vanda Dhongchai Pusavat), Paravanda Marry Lim (Pps. Boediardjo × Vanda Fuchs Golden Shiner), Paravanda Redland Sparkler (Pps Kolopaking × Vanda Madame Kenny), Sweetara Redd Kitty (Pps. Eileen × Vandachostylis Chili Padi), Parastylis Seletar Jewel (Pps. laycockii × Rhy. coelestis) and Paravanda Crownfox Twinkle (Pps. serpentilingua × Vanda falcata). Crosses with species or hybrids of Renanthera have resulted in spectacular color, if not significant reduction in the plant size. Renantheras bring the possibility of large, branched inflorescences to these hybrids. An excellent example of this line of breeding is Pararenanthera Redland (Pps. Boediardjo x Renanthera storiei).

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References Christenson, E. 1995. Sarcanthine Genera 20: Paraphalaenopsis. American Orchid Society Bulletin, 64(10):1108–1113. Yam, T. 1994. Breeding with Paraphalaenopsis. American Orchid Society Bulletin, 63(12):1358–1365.

Robert Fuchs is president of R.F. Orchids, Inc., and an AOS accredited judge. He was president of the 19th World Orchid Conference held in Miami, Florida. 28100 Southwest 182nd Avenue, Homestead, Florida 33030 (email [email protected]; website www.rforchids.com). Editor’s note: Recent years have seen numerous nomenclatural changes in the Orchidaceae. Most recently Ascocentrum and Neofinetia have been synonymized with Vanda, Papilionanthe (terete-leaved vandas) recognized as distinct from Vanda and reaffirmation of Paraphalaenopsis as a distinct genus. As a result, complex hybrid genus names have changed significantly. All Parafinetia (Paraphalaenopsis × Vanda) and Paravandrum (Paraphalaenopsis × Ascocentrum × Vanda) are now simply Paravanda (Paraphalaenopsis × Vanda). A discussion of the changes and a complete list of all affected genera can be found at http://aos.org/Default. aspx?id=689. Also, a complete listing of all orchid genera in current use in orchid hybrid registration can be found at http:// www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-science/ Plant-registration-forms/orchidgenus.

17 [16] Paravanda Maria Wood ‘Plum Tart’ AM/ AOS (Paraphalaenopsis Nonito Dolera × Vanda Yip Sum Wah) — Awarded in the summer of 2011 with 15 flowers and five buds well-displayed on a single inflorescence. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [17] Another cultivar of Pv. Maria Wood — ‘Pink Jubilee’ AM/AOS, awarded a year earlier with 16 flowers and two buds, illustrates the range of color saturation some of these hybrids have. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc. [18] Another cultivar of Paravanda Redland Sparkler, ‘Crownfox Orange Crush’ AM/AOS illustrates the high uniformity and floriferousness of this grex. When awarded there were 14 open flowers and one bud on a single inflorescence. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc

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Cattleya crispa The Sleeping Giant text And imAges by A. A. chAdwick

One Of the mOst pOpular orchids of the early 1800s was a charming largeflowered Cattleya species called Cattleya crispa. It was prized because it was so freeflowering and easy to grow at a time when orchids in general were considered difficult plants. It had fairly large, attractive flowers and a lovely fragrance. Best of all, it was available from commercial orchid houses. unlike Cattleya labiata and Cattleya maxima that you could only read about, with C. crispa, you could actually buy the plant, put it in your greenhouse, grow it and enjoy the flowers. Cattleya crispa was first imported into england in 1826 by the horticultural society of london. It had been sent to the society by sir henry Chamberlayne from rio de Janeiro where A. A. Chadwick it grew wild in the local mountain areas. It bloomed the year after it was imported in the stove house at the horticultural society’s Chiswick Garden with five beautiful flowers and it was an immediate sensation. the famous english botanist, John lindley, wrote a description of it in volume 14 (t 1172) of the Botanical Register for 1828. a picture of a red-lip variety by the artist sydenham edwards accompanied the description. lindley described the plant as “Cattleya crispa, the curled-petaled Cattleya.” lindley felt the crisping along the edges of the petals and lip was distinct enough and different enough to justify making C. crispa a new species. although C. labiata had been imported eight years earlier in 1818 to much excitement and botanical hype, C. labiata was a very rare plant. Only one private grower, William Cattley, plus the Glasgow Botanic Garden, had the few C. labiata plants that existed in europe and no one knew where to get any more. the other known large-flowered Cattleya species, C. maxima, only existed as dried specimens. there were no live plants at all. Commercial growers, however, knew where rio de Janeiro was, and they had 556  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

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no trouble finding and importing C. crispa in large numbers and the plant became the favorite cattleya of the first generation of orchid growers. Cattleya crispa grows naturally in the Brazilian state of rio de Janeiro and in southern minas Gerais where it is found growing on the branches of large trees and sometimes on rock outcroppings where natural forest still exists. It likes considerable sun, but its leaves and pseudobulbs do not normally show any purple tinting. unlike Cattleya lobata, (formerly Laelia lobata), which often grows in similar areas, C. crispa is not found on vertical rock faces. It grows from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (650–1,300 meters) in areas that receive almost daily mists and rains during the growing season. In the winter, when it is dormant, it is at times exposed to low temperatures occasionally approaching frost. Cattleya crispa is one of the showiest of the Brazilian cattleyas. although it does not have flowers as large and well shaped as Brazil’s most famous large-flowered species — C. labiata, Cattleya warneri and Cattleya purpurata — the flowers are produced in greater numbers so that the overall effect is often more impressive. Cattleya crispa normally has from five to seven flowers on an inflorescence, but can produce as many as 10 flowers on really well-grown plants. the flowers are 5–6 inches (12.7–15.2 centimeters) across and last in bloom over three weeks. Cattleya

[1]  A typical plant of Cattleya crispa  with 12 flowers in a 5-inch (12.7centimeter) pot shows why the  species is famous for its abundant  display of blooms. crispa flowers in midsummer in the united states and in february and march in its native Brazil. most varieties have white to light lavender-pink sepals and petals with a lavender lip that is hooked or rolled under at the tip. the lip can be very dark purple at times and there are also pink-lip varieties (horticulturally referred to as carnea forms). a particularly beautiful form is the famous and rare cultivar ‘Candidissima’. Other well-known cultivars include ‘Buchananiana’, which is larger and better shaped than normal, and which has a stunning dark purple lip. a painting of it by John nugent fitch was pictured in plate 81 of The Orchid Album for 1883. the cultivar ‘Cauwelaertiae’ had sepals and petals tinged with greenish yellow and a predominately yellow lip. the first plant awarded by the royal horticultural society (rhs) in england in 1872 was, not surprisingly, given a Certificate of Cultural Commendation for its great abundance of flowers. the rhs also recognized a cultivar called ‘superba’ with an award of merit (1892) and a first Class Certificate (1893); ‘superba’ was larger and better shaped than ‘Cauwelaertiae’, with a dark crimson-purple lip. Generally speaking, light-colored forms

come from areas adjacent to the Atlantic Coast, whereas darker-colored forms come from areas farther inland. Cattleya crispa was one of the favorite orchids used by the first hybridizers, John Dominy and John Seden of James Veitch & Sons Ltd., in the early days of orchid breeding. Dominy is said to have crossed C. crispa with Cattleya dowiana and Cattleya mossiae; Seden’s cross between C. crispa and Cattleya warscewiczii, called Cattleya (Laeliocattleya) Nysa (1891) was considered “one of the finest products of orchid hybridizing.” As late as 1923, the second president of the American Orchid Society, Fitz Eugene Dixon, thought so much of his cross between Cattleya lueddemanniana and C. crispa that he named it for his good friend and orchid authority, John E. Lager. As round flower shape became an overriding standard for fine cattleya hybrids, however, C. crispa ceased to be an important parent for breeding and it has seldom been used to make cattleya alliance hybrids since the 1950s. Like so many other Cattleya species, C. crispa has been the victim of endless botanical confusion over the past 160 years, which has often led to more than a little consternation on the part of horticulturists. Following John Lindley’s original description of the species in 1828 as a Cattleya, Lindley included the species as the first entry under Cattleya in his book, Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants (p. 116) in 1831. Things went well for a while, and Joseph Paxton included C. crispa as a Cattleya in his Magazine of Botany (5:5) in 1836. In 1842, Curtis’s Botanical Magazine published a detailed description (plate 3910), calling it the “crisp-flowered cattleya” along with a picture of a stunning five-flowered spike of flowers. The Botanical Magazine even said that C. crispa “may be among the most beautiful of a highly beautiful genus.” Cattleya crispa was clearly one of the most popular large-flowered Cattleya species of the mid-1800s. It was a plant everyone grew and loved, so when botanist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach lifted it out of the genus Cattleya and put it in Lindley’s new genus Laelia in 1853 because it had eight pollinia instead of the usual four, no one paid any attention to the change. The plant continued along happily in orchid circles as Cattleya crispa. As late as 1877, 24 years after Reichenbach made the change to Laelia, B.S. Williams in the fifth edition of his ever-present The Orchid-Grower’s Manual listed the plant as Cattleya crispa so growers would know

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what plant he was talking about. Warner and Williams were much less considerate of Reichenbach, however, in the second volume of their masterpiece, The Orchid Album, published in 1883 when they described a fine variety of C. crispa in plate 81. They said quite bluntly that they did not accept the change to Laelia: “We follow the original description of the species of the late Dr. Lindley, by retaining it in Cattleya.” It is interesting to note that although he established the genus Laelia based on eight pollinia, Lindley never described C. crispa as a Laelia in any of his works even though he said it had eight pollinia. Williams still showed C. crispa under the genus Cattleya in the seventh and last edition of The Orchid-Grower’s Manual, published in 1894, and the whole horticultural world knew it only by that name. Unfortunately for everyone, James

[2]  Although most Cattleya crispa  have white sepals and petals with  lavender lips, there are also lovely  carnea forms like the pale pink-lip  variety shown here. [3]  Cattleya crispa ‘candidissima’ is  one of the rarest and most beautiful varieties of the species.

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Veitch tried to be politically correct when he published the first volume of his Manual of Orchidaceous Plants in1887. Veitch ignored his vast experience growing the Cattleya species, and accepted the botanical classification set out by the reining botanists, George Bentham and Joseph Hooker, in their Genera Plantarum for the purpose of his book. Bentham and Hooker separated Cattleya and Laelia based on number of pollinia, and Veitch made no reference to C. crispa under the genus Cattleya in his book. He included it only under the genus Laelia. Veitch’s Manual was considered by many to be the most authoritative work on orchids in the 1890s and it doomed C. crispa to become Laelia crispa over the dead bodies of a lot of knowledgeable horticulturists. The ironic part of this story is that Veitch himself did not believe C. crispa belonged in the genus Laelia. He said in his Manual “that the two genera (Cattleya and Laelia) pass into each other by gradations so small as to render a separating character difficult, if not impossible to be found … and it is, therefore, much to be regretted that the distinguished authors of the Genera Plantarum should have thought fit to still kept them distinct.” As the world moved into the 20th century, more prominent botanical orchid authorities, including the late Carl Withner, continued to classify the large-flowered Brazilian species with eight pollinia such as C. crispa as laelias despite their overwhelming similarity to the fourpollinia large-flowered Cattleya species. In 2000, C. crispa even suffered the brief indignity of being classified as a species of Sophronitis, which was unbelievable. Fortunately, the international nomenclature authorities using DNA analyses have now moved the Brazilian laelias in general into the genus Cattleya and the species is now firmly C. crispa. Cattleya crispa is not as popular in the United States today as it was in the early days of orchid growing in Europe. Many varieties have narrow petals that sometimes reflex, or fold backward, and this is not considered fashionable in orchid circles. Because it produces such a grand display of flowers, however, this species is still a lovely orchid and very rewarding to own. Cattleya crispa today is like a sleeping giant — a giant that dominated the early days of orchid growing when cattleyas were new to European horticulture and people tended to accept nature’s standards more than their own. In the early 1800s, C. crispa was pictured and written about 558  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

4

more than the great large-flowered C. mossiae because it was so easy to grow and produced such a beautiful head of flowers. It was eclipsed in the mid-1900s by the craze for big, round cattleya hybrids, and the species has largely disappeared from cultivation in most collections. It now waits for a new generation of orchid growers who have a broader view of beauty than just round flowers to awaken it from its slumber. — A.A. Chadwick and his son, Arthur E. Chadwick, are co-authors of The Classic Cattleyas that describes the largeflowered species that make up today’s hybrids. A.A. Chadwick has been growing orchids since 1943 when, at the age of 13, a friend gave him a plant of Cattleya trianae. He learned the finer points of cultivation from the estate growers near his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

[4]  One of the finest cattleya crispa forms,  ‘buchananiana’, was painted by John  Nugent Fitch for the 1883 book, The Orchid Album. the cultivar was much larger  than normal with a well-shaped solid dark  purple lip

and, at age 16, he worked for the largest cutflower cattleya producer in Philadelphia. A regular contributor to Orchids, at age 83, he still hybridizes cattleyas at his home in Wilmington, Delaware (e-mail [email protected]; Web site www.chadwickorchids.com).

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nomenclature notes

Amoana (Laeliinae), a New Mexican Orchid Genus: A Short History by Carlos Leopardi, Germán Carnevali and Eric Hágsater

Plant genera often need to be diagnosed by a unique combination of characters, rather than by conspicuous morphological features unique for a group that are the exception rather than the rule. this is particularly true in orchids, where most characters traditionally used to circumscribe genera usually associated with floral morphology, are highly homoplasic. Homoplasic characters evolve independently in different lineages, as did the wings of birds and bats. Amoana kienastii (rchb.f.) leopardi & Carnevali was originally described as Epidendrum kienastii by reichenbach f. in 1887, based on a plant sent from Mexico to Consul ludwig Kienast-Zölly in Hirslanden, Zurich, Switzerland. Initially it was placed in section Encyclium by lindley, because of the thickened, cigar-shaped pseudobulbs; though it is quite distinct from what we consider Encyclia today, where ovoid pseudobulbs predominate. It was transferred to Encyclia Hook. by dressler and Pollard in 1971, and has been known as such until recently. Since its discovery, Epidendrum kienastii has been considered a peculiar entity and ames (1923) commented, “It is a very distinct species, quite unlike any other Mexican Epidendrum that I have seen.” dressler and Pollard (1971: 435) stated that Encyclia kienastii (rchb. f.) dressler & g.e. Pollard was more related to their section Leptophyllum (now Oestlundia W.e. Higgins) than it was to section Encyclia, where they placed it because its flowers superficially resembled those of Encyclia adenocaula (la llave & lexarza) Schlechter (figure 1 C, l). In a phylogenetic analysis of Encyclia at the sectional level, Higgins et al. (2003) found that Amoana (Encyclia) kienastii was more closely related to Alamania lex. than it was to Encyclia. this was an interesting finding because Alamania is also related to Oestlundia, and all three genera are mostly centered in Mexico and are found at medium to high elevations (900 to more than 2,000 m). these genera differ dramatically from each other, especially in floral characters (figure 1), but all three lack the extravascular fiber bundles that are found in the mesophyll of leaves of other members of the Encyclia alliance (such as Prosthechea) and especially in species of Encyclia (Baker 560  OrCHids sEptEmbEr 2013

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1972, Stern and Carlsward 2009). Amoana leopardi & Carnevali, as proposed by leopardi et al. (2012) based on both morphological and molecular evidence, is composed of two species, namely Amoana kienastii and Amoana latipetala leopardi & Hágsater. this genus has cigar-shaped, homoblastic (showing no differences between juvenile and mature plants) pseudobulbs, usually with three leaves at their apices; the inflorescence is an apical panicle clothed by tubular, eventually scarious sheaths 2.5–7cm (1-2.75 inches) long, the area of which is narrowly triangular-lanceolate and acute, whilst the branches are subtended by sheaths similar to those of the peduncle but smaller. floral bracts are 0.4–1.0 × 0.1–0.3 cm, linear-lanceolate, relatively conspicuous (⅓–½ the length of the pedicellate ovary), spreading and papyraceous upon drying. the flowers are membranaceous, very showy, usually pale rose-pink, and the lip has three dark veins (figure 1, C, I); sepals lanceolate, acute, 1.6–2.5 × 0.3–0.4 cm; petals linearoblanceolate, acute, slightly falcate, 1.6– 2.3× 0.3–0.7 cm wide; lip basally adnate to the column (about ⅓ of its length), trilobed, total length 1.6−2.5 cm; lateral lobes spatulate–oblanceolate, somewhat falcate, apex truncate and obliquely subacute, 1.1–1.3 × 0.06−0.10 cm wide at its base, 0.3–0.6 cm wide near its apex; midlobe clawed, oblong–obovate, acute, 1.3–1.5 × 0.6–1.1 cm, margins somewhat undulate apically; callus on the claw and base of midlobe, oblong, distantly forming two acute, ascending, fingerlike processes (figure 1 g–I), midlobe with five keeled veins; column slender, clavate, sharply bowed upwards in the middle (figure 1 J– K), about 1 cm long, middle tooth obtuse, denticulate and shorter than lateral teeth, which are surpassed by the anther. Based on the description, when comparing Amoana with Encyclia, some clear differences are the heteroblastic pseudobulbs, the presence of extravascular fiber bundles in the leaves and the absence of digitiform processes in the callus of Encyclia (figure 1l). Amoana and Alamania also have clear differences: the latter has dimorphic stems (separate reproductive and vegetative stems), vesicles at the base of sepals, tiny lateral lobes of the labellum, adnation at the

base of the lateral sepals and absence of digitiform processes in the labellum (figure 1 n–o). We can distinguish Oestlundia from Amoana because the former has the column and the labellum partially fused (through ½ of its length), a complex structure of the blade of the lip and the absence of digitiform processes (figure 1 P–Q). Amoana is a genus endemic to México (oaxaca) where it grows on oak trees at about 1,800 m altitude in the Sierra Madre del Sur. Plants are found in mixed pine–oak forests either amidst clouds at the crest of mountains or near streams and waterfalls; they seem to require cool, humid growing conditions and should never be kept dry for long periods, but should be grown in welldrained containers. Seed of A. kienastii was distributed to growers in Canada, the United States, australia and South africa in 1988 in an effort to ensure the survival of this very rare species. though it was reported that the seed germinated well, it has yet to be reported in cultivation. the name, Amoana, honors the aMo Herbarium, formerly associated with the asociación Mexicana de orquideología, a.C. according to the International Union for the Conservation of nature criteria, Amoana kienastii can be considered in danger of extinction because it is only known from a handful of collections. Amoana latipetala, a species that can be distinguished by its wider petals (in comparison with those of A. kienastii) is only known from the type collection, a cultivated plant, and may also be in danger of extinction. References

ames, o. 1923. new or noteworthy orchids from Central america and the Philippine Islands. Schedulae Orchidianae 5:1–40. Baker, r. 1972. Foliar Anatomy of the Laeliinae (Orchidaceae). Phd dissertation, Washington University, St. louis, Missouri. dressler, r.l. and g.e. Pollard. 1971. nomenclatural notes on the orchidaceae — IV. Phytologia 21:433–439. Higgins, W., C. van den Berg, and M. Whitten. 2003. a Combined Molecular Phylogeny of Encyclia (orchidaceae) and relationships within laeliinae. Selbyana 24:165–179. leopardi, C.l., g. Carnevali, and g.a. romero-gonzález. 2012. Amoana (orchidaceae, laeliinae), a new genus and Species from Mexico. Phytotaxa 65:23–45. Reichenbach, H. 1887. Epidendrum kienastii. Gardeners’ Chronicle ser. 3 2:126. Stern, W. and B.S. Carlsward. 2009. Comparative vegetative anatomy and systematics of Laeliinae (Orchidaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 160:21–41.

[1] Amoana and other orchid genera. A–C, flower in lateral and frontal view (C). D–F, column and lip in dorsal (D), lateral (E) and ventral views (F). g–I,  detail of the callus showing the digitiform process in dorsal (g) and lateral views (H–I). J–K, column in lateral (J) and ventral (K) view. L, Encyclia  adenocaula. M–O, Alamania punicea: flower (M), perianth (N) and habit (O). P–Q, Oestlundia luteorosea: flower (P), perianth (Q). drawings A–K by  e. Greenwood (Archive at Ames). drawings M–O by rolando Jiménez (AmO). drawings P–Q by G.c.K. dunsterville (Archive at Ames)

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Acknowledgments We are indebted to Gerardo Salazar Chávez (MEXU) and Silvia Salas (SERO) who both allowed access to important herbarium material. Silvia Hernández (CICY) helped with the handling of herbarium specimens. We also thank the curators of AMES, AMO, CAY, F, GH, IBUG, INB, K, MEXU, MO, NY, SERO, US, VEN, and W for access to their collections. Germán Carnevali thanks the American Orchid Society for a research grant awarded to the project “Systematics and evolution of Encyclia Hook. s.s. (Orchidaceae: Laeliinae) with emphasis in Megamexico.” Finally, Carlos Leopardi thanks CONACyT for scholarship 229634 and the Harvard University Herbaria for sponsoring a visit to the Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames in May–June 2012. Carlos Leopardi, born in Venezuela, is a PhD student at the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., México. His research is currently focused on the study of the relationships and macro-evolutionary patterns in the genus Encyclia. He is interested in taxonomy of Neotropical orchids, especially the subtribe Laeliinae (email leopardiverde@ gmail.com). Germán Carnevali, born in Venezuela, works at the Herbarium CICY of the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., México, as a scientific researcher in the Department of Natural Resources, working on the taxonomy of Neotropical orchids. He earned his PhD in 1996 on the taxonomic revision of Cryptocentrum. He currently works in the systematics and phylogeny of selected groups in the Laeliinae, Oncidiinae and Maxillariinae, among other taxa (email carneval@cicy. mx). Eric Hágsater, born in Mexico City, is a chemical engineer. He has actively studied orchids from an early age, specializing in the genus Epidendrum. He has published books, numerous articles and Series on Neotropical orchids (email herbamo@ prodigy.net.mx).

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orchid evolution Part VIII: Floral Polymorphism and Speciation

Floral Variation in Calanthe Drives Reproductive Isolation in Space and Time BY ALEJANDRO ZULUAGA AND THE MADISON ORCHID RESEARCH GROUP

Continuing with our series of essays on orchid evolution, we now leave the terrestrial subfamily orchidoideae, and turn our attention to one of the several tribes within the large subfamily epidendroideae. Most of these orchids are tropical epiphytes, but among the so-called “lower epidendroids” one also may find terrestrial members native to various temperate and/ or subtropical parts of the world. this is the case for the orchid tribe Arethuseae (figure 1), which includes well-known Asian and north American genera such as Arethusa, Arundina, Calopogon, Bletilla, Pleione and Coelogyne. historically, taxonomists also placed genera such as Spathoglottis, Phaius and Calanthe in this tribe as well. however, new evidence from DnA sequences indicates that these latter orchids may be distantly related to the core of Arethuseae, even though their superficial growth form and leaf and floral morphologies are quite similar. if this pattern of relationships continues to stand as additional data are collected, then Calanthe and its closest allies will likely be classified in their own tribe, Collabieae. research is ongoing. regardless of exactly where Calanthe fits among the branches of the orchid family tree, this genus of approximately 187 species is quickly gaining popularity Alejandro Zuluaga among orchid enthusiasts and flower gardeners in warmer areas of the country where some species are winter-hardy. the genus also has captured the attention of botanists who are intrigued by the pollinator deception and the wide range of floral variation exhibited by some of the more common tropical species. since we already considered the topic of orchid deception in the May issue of Orchids, here we give equal attention to one of the most fascinating aspects of orchid biology — the role that floral variation can play in the evolution of new species. when biologists talk about variation among different individuals of the same species, they often use the word ”polymorphism,” and use the term “morph” informally to refer to individual variants. the occurrence of multiple floral morphs 564  ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013

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within populations (e.g., plants with slightly different petal shapes, color or size) is widespread throughout all of life, both plant and animal, but can be quite conspicuous within orchid species. herein lays one of the significant difficulties in orchid taxonomy! on the other hand, whereas morphological variation makes the study of orchids a challenge for taxonomists, it offers up a unique opportunity for the evolutionary biologists. orchids that are polymorphic for floral traits are the ideal model in which to study the evolution of these traits, and to assess their impact on the reproductive success of some individuals compared to others. since Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution by means of natural selection, biologists have been fascinated with understanding how floral polymorphism within a species comes to be, and more importantly how it is maintained in populations. special attention has been given to color polymorphism, but variation may occur in different floral traits such as overall size, nectar spur length and/or fragrance, among others. these floral characters are the main attractants for the pollinators, and also allow them to associate through learning the presence (or absence) and quality of the rewards being offered by the plant. for this reason, stability or only minor variation among flowers of a given species is expected, but that is not always the case. scientists have not been able to explain fully how a polymorphism is maintained within populations, but an evolutionary process called “balancing selection” seems to be the best explanation. in brief, during balancing selection, floral variation results as a product of the interaction among many selective processes; in orchids, factors such as visitation by different pollinator species, pollinator preferences for different morphologies, and differences among foraging behavior by pollinators may play a role in maintaining the balance of different floral morphs in a population. however, in deceptive orchids such as Calanthe that do not offer a reward — the subject of this article — floral variation has been proposed to have a completely different purpose. in this case, it is believed that different individuals of the same species exhibit different flower-colored morphs as a way to combat pollinator constancy (i.e.,

[1] A red arrow highlights the placement of the orchid tribe Arethuseae within the evolutionary tree of Orchidaceae. Calanthe was originally placed in this tribe. However, new DNA based evidence indicates that these orchids may be distantly related to the core of Arethuseae, even though their superficial growth form, leaf, and floral morphology are quite similar.

the tendency of pollinators to exclusively visit or entirely avoid certain flowers). to explain this, imagine a population where flowers of one species display different colors; these flowers produce fragrance as a lure, but do not produce a nectar reward. if all the flowers were the same color, pollinators would quickly learn to avoid them. however, with different color morphs growing together, it will take a longer time and more visits to different flowers for individual pollinators to learn to avoid these deceptive orchids. A beautiful example of evolution in action! unfortunately, there is little empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. for this reason, nicolas Juillet and other researchers conducted a series of experiments and observations on different populations of the tropical terrestrial orchid Calanthe sylvatica in the island of La reunion (Juillet et al. 2010, Delle-Vedove et al. 2011). the goal of their research was to investigate patterns of variation among floral characters other than color, and to determine their correlation with the reproductive success of

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[2] color varieties of Calanthe sylvatica. A.  C. sylvatica variety alba; B. C. sylvatica variety lilacina; C. C. sylvatica variety  purpurea.

the plants. Calanthe sylvatica is an orchid characterized by deceptive pollination that also grows in Madagascar, Mauritius and other southeast African countries. It has a long floral spur and displays the classic hawkmoth-pollination syndrome. At least one diurnal hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae has been seen visiting flowers on La Reunion Island. This orchid is an ideal system for study since it has been long known that C. sylvatica presents polymorphism in its flower color on the

island. Three color varieties are known (Figure 2). In fact, the names of the species varieties refer to the color of the floral morphs: Calanthe sylvatica var. alba bears white flowers, variety lilacina bears pink flowers, and variety purpurea bears dark purple flowers. For almost two years these researchers studied the patterns of distribution, reproduction and floral variation associated with the populations of this orchid. In total, 33 populations were examined from across the island. The data collected for this study are divided into four categories. First, they characterized the spatio-temporal aspects of each population, meaning that they documented every individual plant’s location, altitude, and flowering time. Second, within each population several flowers were chosen on which to carry out detailed measurements of every flower part (i.e., sepal, petal, labellum, and spur length, width, etc.). Additionally, they measured how the different color morphs were reflecting the visible light spectrum so as to more accurately quantify white, pink and purple in a mathematical way. Third, reproductive success was measured by comparing the number of flowers produced in each inflorescence to the number of fruits set per inflorescence. Finally, in a subsequent study they characterized the scent composition of the three varieties (Delle-Vedove et al. 2011). As expected, the study of light reflection showed that each morph has a particular spectral pattern, and the researchers were able to associate each individual plant with one of three different profiles of light reflection (white, pink, purple). Surprisingly, however, Juillet and collaborators found that the three color morphs differ in almost every trait they examined. In addition, the researchers found, to their surprise, that in most cases each population is composed of plants of only one color morph — a situation unlike that documented among other deceptive orchids, and contrary to the hypothesis that mixed morph populations will tend to confuse pollinators forcing them to visit many flowers. Furthermore, populations of each color morph grow at different altitudes, and bloom at different times of the year (i.e., they are separated in time and space). The variety alba is the most abundant on the island, and is restricted to altitudes less than 3,281 feet (1,000 m), whereas varieties pupurea and lilacina grow in high-altitude forests above 3,281feet (1,000 m). So, do these differences add up in any way to influence the reproductive success of some morphs over others? The answer is “yes, but . . .” On the one hand,

individuals of variety alba were more successful at developing fruits, but this may be the result of a correlation between altitude and pollination success (remember that variety alba always grows at low elevation where moths may be more common). In any event, Juillet and colleagues argued that this unusual separation of morphs in geographic space and flowering time suggests that each variety has become adapted to ecologically different conditions in the island, and suggest that we may be witnessing the beginning of the speciation process within C. sylvatica as it evolves into two or more new species. This idea of active speciation is further supported by analysis of the flower measurements, in which they found discrete differences among the three morphs. In general, flower parts of variety purpurea are the largest, followed by variety alba and with variety lilacina being the smallest. Some of these differences (e.g., sepal width) may not be great enough to be perceived by the pollinators, and so may be of little biological importance. However, one part of the flower that is especially important to the hawkmoth pollinators was found to be significantly different — the spur length. In deceptive orchids spur length is important because pollinators insert their tongues deeply into the spur searching for nectar; this behavior, of course, increases the probability of pollinia removal from the flower and subsequent deposition on the stigma of a second. Considering the significant differences in spur lengths among the morphs, and with variety alba being the longest, it is entirely reasonable to speculate that flowers of variety alba may be pollinated by a different species of moth. They also observed that both varieties alba and lilacina tend to grow in habitats together with other plants that display similar flower colors and the same blooming time. Perhaps this helps to explain what must be facilitating their pollination and explain the spatio-temporal separation of the varieties. Finally, analysis of scent profiles among morphs produced another unexpected result. Varieties purpurea and lilacina have different compositions, and flowers of the white morph may have one or the other scent profile, independent of the population they come from. Three morphs, but only two scents! This case of a white flower producing two different odors in a single population is unique in orchids, and raises some intriguing hypotheses. It has been proposed that orchids on the island of La Reunion originated from Madagascar, and subsequently dispersed to the island where www.AOS.Org    september  2013  Orchids  565

References

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Juillet, N., R. Delle-Vedove, L. Dormont, B. Schatz, and T. Pailler. 2010. Differentiation in a Tropical Deceptive Orchid: Colour Polymorphism and Beyond. Plant Systematics and Evolution 289(3–4): 213–221. Delle-Vedove, R., N. Juillet, J.M. Bessière, C. Grison, N. Barthes, T. Pailler, L. Dormont, and B. Schatz. 2011. Colour-Scent Associations in a Tropical Orchid: Three Colours but Two Odours. Phytochemistry 72(8):735–742.

they evolved in isolation. Based on the scent results, Juillet and collaborators suggest that variety alba may have evolved twice (once from an ancestor similar to variety lilacina and once from variety purpurea) after colonization of the island. Genetic evidence may be needed to further test this theory. In any event, this study demonstrates what orchid growers have felt all along — variation in color matters. Calanthe sylvatica offers up an unusual case among deceptive orchids in which three different color morphs also differ in other floral traits, including scent, and are clearly adapted to at least two different ecological conditions. They probably attract different pollinators, and are in the process of speciation by reproductive isolation, but their exact origins and mode of pollination is still 566  Orchids  september  2013    www.AOS.Org

[3] Calanthe sylvatica is a highly variable  species.  the white-flowered form (variety  alba) is the most abundant color morph  on the island of La reunion, where it  is found at lower elevations than the  other varieties of this species.  research  shows that it may be in the process of  evolving into a new species.

unclear. Like most scientific research, this has introduced just as many new questions for study as it has answered.

Alejandro Zuluaga is a Colombian botanist who completed his bachelor’s degree at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He is PhD candidate in Botany at The University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he is working with Dr. Ken Cameron and studying taxonomy and evolution of tropical aroids. Alejandro has been collecting and researching the systematics of these plants for more than six years, especially in his home country. For his doctoral research he is focusing on the biology of the Neotropical genus Monstera, known in the horticultural world as the swiss cheese plant (email: [email protected]). The Madison Orchid Research Group is supervised by Dr. Ken Cameron and presently consists of a postdoc and eight doctoral graduate students from different laboratories in the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin–Madison: Rafael Arévalo, Alfonso Doucette, Giovanny Giraldo, James McDaniel, Matthew Pace, Stephanie Pimm Lyon, Shude Shi, Brian Sidoti and Alejandro Zuluaga. All are conducting advanced research into the fundamental biology of orchids and/or tropical monocots (email: kmcameron@ wisc.edu).

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calendar september

13–14 — Ninth Annual Merritt Huntington Memorial Symposium, Cavalier Oceanfront Hotel, 4201 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA; Contact: David Bryan, 757-650-2250; [email protected] 14–15 — Ridge Orchid Society “Orchids-The Fountain of Youth”, Lake Mirror Center, 122 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland, FL; Contact: Gene D. Wentz, 863-680-1841; bekewentz22@ tampabay.rr.com 14–15 — Wisconsin Orchid Society Show “ Fall in Love with Orchids”, Mitchell Park Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd., Millwaukee, WI; Contact: Lisa Ann Haag, 920-980-6979; [email protected] 20–22 — Alabama Orchid Society Orchid Show, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 2612 Lane Park Road, Birmingham, AL; Contact: Ronnie Bliss, 205-426-5544; orchidsrbliss@ bellsouth.net 20–22 — Great Divide Orchid Society Show and Sale, Capital ll Mall, 1600 11th Ave., Helena, MT; Contact: Janice Wannebo, 406-449-7085; [email protected] 21–22 — *South Bay Orchid Society Fall Show & Sale, South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA; Contact: Marla Corey, 310-833-1918; [email protected] 26–29 — Mayaguez Orchid Society Show, Mayaguez Mall, 957 Hostos Ave., Mayaguez, PR; Contact: Julio David Rios, 787-872-5895; [email protected] 28–29 — Central Ontario Orchid Society Show and Sale, Cambridge Hespeler Arena, 640 Ellis Rd., Cambridge, ON, Canada; Contact: Patty Milton, 519-853-5593; k94milton@ gmail.com 28–29 — *Fascination of Orchids International Show and Sale, South Coast Plaza Village, 1631 Sunflower St., Santa Ana, CA; Contact: Roberta Fox, 949-735-2930; [email protected] 28–29 — Kentucky Orchid Society Show & Sale, St. Mathews Episcopal Church, 330 N Hubbards Lane, Louisville, KY; Contact: Peggy Revell, 502-345-8389; pegrevell@ insightbb.com

OctOber 3–6 — Maui County Fair “Orchidland 2013”, War Memorial Gymnasium, 700 Halia Nakoa St., Wailuku, HI; Contact: Bert Akitake, 808250-1585; [email protected] 4–5 — Susquehanna Orchid Society Show, Ware Center of Millersville University, N. Prince Street, Lancaster, PA; Contact: Cathy Nowakowski, 717-761-7121; cnowakowski1@ gmail.com 5 — *Deep Cut Orchid Society Annual Orchid Auction, Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury, 352 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury, NJ; Contact: Joan Messander, 732-787-4460; jmesand1@ verizon.net 5 — Central Louisiana Orchid Society Show, Kent House Plantation, 3601 Bayou Rapides Rd., Alexandria, LA; Contact: Andrea Mattison, 318-640-0780; [email protected]

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5–6 — Central New York Orchid Society Show, Beaver Lake Nature Center, 8477 Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville, NY; Contact: Eva Galson, 315-446-0224; [email protected] 5–6 — Florida West Coast Orchid Society “Fall in Love with Orchids”, Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive, Largo, FL; Contact: Jennifer Upchurch, 727-517-6460; [email protected] 5–6 — San Diego International Orchid Fair, San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Garden Drive, Encinitas, CA; Contact: Bennie Machado, 619-948-5942; [email protected] 5–6 — Sunset Empire Orchid Society Show & Sale “Orchids in the Mist”, Bob Chisholm Community & Senior Center, 1225 Ave. A, Seaside, OR; Contact: Monica Aursland, 503861-1344; [email protected] 5–6 — Trinidad & Tobago Orchid Society Annual Orchid Show, National Academy of Performing Arts, Port of Spain, Trinidad; Contact: Joan Hampton, 1-868-745-8456; [email protected] 11–13 — National Capital Orchid Society “65th Annual Fall Orchid Show & Sale”, U. S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington DC; Contact: Sandi Smith Piccirillo, 703-764-2747; sswombat@ verizon.net 11–13 — South Florida Orchid Society “Falling in Love with Orchids”, University of Miami, Bank United Center, 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL; Contact: Dan Christensen, 954252-8116; [email protected] 12 — *South Florida Orchid Society “Speakers Day”, University of Miami, Bank United Center, 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL; Contact: Ellen Hanson, 305-255-3656; [email protected] 12–13 — Denver Orchid Society Show & Sale, Denver Botanic Gardens - Mitchell Hall, 1007 York St., Denver, CO; Contact: Shirlee McDaniels, 303-905-7014; shirlee.mcdaniel@ comcast.net 12–13 — Ft. Pierce Orchid Society Show “Falling for Orchids”, Ft. Pierce Shrine Club, 4500 Oleander Ave., Ft. Pierce, FL; Contact: Bill Tozer, 772-465-4674; [email protected] 12–13 — Illinois Orchid Society’s “Fall Orchid Odyssey”, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, Il; Contact: Rose Matchen, 847-587-6525; goldrosey@att,net 14 — *Fort Lauderdale Annual Orchid Auction, Christ Lutheran Church Parish Hall, 1955 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL; www.flos.org 18–20 — Connecticut Orchid Society Show, Van Welgen’s Garden Center, 51 Valley Road, North Branford, CT; Contact: Cheryl Mizak, 203-2646096; [email protected] 18–20 — Fall Mid America Orchid Congress 2013, Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, OH; Contact: Eric Sauer, 937212-0462; [email protected] 19–20 — Eastern Canada Orchid Society Show, Hotel Espresso, 1005 rue Guy, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Contact: Brian Dunbar, 514684-3904; [email protected]

19–20 — Eastern Iowa Orchid Show & Sale, Noelridge Gardens Greenhouse, 4900 Council St. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA; Contact: Jon Lorence, 319-624-3666; [email protected] 19–20 — Gainesville Orchid Society Annual Show “Orchids in the Garden”, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Dr., Gainesville, FL; Contact: Candace Hollinger, 352-3350715; [email protected] 19–20 — Kansas Orchid Society Fall Orchid Show, Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, 701 Amidon St., Wichita, KS; Contact: Sarah J. Pratt, 316-772-5194; [email protected] 19–20 — *Mid-Hudson Orchid Society Orchid Show and Sale, Union Presbyterian Church, 44 Balmville Road, Newburgh, NY; Contact: Elisabeth Mansfield, 845-294-1000; www. mhos.us.com 24–27 — Club Peruano Exhibicion de Orquideas, Parque Reducto Miraflores, Ramon Ribeyro 490, San Antonio, Miraflores, Peru; Contact: Susi Spittler, +51 14792756; suspi@speedy. com.pe 25–26 — *Charlottesville Orchid Society Annual Fall Show & Sale, Snow’s Garden Center, 1875 Avon St. Extd., Charlottesville, VA; Contact: Larry Eicher, 434-975-4231; Website: www. cvilleorchidsociety.com 25–27 — Delray Beach Orchid Society Show “Orchids on the Square”, Old School Square Gymnasium, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach, FL; Contact: Julia Hammer, 561-8655854; [email protected] 25–27 — East Everglades Orchid Society Annual Show, 28100 SW 182 Ave., Homestead, FL; Contact: Valerie Leonard, 305-903-0630; [email protected] 26–27 — *Brevard County Orchid Society’s 53rd Fall Orchid Fair, Melbourne Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne, FL; Contact: Julie Zepf, 321-777-9837; [email protected] 26–27 — Michiana Orchid Society Fall Show, Holy Cross College, 54515 State Road 933, Notre Dame, IN; Contact: Sandy Ohlund, 219778-4457; [email protected] 26–27 — Windsor Orchid Society Orchid Show, Teutonia Club of Windsor, 55 Edinborough St., Windsor, ON, Canada; Contact: Ed Cott, 519252-7342; [email protected] 31–November 3 — Club Peruano Exhibicion de Orquideas de Moyobamba, Punto Turistica de San Juan, Jiron Bolivia/Jiron Iquitos, Moyobamba, Peru; Contact: Susi Spittler, +51 14792756; [email protected]

events  preceded  by  an  asterisk  (*)  in  this  listing  will  not  be  judged  by  the  American  Orchid  society.  All  announcements  of  shows  should  be  sent  to  [email protected].  see  a  complete  calendar  at  www.aos.org.

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contributions Philippe Arnold Wolfgang Bull Jamie L. Davidson Harry Gallis, MD Margaret Harrison Samson T. Iwatani Carolyn Pedone and John Rose Lois Posey Olga Maria Sosa Paul J. Wolf Color Fund/Supplemental Issue – Temporarily Restricted Alan D. Alexander Tom and Margie Barbaree Alice and Eddie Barrios Jeanne Buchanan Mid-America Judging Center Christine Chowning Steve Clement Linda Curle Howard A. Hill Chaunie Langland Bill Matthews Cheryl Philstrom Dr. Sandy Schultz Dr. Birute Anne Vileisis In Memory of Ms. Betty Broome Cape Fear Orchid Society In Memory of Mr. Nathan (Jim) Cope Mary Jo Gilsdorf In Memory of Gary Kraus, MD Mario and Conni Ferrusi Peter and Gail Furniss Robert Fuchs and Michael Coronado Harry Gallis, MD D. Lowell Jacks – Temporarily Restricted Phil and Ann Jesup

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Join for Two Years and Receive a $30 Orchid Certificate

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ORCHID MARKETPLACE ORCHID MARKETPLACE

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ORCHIDS CLASSIFIEDS SALES BROWARD ORCHID SUPPLY — we carry fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, pots, baskets, growing media, tree fern, cork, wire goods, labels, pruners and more. For our complete product line, visit our website at browardorchidsupply.com. Call 877-9672443 for our catalog or questions regarding our products. We cater to the hobbyist. Hang your orchid pots anywhere! The amazing pothanger secures clay pots 4˝ to 10˝ on wood, stucco, aluminum, lattice. Creates more space for shade house. Plant hangs straight and is secure in high winds. Order now for free shipping! www.hangapot.com.

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FOR SALE — Orchid Nursery in South Florida. 50 years in the business. 2.3 acres. 8400 sq. ft. modern greenhouses + inventory. For information contact: [email protected] Coldwell Banker 305-962-6683

WHOLESALE HARDY ORCHIDS — Bletilla ‘Big Bob’, B. ‘Kate’, and B. ochracea. Retailers, Club fund raisers, landscapers, gardeners, beautiful mass plantings, etc. 72 plants/flat only. Call 215 297 5053 www. WildOrchidCompany.com Orchid of the Month Club by Elmore Orchids. Receive a different orchid with buds or bloom spike each month. Start or stop anytime, $29.95/mo. plus $8 shipping. See www. elmoreorchids.com for other offers, catalog. Tel: 865-966-5294.

NEW VISION ORCHIDS — Specializing in phalaenopsis: standards, novelties. Odontoglossums, intergenerics, lycastes and vandaceous. Russ Vernon — hybridizer. Divisions of select, awarded plants available. Flasks and plants. Tel.: 765-749-5809. E-mail: [email protected], www. newvisionorchids.com. Classified ads are $50 for five lines (45 characters/spaces per line) and $12 for each additional line. $25 for first three words in red. $25 to include logo. The first three words can be in all caps, if requested.

For More Information, Contact: Orchids Advertising Office [email protected]

Ad Index African Violet Magazine ............................567 American Begonia Society.........................567 American Horticultural Society .................559 American Orchid Society Advertise ................................................572 Affiliates Societies .................................573 AQ Plus ..................................................570 Cattleyas Supplement Issue ...................533 Classified Ads ........................................575 Digital Orchids.......................................517 Members’ Meeting .........Inside Front Cover Membership ...................................567, 571 Orchid Source Directory ................525, 562 Pests and Diseases .................................572 Quality Books ........................................574 Supplement issues..................................569 Website...........................................525, 573 American Spirit Magazine................................................563 Arcadia Glasshouse, LLC. ............ Back Cover Audubon Magazine ............ Inside Back Cover Australian Orchid Review ..........................521 Back To Nature ..........................................574 Bactra Orchid Benches ..............................574 Besgrow .....................................................517 Better-Gro ..................................................574 Cattleya-Log .............................................574 Connecticut Orchid Society .......................573 Critter Creek Laboratories .........................574 Cymbidium Society of America.................559

Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions ...................519 Evolution Art Group ..................................525 Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens ...........569 First Rays, LLC..........................................572 Florália ......................................................573 Green Barn Orchid Supplies .....................570 H&R Nurseries ..........................................570 Interior Water Gardens ..............................567 Ironwood Estate Orchids Sale ....................573 J.R. Peters...................................................574 Kelley’s Korner Orchid Supplies ...............519 Kultana Orchids ........................................573 Marble Branch Farms ................................572 OFE International, Inc. ..............................559 Orchid Digest .............................................562 Orchid Review ...........................................571 OrchidSupply.com .....................................574 Outdoor Images .........................................572 Purificacion ................................................573 R.F. Orchids ......................................521, 572 rePotme.com .............................................573 Rexius Forest By-Products, Inc. ................572 Ritter’s Tropic 1 Orchids, Inc.....................572 San Diego Orchid Fair ...............................559 Santa Barbara Greenhouses .......................574 South Florida Orchid Society Show...........519 Southland Orchid Show Committee ..........525 Southern Burner Co. ..................................572 Taida Orchids .............................................573

Corrigenda July 2013 — For the Novice, page 390 In Carlos Macku’s article on cattleya propagation, reference was made to the naming of the genus Cattleya to honor William Cattley. In that reference Mr. Cattley was referred to as Sir William Cattley rather than Mr. William Cattley. Sir William Cattley implies knighthood, an honor Mr. Cattley never received. We regret the failure to replace the honorary title Sir with the abbreviation for Mister. August 2013 — Orchids in the Wild, Page 488 Figure 6 is Habenaria monorhiza. In the figure caption it is listed as simply an attractive Habenaria species. Page 489 Figure 9 is most likely Epidendrum calanthum rather than Epidendrum arachnoglossum.

The American Orchid Society, in congruence with its stated conservation aims and with the full approval of the AOS Trustees, prohibits advertisements for wild-collected orchids and orchid-collecting tours in the pages of Orchids. By submitting advertisements for orchid species, vendors are thereby asserting that plants advertised are either artificially propagated (from seed or meristem) or are nursery-grown divisions of legally acquired stock. While Orchids endeavors to assure the reliability of its advertising, neither Orchids nor the American Orchid Society, Inc., can assume responsibility for any transactions between our advertisers and our readers.

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parting shot The Pencil Drawings of Pavel arlT

Pavel Arlt, an enthusiastic illustrator and orchid growing hails from the Czech Republic. His love of drawing is celebrated in the beauty of the orchids he illustrates. Mr. Arlt began drawing orchids in 2000 and currently works exclusively in pencil. Although a self-taught artist, his pictures have been presented at many international exhibitions including the 2003 European Orchid Congress in London, the 2005 18th World Orchid Conference in Dijon, exhibitions in Stuttgart, Prague and the 11th Ecuador International Show and Orchid Conference in Quayaquil in 2012. His technique is very precise. He begins with a hard pencil to make an initial sketch and gradually work his way to darker shades in order to add contrast to the picture. His drawings utilize a minimum of six or more kinds of pencils gradually superimposed on each other.