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THE BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY VOL. 82 NO.

9 SEPTEMBER 2013
ORCHIDS
www.aos.org
September 2013 Volume 82 Number 9
FRONT COVER
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
In Every Issue
AOS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 514
AOS DIRECTORY OF SERVICES 514
AOS NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS 516
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE 520
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 518
CALENDAR 568
CONTRIBUTIONS 570
ORCHID MARKETPLACE 572
ORCHIDS CLASSIFIEDS 575
AD INDEX 575
SIDEBARS
Species and Natural Hybrids of Aerangis 530
Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison
An Aerangis Compendium 531
A New Book by Isaobyl la Croix
How to Grow Aerangis distincta 532
Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison
The 21st WOC in South Africa 549
Johan Hermans
How to Grow Paraphalaenopsis 552
Robert Fuchs
DEPARTMENTS
For the Novice 522
A Scaly Problem
The AOS Education Committee
Toms Monthly Checklist 524
September: the month of entropy
Thomas Mirenda
Orchid of the Month 526
Rossioglossum
Thomas Mirenda
Collectors Item 528
Aerangis distincta
Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison
Nomenclature Notes 560
Amoana (Laeliinae), a New
Mexican Orchid Genus
Carlos Leopardi, Germn Carnevali and Eric
Hgsater
Orchid Evolution 564
Part VIII. Floral Polymorphism and Speciation
Alejandro Zuluaga
Parting Shot 576
The Pencil Drawings of Pavel Arlt
Ron McHatton
528
CONTENTS
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
The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society
ORCHIDS
Printed on 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper.
RON MCHATTON
Director of Education
rmchatton@aos.org
JOHN WRENCH
Advertising Manager
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EDITORIAL
American Orchid Society
at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
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ADVERTISING
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American Orchid Society
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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 (19321940), Dr. Louis O.
Williams (19401943), Gordon Dillon (19431967;
19701973), Merle Reinikka (19681969),
Richard Peterson (19731984), Stephen R. Batchelor
(1984), Alec Pridgeon, PhD (19841988;
19891991), Chuck McCartney (19881989),
James B. Watson (19912013)
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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 305-740-
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Orchid Society, Inc. 2013. Printed by Allen Press, 810 East 10th
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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.
534 544 551
514 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
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-lah-
tum)
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-merr-
eye)
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-ah-
ah)
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-NOP-
sis)
pardinum (par-DEE-num)
patula (pat-YEW-lah)
Perrierangraecum (PAIR-ee-ay-an-GREY-
kum)
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-an-
um)
Satyrium (say-TEER-ee-um)
schlieperianum (SCHLEE-perr-ee-ah-
num)
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)
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 515
The pronunciation of orchid names can be daunting for the novice and experienced grower alike. Presented below is a simplied
pronunciation guide specic 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.
516 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS
Ofcers
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
20112014
Jeff Bradley, Russell Clark,
Nancy Mountford,
June Simpson
20122015
Jeanne Buchanan,
Mario Ferrusi, Ron Giles,
John Ingram, Frank Smith
20132016
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
Executive Committee
executive_committee@aos.org
Sandra Tillisch Svoboda, Chair
Thomas Etheridge, Peter Furniss, Jean
Hollebone, Fred Missbach, Chris Rehmann, Max
C. Thompson
Afliated Societies Committee
afliated_societies@aos.org
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
conservation_committee@aos.org
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 Hgsater, Johan
Hermans, Alexander Hirtz, Ann Jesup, Saw Lwin,
Ned Nash, K.C. Pradhan, William Rhodehamel,
Rapee Sagarik, Kiat Tan, Ileana Teran
Development Committee
development_committee@aos.org
Carlos Fighetti, June Simpson
Education Committee
education_committee@aos.org
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
nance_committee@aos.org
Peter Furniss, Chair
Russell Clark, Fred Missbach, Nancy Mountford,
Chris Rehmann, Max Thompson
Governance Committee
governance_committee@aos.org
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
judging_committee@aos.org
Harry Gallis, Chair
Marion Allen, Kathy Barrett, Michael Blietz,
Patsy Boersma, Howard Bronstein, Glenn
Brown, Judy Cook, Sallie Delahoussaye, Jos
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
library_committee@aos.org
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
membership_committee@aos.org
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
nominating_committee@aos.org
George Hateld, Chair
Jeanne Buchanan, John Ingram, Chris Rehmann,
Beverly Tall, Robert Winkley, Carol Zoltowski
Publications Committee
publications_committee@aos.org
Greg Allikas, Chair
Kathy Barrett, Glen Decker, Harry Gallis,
Wesley Higgins, Cynthia Hill, Jean Allen-
Ikeson, Phil Jesup, Tom Oder, Kent Peterson,
Ken Slump

Public Relations Committee
public_relations_committee@aos.org
David Toyoshima, Chair
Jeanne Buchanan, Fred Clarke, Norman Fang,
Carri Raven-Riemann

Research Committee
research_committee@aos.org
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
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 517
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
518 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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 neighbors 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 arent 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 (mklinefelter@hotmail.com).
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. Theres 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 dont 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
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 (mirendat@si.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
wont 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 its time to remove them and repot
the plant. One word of caution dont
do this in the fall or winter when your
plants arent actively growing. Doing so
can dramatically stress or even kill the
plants. They wont 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 its 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 its
effectively the same idea. Its a good way
to propagate new plants for your friends.
Thomas Mirenda (email mirendat@
si.edu)
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 519
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Malibu Orchid Society Turns Fifty
by Gerlinde and Georg Stelzner
520 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
THE BEGINNING In the spring
of 1963, Hugo Freed founded the now-
prospering Malibu Orchid Society (MOS)
in Southern California. Hugo, a well-
known orchid hybridizer and lecturer,
was the general manager of Arthur Freed
Orchid Company, operating since 1946 on
Bonsall Drive in Malibu. Hugos brother,
Arthur, was the famous Hollywood
producer of film musicals.
Gerlinde Stelzner
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
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 Californias
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 Hugos 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 Freeds orchid range and later
to become the founder of Zuma Canyon
Orchids here in Malibu. Madelaine Fobert,
Hugo Freeds 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
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 ready-
made. 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. Amados
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 couldnt 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
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
[1] Orchid growers in Malibu are blessed
with a year-round benign climate and
most of our members keep their collec-
tions outside
1
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 521
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 Womens Club, where
we still meet. The organizations 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 speakers 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 meetings 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 todays 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
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, its 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 award-
winning show exhibits for this entire time,
P.O. Box 1244, Pacific Palisades, CA
90272 (www.malibuorchidsociety.org).
[2] The MOS display for the 1992 Santa Bar-
bara 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.
2
3
FOR THE NOVICE
A Scaly Problem
Prepared by the American Orchid Society Education Committee/Photographs by Greg Allikas
522 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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 years 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
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 plants 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 pests overlapping generations,
applications must be repeated several
times at 10- to 14-day intervals. This is
[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.
1 2
3
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 523
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
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
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.
4
5
[4] This cattleya is host to a very well-estab-
lished colony of boisduval or cottony
scale.
[5] These cattleya buds will be seriously
damaged by this colony of whiteies.
TOMS MONTHLY CHECKLIST
September: the month of entropy
By Thomas Mirenda
524 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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. Weve 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 orchids growing progress over the
summer, youd 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.
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 dont go off on odd awkward
angles. A little attention to this now will
make for the best presentation when the
plants ultimately bloom.
C L E A N A N D C O Z Y
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! Im 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 cant hurt either.
HARDY ORCHIDS If youve 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
MirendaT@si.edu)
Catasetums and their relatives are naturally deciduous and its 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
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 525
GENUS OF THE MONTH
Rossioglossum by Thomas Mirenda
Surely You Jest!
526 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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 cant 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
Thomas Mirenda
that time, molecular
analysis has shown
that the genus has a
few other members that
dont, at first glance,
conform floristically
to the historical
Rossioglossum norm,
namely large yellow-
and-brown flowers with curved sepals that
remind us of a bouncing jesters 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 (1,4002,700 m) in
Mexico and Guatemala. The year-round
temperatures at that altitude are quite cool
(summer days of 75 F [24 C] and winter
nights of 50 F [10 C] on average). This
temperature regimen, combined with a
winter dry period (remember its 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
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[1] Rossioglossum grande Dene B. HCC/
AOS. Grower: Carol Beule
[2] Rossioglossum williamsianum owered in
Costa Rica
[3] Rossioglossum Rawdon Jester Mario
Palmieri FCC/AOS (grande williamsia-
num). This particularly ne 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
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 527
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, Ive 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
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
MirendaT@si.edu)
[4] Rossioglossum insleayi Erin HCC/AOS.
Grower: Jordan Hawley
[5] Rossioglossum krameri, a beautiful Cen-
tral American species.
[6] Rossioglossum oerstedii, unusual in the
genus for its delicate white owers
[7] Rossioglossum ampliatum, perhaps now
the most unusual species in the genus
with its most Oncidium-like owers.
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COLLECTORS ITEM
Aerangis distincta
By Brenda Oviatt and Bill Nerison
Images unless otherwise noted by Brenda Oviatt
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WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 529
WEVE BEEN GROWING AERANGIS
for many years now, and have to say that
our favorite thing about them is that theres
hardly a day of the year that we dont have
one in spike or bloom in our greenhouse.
Theyre 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. Were 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
theyve 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
been three AOS awards given to Aergs.
distincta and the average flower count
per inflorescence is threefour each. Five
flowers on an inflorescence is excellent.
Weve 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 theyll occasionally branch and
[1] Its easy to see why the owers of
Aerangis are likened to birds in ight.
The spur or nectary on Aerangis distincta
is 59 inches (1323 cm) long. Grower:
Botanica Ltd.
[2] A specimen Aerangis distincta demon-
strating the modest size and beautiful
fan-shaped arrangement of foliage.
Grower: Botanica Ltd.
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530 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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
The Species and Natural Hybrids of Aerangis
and Country of Origin
cryptodon
decaryana
divitiflora
ellisii
fastuosa
fuscata
hyaloides
macrocentra
monantha
pallidiflora
pulchella
seegeri
Madagascar and Comoros
articulata
boutonii
modesta
mooreana
rostellaris
spiculata
stylosa
Madagascar and Runion
primulina = (citrata hyaloides)
punctata
So Tom
flexuosa
Comoros
hariotiana
hildebrandtii
humblotii
Annobn
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, weve 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-of-
bloom 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)
3 4
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 531
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 owers. 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 Isobyls 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).
long or perhaps more, in fact they are not
too unlike Phalaenopsis leaves.
In our experience reproducing these two
species, weve 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
(603,000 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, its
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
[3] The owers open at 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
reex (point backward). They have a light
gardenia-like fragrance; strongest after
dark. Grower: Botanica Ltd.
[5] After several days, the petals will be com-
pletely reexed 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 (1,0001,750 m),
but occasionally lower.
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(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
532 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
[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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How to Grow Aerangis distincta
CULTURE We tell growers, especially novices, that its 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 youre content with a beautiful plant
that doesnt bloom, this will suffice (they are nice to look at even when out of bloom
and that cant 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 consider-
ably 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. Weve 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 midhigh 90s (3537 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. Weve also had the occasional drop to as low as 40 F (4.5 C) with-
out damage, though were sure they dont want this on a regular basis.
WATER/FERTILIZER For those using water high in total dissolved solids, reverse-
osmosis 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. Were 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 distinc-
ta 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 dont move them seasonally as with some orchids. They are joined with their
neighbors and seem to like it that way.
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
Wed 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.
Theyve 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).
Paphiopedilum in China
Part VII: Subgenus Paphiopedilum Section Barbata
BY HOLGER PERNER
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IMAGES
BY HOLDER PERNER
534 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
Paphiopedilum purpuratum was the rst slipper orchid collected in China
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 plants 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
[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.
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
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(Liu et al. 2009, Xu et al. 2010), where
it occurs at altitudes from 1,000 to 4,000
feet (3001,200 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
[4] Specimen plant of Paph. appletonianum
from the Chinese mainland. Grower:
Hengduan Mts. Biotechnology.
[5] Close-up of a Paph. appletonianum culti-
var from Hainan Island.
frequent repotting (every 612 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 dont hang on
much and easily succumb to unfavorable
conditions, to be quickly replaced by
seedlings nearby (see also Kingdon-
Wards observation of Paphiopedilum
wardii cited below). Unfortunately, to
my knowledge, no ecological research
has been conducted yet on forest-floor-
dwelling 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 dont 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.
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
Companys 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 wasnt fully expanded, and the new
species published by John Sims (1820).
Today, Curtiss Botanical Magazine is
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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 Cattleys 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 (1,1001,600
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
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 collectors 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 Paphiope-
dilum appletonianum f. album Asher ex
Gruss. Grower: Nejboscha Popow.
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[8] The markings and coloration of Paph.
venustum are unique. Grower: Michiko
Mineta.
[9] An excellent specimen plant of Paph. ve-
nustum 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. venus-
tum. 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.
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.
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 doesnt seem to
require any unusual precautions, at least
not in our nursery in Chengdu, Sichuan.
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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 (17781855), 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 wasnt 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
Knights name but based on plant names the
eminent Scottish botanist Robert Brown
(17731858) 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.
Drakes drawing formed the base for the
publication of Cypripedium purpuratum
in Edwards Botanical Register in 1837
by John Lindley, who only knew the
drawing and didnt 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 didnt 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
Lindleys concept of Cyp. purpuratum.
He subsequently accepted Lindleys taxon
as the valid name. In 1892 Berthold Stein
(18471899) 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
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
[14] Paphiopedilum purpuratum was the rst
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 Edwards
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 ecologists point of view, that the
species should usually be found at a root-
zone pH of around 6, whether it is with
limestone or sandstone bedrock. Like
Paph. venustum it doesnt 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
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, Kingdon-
Ward (Kingdon-Ward 1960:109116)
recalls details of his discovery of Paph.
wardii. That he had taken a photo of the
plant he didnt 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 owers. Grower: Masahiro
Saito.
18] Paph. wardii Nishida. A specimen plant
with good ower shape grown by Shi-Ichi
Nishita.
[19] A more compact type of Paph. wardii f.
album. Grower: Hengduan Mts. Biotech-
nology.
[20] An interesting semialbum type of Paph.
wardii. Grower: Tokyo Orchid Nursery.
[21] Paph. wardii Nishida, close-up.
[22] The large and full ower of Paph. wardii
Riverside demonstrates the direction of
Japanese line breeding in this species.
Grower: Masahiro Saito.
17 18
19
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 sea-
green 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 didnt 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 di-
vide north-east of Hkamti Long
just after Christmas, I went straight
to the spot where the slipper or-
chid 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
couldnt 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 wa-
ter, 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
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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 Gardeners
Chronicle article (May 1932) Kingdon-
Ward mentioned having found Paph. war-
dii in most of the area west of the Tamai
River and in the river valley itself. After
Kingdon-Wards introduction of the plant
into cultivation further collections did
not occur and all specimens in cultiva-
tion 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 discov-
ered 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 comprehen-
sive article in Orchid Digest and regarded
Paph. wardii as a questionable Chinese
species that would more likely be intro-
duced 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, west-
ern 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 informa-
tion 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 win-
dowsill. It dislikes being too dry between
waterings during the active growing sea-
son from late spring to autumn. Such con-
ditions 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 interme-
diate 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. war-
dii f. alboviride (Gruss & Roeth) Braem
1998, once rare, is now widely available
through seed propagation. A quite interest-
ing type appeared in seedlings raised by
Andy Philips of Andys Orchids in San
Diego, California. Here the fine spotting
of the petals is replaced by an even choco-
late-brown coloration. In 2007 another in-
teresting 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 rela-
tionship of the two species. Synonyms of
Paph. wardii are Cypripedium wardianum
E.W. Cooper 1951 (not to be confused
with Cyp. wardii Rolfe 1913), Paphiope-
dilum microchilum Z.J. Liu & S.C. Chen
[23] Paph. wardii of the Chocolate strain,
bred by Andy Philips, Andys Orchids.
Grower: Hengduan Mts. Biotechnology.
[24] The close relationship to Paph. purpura-
tum is obvious in Paph. wardii f. ying-
xiangii.
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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. Curtiss Botanical Magazine, volume 47.
Mark, B. 1987 NAME Orchid Digest, 51(X), PAGE
Flora of China, Vol. 25
Kingston-Ward, 1932. Gardeners 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 Or-
chids 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):256265.
Kingdon-Ward, F. 1960. Pilgrimage for Plants. London
. p. 109116.
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 Ge-
nus Paphiopedilum in China. Science Press, Beijing.
Pe, F.T. 1981. A rediscovery of Paphiopedilum wardii
Summerhayes. Orchid Digest 45(3):98103.
Pradhan, G.M. 1974. Paphiopedilum venustum (Wall.)
Pfitz. Orchid Digest 38(5):195198.
Pradhan, U.C. 1975. A survey Paphiopedilum venustum
(Wall.) Pfitz. Orchid Digest 39(6):204209.
Senghas, K. and G. Schoser. 1965. Paphiopedilum su-
kakhulii. Die Orchidee 16:224236.
Xu, Z.H., H. Jiang, D.P. Ye, and E.D. Liu. 2010. The Wild
Orchids in Yunnan .
[25] The rst specimen of Paph. wardii
discovered and then lost, photographed
November 1922 by F. Kingdon-Ward. [F.
Kingdon-Ward]
[26] Paph. wardii wild strain, mass-propa-
gated 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.
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: articially mass-
propagating native orchids and marketing
them internationally to mitigate collection
pressure for the natural populations.
Perners focus is on slipper orchids, which
for the domestic market his laboratory and
nursery is also raising the genera Phragmi-
pedium 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).
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SPOTLIGHT
In Search of the Star of Africa
By Clare and Johan Hermans/Images by Johan Hermans except where noted
544 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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 stella-
africae 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 uKhahlambaDrakensberg
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 well-
represented; 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
orchi d peopl e. Our l odgi ngs 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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[1] Lekgalameetse Reserve, Polokwane
South Africa
[2] The habitat of Angraecum stella-africae,
Lekgalameetse Reserve, Polokwane
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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 oil-
collecting 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
3
4 5
6
[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 owers of Habenaria epipac-
tidea.
[6] Disperis cardiophora photographed
on the Sani Pass in the Drakensbergs
Mountains of South Africa.
546 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
species to spot, with flower spikes reaching
well above the grasses. Another yellow-
flowered 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 0.0790.118 inch (23 millimeter)
and the lip has fleshy warty ridges whereas
E. hians has a comparatively longer spur
of 0.1570.256 inch (47 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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8 9
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[7] Bonatea boltonii photographed on the
road between Wakkerstroom and Nel-
spruit.
[8] Eulophia odontoglossa growing along the
road to Nelspruit, South Africa.
[9] Disa roseovittata is another orchid spe-
cies found among the rich ora 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.
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
11
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13
[11] While we tend to treat Stenoglottis spe-
cies 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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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 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 busi-
ness, 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
The resemblance of Angraecum stella-
africae 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 self-
pollinates 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
[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 perspec-
tive, 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 popula-
tions of Angraecum stella-africae and
the elevation of its habitat suggests a
common ancestor with Angcm. ruten-
bergianum. Angraecum stella-africae
often self-pollinates. Note the dehiscing
seed capsule below the ower and the
green unripened capsule immediately
behind this open ower.
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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 everyones 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 orga-
nizers with Clare Hermans at the back.
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 then-
known 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.
Paraphalaenopsis
Bornean Jewels
BY ROBERT FUCHS/PHOTOGRAPHS, EXCEPT AS NOTED, BY GREG ALLIKAS
1 2
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4
The four species of Paraphalaenopsis
[1] Paraphalaenopsis labukensis, from north-
ern Borneo described in 1981
[2] Paraphalaenopsis laycockii Roman Spar-
kle, AM/AOS. Grower: Joseph Romans
[3] Paraphalaenopsis denevei Orchidglade,
CCM/AOS Grower: Jones & Scully
[4] Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua Whis-
key Hill, CBR/AOS Grower: Millicent
Brown
Robert Fuchs
The plants are
morphol ogi cal l y
quite distinct from
P h a l a e n o p s i s .
Christenson (1998)
summarizes these
four species.
All four have
large, pendent to
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
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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[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
5 6
7
How to grow
Paraphalaenopsis
and its hybrids
By Robert Fuchs
The species habitats are low-eleva-
tion 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 al-
liance orchids (about 3,000 footcandles).
Excellent air circulation is critical for
these plants; they require regular water-
ing but must not remain wet. Basket or
slab culture is best in order to avoid a
soggy medium.
Paraphalaenopsis labukensis is the
largest species in the genus. Its 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.
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 long-
lasting 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, its clear that only a handful
of these early crosses have been
influential in modern breeding. Most of
the hybrids registered were never used
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
552 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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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
[8] Paravanda. Redland Sparkler Naranja
Starburst HCC/AOS (Pps. Kolopaking
Vanda Madame Kenny) 13 yellow
owers overlaid with red-orange. Grower:
R.F. Orchids, Inc.
[9] Paravanda Dato Anuar Bashah Chili Pep-
per AM/AOS (Pps. Lenggeng Vanda
Dhongchai Pusavat) 19 red-purple
owers on an upright inorescence.
Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc.
[10] Parastylis Seletar Jewel Crownfox Pink
Glow AM/AOS (Pps. laycockii Rhy-
chostylis coelestis) 24 owers on two
inorescences, pale pink with a dusting
of ne, darker pink spots. Grower: R.F.
Orchids, Inc.
[11] Paravanda Marry Lim Crownfox Sunrise
AM/AOS (Pps. Boediardjo Vanda
Fuchs Golden Shiner) butterscotch
owers dusted with rust-red. Grower: R.F.
Orchids, Inc.
[12] Paravanda Crownfox Twinkle Starburst
AM/AOS (Pps. serpentilingua Vanda
falcata) 12 creamy-white owers.
Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc.
[13] Pararenanthera Redland Crownfox
Inferno HCC/AOS (Pps. Boediardjo x
Renanthera storiei) 18 orange owers
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 Pauls Passion
HCC/AOS (Pps. laycockii Vanda Meda
Arnold) an excellent arrangement of
rose-pink owers. Grower: R.F. Orchids,
Inc.
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: Roberts Ruby AM/
AOS and CCM/AOS. The hybrid of
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),
554 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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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).
References
Christenson, E. 1995. Sarcanthine Genera 20: Para-
phalaenopsis. American Orchid Society Bulletin,
64(10):11081113.
Yam, T. 1994. Breeding with Paraphalaenopsis. American
Orchid Society Bulletin, 63(12):13581365.
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 info@rforchids.com;
website www.rforchids.com).
[16] Paravanda Maria Wood Plum Tart AM/
AOS (Paraphalaenopsis Nonito Dolera
Vanda Yip Sum Wah) Awarded in the
summer of 2011 with 15 owers and ve
buds well-displayed on a single inores-
cence. Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc.
[17] Another cultivar of Pv. Maria Wood
Pink Jubilee AM/AOS, awarded a
year earlier with 16 owers 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 oriferousness of this grex. When
awarded there were 14 open owers
and one bud on a single inorescence.
Grower: R.F. Orchids, Inc
Editors note: Recent years have
seen numerous nomenclatural changes
in the Orchidaceae. Most recently
Ascocentrum and Neonetia have been
synonymized with Vanda, Papilionanthe
(terete-leaved vandas) recognized as
distinct from Vanda and reafrmation of
Paraphalaenopsis as a distinct genus.
As a result, complex hybrid genus
names have changed signicantly. All
Paranetia (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.
16
17
18
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 555
556 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR orchids
of the early 1800s was a charming large-
flowered Cattleya species called Cattleya
crispa. It was prized because it was so free-
flowering 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.
[1] A typical plant of Cattleya crispa
with 12 owers in a 5-inch (12.7-
centimeter) pot shows why the
species is famous for its abundant
display of blooms.
Cattleya crispa
was fi rst i mport ed
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
it grew wild in the local A. A. Chadwick
mountain areas. It bloomed the year after
it was imported in the stove house at the
Horticultural Societys 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.
Al t hough C. l abi at a 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
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 (6501,300 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 Brazils 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 56
inches (12.715.2 centimeters) across and
last in bloom over three weeks. Cattleya
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
Cattleya crispa
The Sleeping Giant
TEXT AND IMAGES BY A. A. CHADWICK
1
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 557
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; Sedens 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 Lindleys
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, Curtiss
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 Lindleys
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-Growers Manual listed the plant
as Cattleya crispa so growers would know
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-Growers 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 beauti-
ful varieties of the species.
2
3
558 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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. Veitchs
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 four-
pollinia 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 natures standards
more than their own. In the early 1800s,
C. crispa was pictured and written about
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 large-
owered species that make up todays 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 ner
points of cultivation from the estate growers
near his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
4
[4] One of the nest Cattleya crispa forms,
Buchananiana, was painted by John
Nugent Fitch for the 1883 book, The Or-
chid 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 cut-
flower cattleya producer in Philadelphia. A
regular contributor to Orchids, at age 83, he still
hybridizes cattleyas at his home in Wilmington,
Delaware (e-mail art@chadwickorchids. com;
Web site www.chadwickorchids.com).
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 559
NOMENCLATURE NOTES
Amoana (Laeliinae), a New Mexican Orchid Genus:
A Short History
by Carlos Leopardi, Germn Carnevali and Eric Hgsater
560 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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-Zlly 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
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 & Hgsater. 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
2.57cm (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
0.41.0 0.10.3 cm, linear-lanceolate,
relatively conspicuous ( 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, 1.62.5 0.30.4 cm; petals linear-
oblanceolate, acute, slightly falcate, 1.6
2.3 0.30.7 cm wide; lip basally adnate
to the column (about of its length),
trilobed, total length 1.62.5 cm; lateral
lobes spatulateoblanceolate, somewhat
falcate, apex truncate and obliquely
subacute, 1.11.3 0.060.10 cm wide
at its base, 0.30.6 cm wide near its apex;
midlobe clawed, oblongobovate, acute,
1.31.5 0.61.1 cm, margins somewhat
undulate apically; callus on the claw and
base of midlobe, oblong, distantly forming
two acute, ascending, fingerlike processes
(Figure 1 GI), 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 NO). We can distinguish
Oestlundia from Amoana because the
former has the column and the labellum
partially fused (through of its length),
a complex structure of the blade of the lip
and the absence of digitiform processes
(Figure 1 PQ).
Amoana is a genus endemic to Mxico
(Oaxaca) where it grows on oak trees at
about 1,800 m altitude in the Sierra Madre
del Sur. Plants are found in mixed pineoak
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 well-
drained 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
Asociacin Mexicana de Orquideologa,
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 Orchidi-
anae 5:140.
Baker, R. 1972. Foliar Anatomy of the Laeliinae (Orchi-
daceae). PhD dissertation, Washington University, St.
Louis, Missouri.
Dressler, R.L. and G.E. Pollard. 1971. Nomenclatural Notes
on the Orchidaceae IV. Phytologia 21:433439.
Higgins, W., C. van den Berg, and M. Whitten. 2003. A
Combined Molecular Phylogeny of Encyclia (Orchi-
daceae) and Relationships within Laeliinae. Selbyana
24:165179.
Leopardi, C.L., G. Carnevali, and G.A. Romero-Gonzlez.
2012. Amoana (Orchidaceae, Laeliinae), a New Genus
and Species from Mexico. Phytotaxa 65:2345.
Reichenbach, H. 1887. Epidendrum kienastii. Gardeners
Chronicle ser. 3 2:126.
Stern, W. and B.S. Carlsward. 2009. Comparative vegeta-
tive anatomy and systematics of Laeliinae (Orchidaceae).
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 160:2141.
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 561
[1] Amoana and other orchid genera. AC, ower in lateral and frontal view (C). DF, column and lip in dorsal (D), lateral (E) and ventral views (F). GI,
detail of the callus showing the digitiform process in dorsal (G) and lateral views (HI). JK, column in lateral (J) and ventral (K) view. L, Encyclia
adenocaula. MO, Alamania punicea: ower (M), perianth (N) and habit (O). PQ, Oestlundia luteorosea: ower (P), perianth (Q). Drawings AK by
E. Greenwood (Archive at AMES). Drawings MO by Rolando Jimnez (AMO). Drawings PQ by G.C.K. Dunsterville (Archive at AMES)
562 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to Gerardo Salazar
Chvez (MEXU) and Silvia Salas (SERO)
who both allowed access to important
herbarium material. Silvia Hernndez
(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. Germn 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 MayJune 2012.
Carlos Leopardi, born in Venezuela,
is a PhD student at the Centro de
Investigacin Cientfica de Yucatn, A.C.,
Mxico. 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).
Germn Carnevali, born in Venezuela,
works at the Herbarium CICY of the Centro
de Investigacin Cientfica de Yucatn,
A.C., Mxico, 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 Hgsater, 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).
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
564 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
[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 dis-
tantly related to the core of Arethuseae,
even though their supercial growth form,
leaf, and oral morphology are quite
similar.
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.
R e g a r d l e s s
of exactly where
Calanthe fits among
t he branches of
the orchid family
tree, this genus of
approximately 187
species is quickly
gaining popularity
a mo n g o r c h i d
Alejandro Zuluaga
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
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.,
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
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 565
[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 plants
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


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566 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
[3] Calanthe sylvatica is a highly variable
species. The white-owered 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.
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
References
Juillet, N., R. Delle-Vedove, L. Dormont,
B. Schatz, and T. Pailler. 2010. Differen-
tiation in a Tropical Deceptive Orchid:
Colour Polymorphism and Beyond. Plant
Systematics and Evolution 289(34):
213221.
Delle-Vedove, R., N. Juillet, J.M. Bessire,
C. Grison, N. Barthes, T. Pailler, L. Dor-
mont, and B. Schatz. 2011. Colour-Scent
Associations in a Tropical Orchid: Three
Colours but Two Odours. Phytochemistry
72(8):735742.
Alejandro Zuluaga is a Colombian botanist
who completed his bachelors degree at
the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
He is PhD candidate in Botany at The
University of WisconsinMadison, 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:
zuluagatroch@wisc.edu).
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 WisconsinMadison:
Rafael Arvalo, 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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WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 567
CALENDAR
568 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
SEPTEMBER
1314 Ninth Annual Merritt Huntington
Memorial Symposium, Cavalier Oceanfront
Hotel, 4201 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach,
VA; Contact: David Bryan, 757-650-2250;
daveandjoannebryan@verizon.net
1415 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
1415 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;
tlhaag@charter.net
2022 Alabama Orchid Society Orchid
Show, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 2612
Lane Park Road, Birmingham, AL; Contact:
Ronnie Bliss, 205-426-5544; orchidsrbliss@
bellsouth.net
2022 Great Divide Orchid Society Show and
Sale, Capital ll Mall, 1600 11th Ave., Helena,
MT; Contact: Janice Wannebo, 406-449-7085;
donwannebo1@bresnan.net
2122 *South Bay Orchid Society Fall Show
& Sale, South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300
Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA;
Contact: Marla Corey, 310-833-1918; marla-
corey@sbcglobal.net
2629 Mayaguez Orchid Society Show,
Mayaguez Mall, 957 Hostos Ave., Mayaguez,
PR; Contact: Julio David Rios, 787-872-5895;
david1156@hotmail.com
2829 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
2829 *Fascination of Orchids International
Show and Sale, South Coast Plaza Village,
1631 Sunflower St., Santa Ana, CA; Contact:
Roberta Fox, 949-735-2930; roberta@orchid-
central.net
2829 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
36 Maui County Fair Orchidland 2013,
War Memorial Gymnasium, 700 Halia Nakoa
St., Wailuku, HI; Contact: Bert Akitake, 808-
250-1585; jakitake@hotmail.com
45 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; amattison@suddenlink.net
56 Central New York Orchid Society Show,
Beaver Lake Nature Center, 8477 Mud Lake
Road, Baldwinsville, NY; Contact: Eva Galson,
315-446-0224; egalson@twcny.rr.com
56 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;
jupchurch64@hotmail.com
56 San Diego International Orchid Fair,
San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Garden
Drive, Encinitas, CA; Contact: Bennie Macha-
do, 619-948-5942; bmach16814@aol.com
56 Sunset Empire Orchid Society Show &
Sale Orchids in the Mist, Bob Chisholm
Community & Senior Center, 1225 Ave. A,
Seaside, OR; Contact: Monica Aursland, 503-
861-1344; sunsetorchid@gmail.com
56 Trinidad & Tobago Orchid Society
Annual Orchid Show, National Academy
of Performing Arts, Port of Spain, Trinidad;
Contact: Joan Hampton, 1-868-745-8456;
jbhampton14@yahoo.com
1113 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
1113 South Florida Orchid Society Falling
in Love with Orchids, University of Miami,
Bank United Center, 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral
Gables, FL; Contact: Dan Christensen, 954-
252-8116; damorchid@aol.com
12 *South Florida Orchid Society Speak-
ers Day, University of Miami, Bank United
Center, 1245 Dauer Drive, Coral Gables, FL;
Contact: Ellen Hanson, 305-255-3656; sfor-
chid@bellsouth.net
1213 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
1213 Ft. Pierce Orchid Society Show Fall-
ing for Orchids, Ft. Pierce Shrine Club, 4500
Oleander Ave., Ft. Pierce, FL; Contact: Bill
Tozer, 772-465-4674; jbtozer@bellsouth.net
1213 Illinois Orchid Societys 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
1820 Connecticut Orchid Society Show, Van
Welgens Garden Center, 51 Valley Road, North
Branford, CT; Contact: Cheryl Mizak, 203-264-
6096; alcher@millenicom.com
1820 Fall Mid America Orchid Congress
2013, Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park
North, Dayton, OH; Contact: Eric Sauer, 937-
212-0462; eric@rvorchids.com
1920 Eastern Canada Orchid Society Show,
Hotel Espresso, 1005 rue Guy, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada; Contact: Brian Dunbar, 514-
684-3904; bcd@videotron.qc.ca
1920 Eastern Iowa Orchid Show & Sale, No-
elridge Gardens Greenhouse, 4900 Council St.
NE, Cedar Rapids, IA; Contact: Jon Lorence,
319-624-3666; lorence5@aol.com
1920 Gainesville Orchid Society Annual
Show Orchids in the Garden, Kanapaha
Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Dr., Gaines-
ville, FL; Contact: Candace Hollinger, 352-335-
0715; drahcir@bellsouth.net
1920 Kansas Orchid Society Fall Orchid
Show, Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, 701
Amidon St., Wichita, KS; Contact: Sarah J.
Pratt, 316-772-5194; svcsjp@pixius.net
1920 *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
2427 Club Peruano Exhibicion de Orquideas,
Parque Reducto Miraflores, Ramon Ribeyro
490, San Antonio, Miraflores, Peru; Contact:
Susi Spittler, +51 14792756; suspi@speedy.
com.pe
2526 *Charlottesville Orchid Society Annual
Fall Show & Sale, Snows Garden Center, 1875
Avon St. Extd., Charlottesville, VA; Contact:
Larry Eicher, 434-975-4231; Website: www.
cvilleorchidsociety.com
2527 Delray Beach Orchid Society Show
Orchids on the Square, Old School Square
Gymnasium, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray
Beach, FL; Contact: Julia Hammer, 561-865-
5854; santamom@comcast.net
2527 East Everglades Orchid Society An-
nual Show, 28100 SW 182 Ave., Homestead,
FL; Contact: Valerie Leonard, 305-903-0630;
valda_900@hotmail.com
2627 *Brevard County Orchid Societys
53rd Fall Orchid Fair, Melbourne Auditorium,
625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne, FL; Contact:
Julie Zepf, 321-777-9837; jfzepf@aol.com
2627 Michiana Orchid Society Fall Show,
Holy Cross College, 54515 State Road 933,
Notre Dame, IN; Contact: Sandy Ohlund, 219-
778-4457; sohlund@csinet.net
2627 Windsor Orchid Society Orchid Show,
Teutonia Club of Windsor, 55 Edinborough St.,
Windsor, ON, Canada; Contact: Ed Cott, 519-
252-7342; laelia@aol.com
31November 3 Club Peruano Exhibicion
de Orquideas de Moyobamba, Punto Turis-
tica de San Juan, Jiron Bolivia/Jiron Iquitos,
Moyobamba, Peru; Contact: Susi Spittler, +51
14792756; suspi@speedy.com.pe
Events preceded by an asterisk (*) in this
listing will not be judged by the Ameri-
can Orchid Society. All announcements of
shows should be sent to naya@aos.org.
See a complete calendar at www.aos.org.
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 569
CONTRIBUTIONS
570 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
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
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 571
Join for Two Years
and Receive a $30 Orchid Certificate
572 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
ORCHID MARKETPLACE ORCHID MARKETPLACE
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 573
ORCHID MARKETPLACE ORCHID MARKETPLACE
574 ORCHIDS SEPTEMBER 2013 WWW.AOS.ORG
ORCHID MARKETPLACE ORCHID MARKETPLACE
July 2013 For the Novice, page 390
In Carlos Mackus 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 knight-
hood, an honor Mr. Cattley never re-
ceived. We regret the failure to replace
the honorary title Sir with the abbrevia-
tion 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.
Corrigenda
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.
WWW.AOS.ORG SEPTEMBER 2013 ORCHIDS 575
ORCHIDS CLASSIFIEDS
SALES SALES
Orchid of the Month Club by Elmore
Orchids. Receive a different orchid with buds
or bloom spike each month. Start or stop any-
time, $29.95/mo. plus $8 shipping. See www.
elmoreorchids.com for other offers, catalog.
Tel: 865-966-5294.
Classified ads are $50 for five lines (45 char-
acters/spaces per line) and $12 for each addi-
tional 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 Ofce
jwrench@aos.org
NEW VISION ORCHIDS Special-
izing in phalaenopsis: standards, novelties.
Odontoglossums, intergenerics, lycastes
and vandaceous. Russ Vernon hybridizer.
Divisions of select, awarded plants avail-
able. Flasks and plants. Tel.: 765-749-5809.
E-mail: newvisionorchids@aol.com, www.
newvisionorchids.com.
SALES
Hang your orchid pots anywhere! The amaz-
ing 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.
FOR SALE Orchid Nursery in South
Florida. 50 years in the business. 2.3 acres.
8400 sq. ft. modern greenhouses + inventory.
For information contact: Frank@Pulles.com
Coldwell Banker 305-962-6683
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 877-967-
2443 for our catalog or questions regarding
our products. We cater to the hobbyist.
ORCHID MARKETPLACE
AD INDEX
African Violet Magazine ............................ 567
American Begonia Society......................... 567
American Horticultural Society ................. 559
American Orchid Society
Advertise ................................................ 572
Afliates Societies ................................. 573
AQ Plus .................................................. 570
Cattleyas Supplement Issue ................... 533
Classied 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
Florlia ...................................................... 573
Green Barn Orchid Supplies ..................... 570
H&R Nurseries .......................................... 570
Interior Water Gardens .............................. 567
Ironwood Estate Orchids Sale .................... 573
J.R. Peters ................................................... 574
Kelleys 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
Puricacion ................................................ 573
R.F. Orchids ...................................... 521, 572
rePotme.com ............................................. 573
Rexius Forest By-Products, Inc. ................ 572
Ritters 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
WHOLESALE HARDY ORCHIDS
Bletilla Big Bob, B. Kate, and B. ochracea.
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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 il-
lustrates.
Mr. Arlt began drawing or-
chids in 2000 and currently works
exclusively in pencil. Although a
self-taught artist, his pictures have
been presented at many interna-
tional exhibitions including the
2003 European Orchid Congress
in London, the 2005 18th World
Orchid Conference in Dijon, ex-
hibitions in Stuttgart, Prague and
the 11th Ecuador International
Show and Orchid Conference in
Quayaquil in 2012.
His technique is very pre-
cise. He begins with a hard pen-
cil 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.

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