October 2014 - Central Vancouver Island Orchid Society

Central Vancouver Island
Orchid Society Newsletter
October 2014
President: Bryan Emery 250-857-6888
Secretary: Laurie Forbes 250- 755-1229
Membership: Dora Glover
Treasurer: Joann Gray 250-537-2131
Editor: Bryan Emery
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1061,
Nanaimo, B.C.
V9R 5Z2
email: [email protected]
web site: www.cvios.com
Lycaste skinneri alba 'Oldfield' HCC/AOS
Meetings are held September through June on a Saturday at
Grown by Jonathan Littau,
the Harewood Activity Centre, 195 Fourth Street, Nanaimo,
Photo Judy Highham
in the hall on the second floor, doors open at 11:30, with the
business meeting starting at 12:00.
Coming Meeting Dates: Oct 25 , Nov. 22, Dec. 6.
Program for for October 25th
Orchids of the Philippines
With Sasha Kubicek
Sasha recently got back from the Philippines where he met up with Philippine orchid species expert
Ravan Schneider. Ravan has been living and exploring his mountain backyard for over 15 years.
Ravan has discovered 9 new species to date and over 200 different species on the one mountain alone.
Sasha was lucky to visit Ravan's orchid garden where he grows species he has saved from illegal
logging on the mountain and Sasha also went on two hikes onto the mountain to see orchids growing
in the wild. He will be sharing his adventures with great pictures of orchids growing in the wild and
pictures that Ravan has graciously allowed us to use for the presentation. Some of the highlights of the
hikes were seeing over 200 Paphiopedilum hennisianum growing in one spot and seeing some of the
new species Ravan has discovered!
Editorial: Here we are in month 2 of my editorship, so far I have managed to keep up with the
newsletter... I have just returned from the FVOS show in Langley, our society had a great display with
fantastic plants! Once again I am not going to be at the October meeting... 2years ago it was because I
was in Ecuador, last year it was Montreal... this year I am speaking to the Saskatoon orchid society, a
far cry from Ecuador, but I am looking forward to it! Just a reminder shade cloth needs to be coming
down soon, sadly it is the time of year where all that stunning weather comes to an end!
Tip of the Month
Text and photographs by Alexey Tretyakov
Last Meeting Report: Few Reasons to Keep Orchid Mounted
Classical mounting of orchids on a slab of cork, hardwood or tree fern is a technique, that requires
significant amount of the grower’s time and attention. This technique is less forgiving of our mistakes
or neglect. I can leave my collection for up to 2 weeks without major harm, but mounted orchids would
require find someone who can water plants in my absence. Fortunately, there are many other ways to
grow orchids with similar or better results spending less effort. The only valuable reasons to keep your
orchid mounted are:
 All other techniques in your environment cause decline and perish of the plant; or
 You're consciously ready to use this less efficient technique just for the sake of "pure mounting"
mounting.
Last Meeting Report: How to Substitute Mounting and Avoid its Negative Aspects
Using a Sandwich technique. Sandwich is a plastic net cage filled by the media of your chose. Detailed
presentation on how to create Sandwich will be provided on one of the following sessions. Some of this
technique advantages:
 Sandwich provides more moisture and humidity for the roots than slab. At the same, comparing
to the potting culture, Sandwich has a very short drying period of the growing media. Short
drying period is a major motivation of mounting sensitive to the root rot epiphytic orchids;
 Shape and relatively big “growing” surface of the Sandwich are especially good for mat
forming plants;
 Sandwich similar to mounting slab can be suspended on the wall of growing area. It saves space
and allow excellent presentation of the orchids with pendent growing habit and, or pendent
inflorescence.
Photo 1 Cattleya (Sophronitis) cernua grown on Sandwich with open media
Using chunks of Styrofoam as a potting media is a good solution for the orchids, traditionally mounted
due to their tendency of developing root rot. I have good results using this technique for Vandaceous,
Cattleya aclandiae, Cattleya schilleriana.
Photo 2 Cattleya aclandiae grown in Styrofoam media
Using shallow bulb pots with appropriate media allow successfully accommodate growth of mat
forming plants.
Photo 3 Dendrobium jenkinsii grown in terracotta bulb pot with non-organic
media
October Meeting: Styrofoam as a Component of Growing
Media
At the October meeting Tip of the Month will be
dedicated to advantages and disadvantages of
Styrofoam when it is close to the orchid roots.
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Plant Doctor
Will be available again in November
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CVIOS General Meeting - September 20,2014
Bryan called the meeting to order at 12:00 with 24 members and guest speaker Dave
Nixon present.
Sandra moved acceptance of the minutes of our June meeting, Vickie seconded and
motion carried.
Correspondence over the summer included the latest Orchid Digest and July and
August AOS orchid Bulletins.
Treasurers report: Joann presented the financial report to August 31. She moved acceptance
of her report, Shelley seconded.
New Business:
- Tip of the month - Each month we will give a member the opportunity to share an orchid
growing tip. Alexey will organize this.
- Orchid Doctor - Members with problem plants will be given the opportunity to bring
their plants to a meeting and get advice privately from a more experienced grower.
- Budget - Bryan presented and gave the rationale for the draft budget for 2014/15 developed
by the executive committee at their summer meeting. On behalf of the executive
he moved acceptance of this budget, Dora seconded and motion passed.
Shows: The Fraser Valley show will be held October 17 -19. Check their web site for
details including the pre registration form for your orchids. Mike will be taking our plants
and is doing our display. Drop off points for Nanaimo and south are Dora and Laurie
and Mike for north of Nanaimo. Plants should be dropped off on or before Wednesday.
Please call ahead; Dora (754-9634), Laurie (755-1229) and Mike (248-3478). Don’t forget
to fill out the pre registration form and include it with your orchids. Contact Bryan if
you are not sure which class your orchid(s) should be in.
Fundraisers: Last year funds raised through our bag draws and silent auctions at meeting
contributed a substantial amount to our revenue. The executive recommended we
continue to schedule these events at our meetings throughout the year. Discussions led
to the following schedule: November - Mixed Bag Draw, February - Food Bag Draw and
May - Plant Silent Auction.
Refreshments: Thank you to Julia, Vickie, Clemintine, Gerry and Bryan for bringing
goodies this month. Reminders to Connie, Flemming, Bob, Laurie and Shirley for October.
Programs: Nancy thanked Dave Nixon for coming to be our speaker this month.
Please let her know if you have any ideas for speakers.
Our meeting adjourned at 12:30 followed by Alexey’s tip of the month.
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Results from the September Richmond AOS Judging
At the AOS Pacific Northwest Judging
Center (Richmond)’s monthly judging
on September 13, 2014, the
following AOS award was granted:
Dendrobium subuliferum CCE/AOS
93pts (20142899)
Exhibitor: Alexey Tretyakov. Photos
by Alexey Tretyakov
The Fraser Valley Society Show 2015
The CVIOS display in the FVOS Show and Sale was set up against a wall with 37 plants
supplied by eight members. Thank you Laurie, Shelley, Donna, Maureen, Shirley, Alexey, Dora and
Mike. The plants gathered 11 first place blue ribbons, 5 second place red ribbons and 6 third place
white ribbons. Maureen’s Phalaenopsis No Name won the Best grown on a Windowsill award and
Laurie’s Cymbidium took Best Cymbidium.
Bryan’s display did very well with more plants than the Society. There were 6 first place blue
ribbons, 7 second place red ribbons and 5 third place white ribbons. His Epidendrum capriconu won
Best Laelia Other and his Dendrochillum cobbianum won Best Coelogyne Group. His large plant
small flower Bulbophyllum acrtebractutum was awarded a provisional Award of Botanical Recognition
. his Display won BC’s first Silver Certificate from the AOS for excellence.
All together our Society did well. Congratulations to all of the participants.
Top: CVIOS display. Bottom: Bryan's display (missing a few plants, proper photo to follow)
Bulbophyllum (Thou.)
Type species B. nutans
Habitat: The centre of distribution of this genus is said to be New Guinea with about 600 species. From there,
the plants have evolved and spread throughout the world’s equatorial zones: eastwards through the Pacific
Islands and westwards through Asia, Africa into the Americas (only about 100 species here). They will not be
found in the arctic zones because they need to live in tropical rainforests.
Not all grow in hot lowlands but some can be found at higher altitudes and if you have any Bulbophyllums,
please try to find out where they come from.
History: During the 18th century, many newly discovered and interesting plants were sent to Europe, among
them were a good number from the French islands off the East Africa coast (Mauritius, Réunion and
Madagascar); therefore the French plant scientist Louis-Marie Aubert Du Petit-Thouars, born 1758, decided to
go there with his brother, to explore the flora of these islands. He could not go travelling during the French
Revolution, but managed in 1792 to find a ship that would take him to these islands in the Indian Ocean.
In 1802 the brothers returned to France where Louis subsequently published several treatises and books (with
drawings) about the plants he found there. Contained in some of his writings, were the first descriptions of
“Phyllorkis”, which Thouars later re-named “Bulbophyllums”.
This group of plants (at present about 2,000 species of Bulbophyllinae) is related to Dendrobiums, with
Epigeneiums standing half way between these two large genera. Together with Bulbophyllum per se, there are a
number of plants with other names belonging in this group. You can read all the currently accepted 20 names on
p.12 of Emly Siegerist’s excellent book: Bulbophyllums and Their Allies: A Grower's Guide (from Achrocaene
over Cirrhopetalum, Sunipia, Trias to Vescisepalum). Now there are even hybrids between several of these
species.
It is estimated that there are around 1200 Bulbophyllums alone throughout the equatorial regions. This vast
number compares well with the New World group of the Pleurothallidinae. Attempts have been made by
taxonomists to divide this huge number into smaller sections, (at the moment 78) and this work is still going on.
By the way – it is always safe to say ‘Bulbophyllum’, even if the plant is a Cirrhopetalum or a Megaclinium or
one of the other 20 species.
Description: In addition to having the regular characteristics of
orchid flowers, one group of the Bulbophyllums has a thickened
base of the column with sometimes a vestigial column foot to
which the lip is rigidly attached. The other group – Schlechter calls
them Eubulbophyllum, (the “true” Bulbophyllums), have a definite
column foot forming a mentum and the lip is attached loosely, so it
wiggles.
Most of the plants in this genus are epiphytic and have creeping
rhizomes with pseudobulbs that carry one or two leaves, rarely
three. Most of the cultivated species have fleshy, even succulent
leaves in different sizes, but they can also be thin leaves, terete
leaves etc. The one- or multi-flowered inflorescences always arise
from the base of the pseudo-bulb in contrast to the Dendrobiums
where the flowers always come from the sides or the top of the
plants.
Bulbophyllum Elizabeth Ann 'Bucklebury' FCC/AOS
Bulbophyllum flowers come in all shades and hues of the rainbow and can be between 18 cm across (B.
echinolabium and B. longissimum for instance) to tiny creations that can only be admired through a magnifying
glass. There is, B. alagense from the Philippines, which I call the ‘rosary orchid’ because its pseudo-bulbs look
like the beads of a green rosary; its tiny orange eyelash flowers are 3 mm long and smell of cinnamon. B.
pygmaeumfrom N.Z. and B. minutissimum are said to have the smallest flowers of all the orchids. The
inflorescences of the Megaclinium group look like tapeworms with little flowers coming from its sides, along the
central vein. The Cirrhopetalum flowers grow mostly in umbels, which are characteristicized by coherent lateral
sepals and palae on the dorsal and petals - feathery appendages waving in the slightest breeze.
These species are pollinated in nature by a vast array of birds and insects; each species has its own pollinator. A
few are infamous for attracting carrion flies, among them is the gigantic B. beccari from Borneo. It winds its
rhizome (dia.20 cm) around the trunks of large trees, waving its charming white and rosy flowers for all to see
and wafting the odour of rotting flesh far and wide. If and when any adventuresome orchidist, cultivating B.
spiesii or B. phalaenopsis is successful in bringing them to bloom, the grower will only reluctantly enter the
growing area because of the evil smells these flowers produce – just to be pollinated they say – for human noses:
revolting!
Culture: Having already stated that these plants are epiphytes, we will realize that they need good drainage.
They do not do well (for any length of time) in pots. I like to have them hanging on plaques of bark or cork; they
can be tied to thin branches; the more robust plants like B. dayanum and B. Elizabeth Ann ‘Bucklebury’
FCC/AOS need stout supports. They do well in open baskets and very shallow, saucer-like pots with additional
holes in them. A fine to medium loose mix works well. They grow throughout the year with only some species
(from the Himalaya regions, Myanmar and Western China as well as some Pacific islands with higher elevations)
needing a few weeks of drier rest after the new growths have matured. During active growth, all enjoy regular
watering and weak fertilizer, high humidity, medium light and warm temperature: winter absolute minimum: 16–
18°F.
Bulbophyllums and their allies do not like to have their roots disturbed – leave them alone unless the mix (if
there is any) becomes stale. Then, you must rescue them quickly. I thought that just letting them dry will help but
no – they die in soggy, old mixes. Please note: they dislike any strong chemical applications.
Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander - Canadian Orchid Congress
Answers to Last Month's Crossword
Cattleya rex O’Brian
From South America come several yellow Cattleyas, large and small. The three with the largest,
showiest flowers are C. dowiana from Costa Rica, C. dowiana var. aurea from Colombia and C. rex
from two places (Moyobamba and Ayacucho) in Peru. This last species was flowered for the first time
(in Europe) in Brussels and immediately described in 1894. It has, like the other two, one leaf per
pseudobulb (unifoliate). The flowers are pale yellow or cream – you might call them ivory or soft gold.
The lip is deep crimson with golden veins and white ruffles. In its native climate, which is extremely
hot and sunny (as well as humid during the rainy season), C. rex can have up to 12 flowers per stem. In
a cooler environment, you will get fewer or no flowers on the pseudobulb. I noticed that this Cattleya
has a delightful scent during the day. One important thing to remember is that it needs a definite rest
during the winter.
How was it discovered? A very knowledgeable
Cattleya rex
orchid hunter, Eric Bungeroth had amassed a good
fortune by re-finding and selling large numbers of
the prized C. labiata. He felt that after collecting in
the Eastern parts of South America, he might find
similar plants in similar climates farther West. So he
furnished an expedition and left England in May
1892 to test his theory. In July of that year, he set up
camp in an Indian village in the area of Moyobamba
where he proceeded to teach the Indians what and
how to collect the plants he was looking for. Among
other orchids, he also obtained this new Cattleya,
which he called C. rex (King’s Cattleya). Because
the rainy season was fast approaching, he hurried the Indians along almost non-existing trails in order
to get his cargo to the Amazon River for shipping to England. During the trek, he watched and worried
over the plants, checking every day for decaying matter, trying to keep the orchids healthy. The living
conditions were difficult beyond description, he suffered from malaria and the beginning rains brought
with them myriads of insects. It was particularly the ants which made even the Indians very
uncomfortable.
Eventually, the precious boxes were stowed on board a ship and were carried in a 20 day voyage to
Liverpool, where they arrived in November 1892 and were safely stored in the dock warehouse so the
invited public could come and purchase the newly arrived treasures. But November in England can be
very, very cold! On the morning of the great sale, the buyers from England, Belgium, France and
Germany arrived at the Liverpool dockside and found Bungeroth in desperation. During the night the
priceless plants over which he had laboured so meticulously had been frozen black! Deep inside some
boxes, some orchids were still alive, but Bungeroth’s dreams of fortunes were gone, leaving him a sick,
poor and bitter man.
Cattleya rex is still a rare plant, to this day. It has a small area of distribution and lives on tall, old trees
which the loggers prize – to cut down, never caring about the orchids they destroy in their ravaging
harvest of timber. Seedlings of C. rex are never found on shorter, young trees. Some local collectors
sell salvaged specimens in the public markets. Fortunately, some local nurseries have started to
propagate orchids artificially. Still, if you ever come across these royal Cattleyas, treat them with
respect. Admire them and appreciate their beauty. But please, do not let your orchids freeze.
Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander - Canadian Orchid Congress
Central Vancouver Island Orchid Society
Membership Form 2014 -2015
Society mailing Address: P.O. Box 1061, Nanaimo, B.C., V9R 5Z2
web site: www.cvios.com
Household membership $25.00 per year (Sept.-Aug.) ___________________
Meetings are held September through June on the Saturday near the middle of the month at the Harewood
Activity Centre, 195 Fourth Street, Nanaimo, in the hall on the second floor, doors open at 11:30, with the
business meeting starting at 12:00 noon.
Contact: Dora Glover Membership Chairperson (250) 754-9634 - Date ______________
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Name(s) for membership card(s)
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Where I grow my orchids ___Windowsill CHECK ONE OR MORE
___Under Lights
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I have (circle one) (0 - 10), (11 -20), (20 -35), (36 - 50), (50 -100), (100+) orchid plants
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published membership list that will be distributed to members only.
I ( GIVE ) ( DO NOT GIVE ) permission for publication. (CROSS OUT ONE PLEASE)
Date _______________________
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Please note if this section is not filled in we cannot list you as a member in the membership list.