SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY NEWS December 2009
Transcription
SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY NEWS December 2009
SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY NEWS December 2009, Volume44, Issue 11 Web site: www.soos.ca ; Member of the Canadian Orchid Congress; Affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the Orchid Digest and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance. Membership: Annual Dues $25 per calendar year (January 1 to December 31 ). Membership secretary: Hesse Pommells 416-245-0369, #503-370 Dixon Road, Weston, Ontario, M9R 1T2 Executive: President, Tom Atkinson 416-449-7907; Vice-president, Yvonne Schreiber, 905-473-3405; Secretary, Sue Loftus 905-839-8281; Treasurer, Elizabeth McAlpine, 416-487-7832 Honorary Life Members: Terry Kennedy, Doug Kennedy, Inge Poot, Peter Poot, Joe O’Regan, Diane Ryley, Wayne Hingston. Annual Show: February 13 – 14, 2010 Best display at ECOS Orchidophiles de Montreal by Les Meeting Program Sunday, December 6: General Meeting to conduct elections, Annual auction, and Pot luck social. Election: Your executive is up for renewal. Our past president, Jay Norris proposes the following slate for the next two year term: President: Yvonne Schreiber, Vice President: Don Wyatt, Secretary: Sue Loftus, Treasurer : Liz McAlpine, Membership Secretary: Hesse Pommells, Directors: Peter Poot, Editor, Max Wilson, Webmaster, Chee Chong, Jay Norris, Arto Izmerlian, Inge Poot, Marion Curry, Laura Liebgott, Terry Kennedy, Wendy Hoffman, Henry Glowka, Tom Atkinson stays on as immediate past president. Annual Auction: This is your chance at some choice plants donated by outstanding growers. There will also be orchid related items such as grow lights, cork bark, books and periodicals. Proceeds will be shared between your society and the judging centre. Thank you for your donations! Pot Luck Social: This is always a very popular event. So bring your favourite holiday dish to share and pitch in with the set up and clean up. Early Membership Renewal. To encourage early renewal for 2010 there will be two draws for two orchid plants each time. 2009 Members renewing membership for the 2010 year who renew by the end of the November meeting are eligible for the December and January draws. Anyone renewing by the end of the December meeting is eligible for the January draw. A member is able to win only once. So, renew and get yourself a chance at an orchid plant. 1 SOOS President’s Remarks Mario Ferrusi has a maxim by which he lives insofar as SOOS is concerned. It is “What can I do for the good of the society?”. This seems simple enough. But it has resonance if you stop and think about it. If we have certain abilities, do we offer them up for the benefit of SOOS, or do we let others do so? If we value the society and the rewards which it brings, do we look for ways to improve, enhance, and sustain it? So I commend Mario‟s maxim to you in the days and years to come. It occurred to me a few months ago that SOOS is predominantly a tropical orchid society. Much as I might wish there to be a better balance, a reality check says that this assessment is so. There are at least 2 other aspects to SOOS of which we need to be aware, and not lose sight. They are judging and conservation. The former does enter all of our lives with the show table, and with our annual Valentine‟s Day weekend show. Conservation of native terrestrial orchids is part of our charter, and as you know we are striving to restore orchids in areas around the city. If this were the COS – Colombian Orchid Society – and we all lived in Bogota, then the native orchid aspect of the society would be equal if not greater in magnitude than that of other tropical orchids. But in Canada and in temperate climates, alas, we have fewer of our own to showcase. And for whatever reason, many of these require very particular conditions in which to thrive. From the Atkinson garden An unpaid gardener and orchid lover! Hello fellow orchid lovers. I bear tidings of great joy to all today – we have a new president! All will be revealed at the December 6 SOOS monthly meeting. As this is the annual potluck Christmas party and auction, here is even one more reason to mark the day on your calendar or e-calendar. And do not forget to bring a dish to share at the potluck, plus a bag of money for the auction. We have a suggestion box, and I do encourage its use. From the Nov. 1 suggestion box we received this thoughtful note: “My feeling is that the meetings are now far too long. I believe that it‟s taking an excessive amount of time to do the show table. If this portion of the meeting could be greatly reduced so that the total mtg. time is no more than about 2 hours, I think a lot more people would stay for the mtg.”. The point is valid, and we do – several times a year – recalibrate this part of the meeting to move it along faster. When we have a guest who we sweet talk (or coerce) into acting as our show table expert, we do try to stifle any urge to “gong” her or him. There are many features of our society and our meetings which I myself find more to my taste than the show table. But as mentioned in an earlier issue of the newsletter, it is very popular with many members. What we suffer through at one meeting, others take delight in. And as they squirm in another meeting, we find the subject at hand fascinating. Rest assured, the calibration does happen. And keep those suggestions coming in, please! One last thought on meeting length: we do try to start them sharply at 1 PM, and most will be over by 3 PM or slightly thereafter. It‟s been a rewarding 2 years, 2008 and 2009, as your president. As my time in office ends, is it cheers of thanks, or cheers of thanksgiving, which I can just hear if I listen closely? This is a demanding job, but one which I am very glad that I took on. It has its ups, and it has its downs. At times, I may have assisted members in some fashion; at times, I know I have driven a few to fits of apoplexy; for the latter, lesson learned, and may the incidents never be repeated. Once the president leaves office, s/he is “past president” for the next 2 year term, so I‟ll be around. And if ever you want to contact me in my role as “Citizen Tom”, try [email protected] , 416-449-7907, or let‟s talk at one of our meetings. As I sign off as your president, I leave you with these immortal words, as life imitates art: 2 Orchid Shows Welcome New Members Linda Will, Gary Pyper, John Van Rompu, Jean and Jonathan Heath Newcomers' Meetings Wayne Hingston will once again present his excellent series on the culture of the most popular types of hobby orchids. These sessions are for members who have just started in orchids and will be presented at the Toronto Botanical Garden Board Room on the following Monday evenings at 7 pm: Niagara Region Show SOOS display by Don Wyatt and Henry Glowka photo by Henry Glowka Don Wyatt and Henry Glowka volunteered to put in this nice display at the St. Catharines show. The display got 3rd. Place in the society display class. Plants came together from a number of members: Dates are: December 14, 2009 and January 11, 2010 Synea Tan; Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte, Best in class; Paphiopedilum Julius, 1st.; nd Paphiopedilum Makuli 2 .; Phalaenopsis hybrid 2nd. Coming Events John Spears; Dendrobium bigibbum, 2nd. December Tom Atkinson; Cymbidium hybrid, 1st. 5, Toronto Centre judging, Toronto Botanical Garden, Judges training 10 am, Judging 1 pm. Linda Gough; Yellow Cattleya, 1st. Don Wyatt; Cattleya (Sophronites) cernua, 2nd. 6, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden 12 noon, General Meeting to conduct elections, Annual auction, Pot luck social. John Jurica; Prosthechea (Encyclia) Green Hornet (Prosthechea cochleata x Prosthechea trulla) 2nd.; Hybrid red mini Cattleya 2nd.; Hybrid red Vanda, 2nd.; Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Brassocattleya) Chief Pink „Diana‟, 3rd. 14, Newcomers meeting, Toronto Botanical Gardens Board room 7 pm. January 2010 Naneve Hawke; Prosthechea (Encyclia) cochleata, 2nd.; hybrid yellow Phalaenopsis, 2nd. 2, Toronto Centre judging, Toronto Botanical Garden, Judges training 10 am, Judging 1 pm. Monica Lee; Paphiopedilum Woessner Perle, rd 3 . 3, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden, sales 12 noon, program 1 pm. Henry Glowka; Zygopetalum, 2nd. Inge and Peter Poot took a display to the Eastern Canada Orchid society show in Montreal. That display took a second place in the visiting society category. 11, Newcomers meeting, Toronto Botanical Gardens Board room 7 pm. 31, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden, sales 12 noon, program 1 pm. Plants were contributed by: February Aina Balodis; Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Brassolaeliocattleya) Campobello Mendenhall‟ nd 2 .; Odontocidium (Colmonara) Wildcat „Yellow nd Butterfly‟, 2 . 13, Toronto Centre judging in conjunction with the SOOS Valentine Orchid Show judging 8 am, Toronto Botanical Garden. Jean Ikeson; Cattleya (Laeliocattleya) C. G. St Roebling 'Royal Purple' HCC/AOS, 1 .; st Cattlianthe (Laeliocattleya) Tricky Red 1 .; 13-14, SOOS Valentine Orchid Show, Toronto Botanical Garden, 11 am – 5 pm. 3 genera is a “must have” for anyone who wishes to identify the species with their current names, or learn how to grow them properly. To round out his interests our speaker has recently acquired an interest in medicinal plants and has just finished a book on that topic as well! Cattlianthe (Cattleya) Sir Jeremiah Coleman nd 'Blue Moon', 2 . Inge and Peter Poot; Neofinetia falcata, 2nd.; Lepanthes telipogoniflora, 2nd. Thank you all. Orchid shows and the displays made with your plants help bring the orchid hobby to the attention of the public and bring in new members which benefits us all. AOS Judging Results Eastern Canada Orchid society show: Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Brassocattleya) Chief Pink „Diana‟ HCC – 79 points C. Chief Snow x Rlc November Bride, Plant Exotica Laelia (Schomburgkia) schultzei „Jardin Botanique de Montréal‟ - AM 83 points, Jardin Botanique de Montréal Stelis eublepharis „Conni‟s Star„ CCM – points, Conni & Mario FERRUSI 83 Toronto Judging Centre, November 7: Pleurothallis phalangifera 'Starry Crystals' CHM 81 pts. , Mario & Conni Ferrusi Restrepia portillae 'Marsh Hollow' CHM 83 pts., Mario & Conni Ferrusi Dendrobium niveum 'White Lightening' CHM 82 pts., Doug & Terry Kennedy Lycaste macrophylla var. plana photo Dr. Oakeley Lycaste, Ida and Anguloa by Henry Plants of the genus Lycaste are found from Southern Mexico to Central America and some are also found in South America. They have forward pointing flowers in many colours from white to red, brown, green, yellow and orange and combinations of these colours. The lips have wide side-lobes and may have hairs on the lip and tepals; the mid-lobe is never fringed. The distribution of the scent-producing glands or osmophores is different in the various species. Lindley separated this genus from Maxillaria in 1843 with Lycaste plana (now Lycaste macrophylla var. plana) as the type for this genus. Note: while he did not indicate a type – it was not required in 1843 - he still had a type. Oakeley (transcribed by Inge Poot, and edited by Dr. Oakeley) Our speaker is a psychiatrist by profession who has been growing lycastes and anguloas since 1957. When he started growing them there were 20 species of Lycaste and 8 species of Anguloa known to science. By now, even though the genus Ida has been taken out of the genus Lycaste, there are now 31 species plus 33 varieties of Lycaste known to science, as well as 39 species +11 varieties of Ida and 9 (or 10) +5 Anguloa - and those numbers exclude the natural hybrids found. All this taxonomic activity and confusion has resulted in over 300 synonyms! His wonderful book on these three 4 Ida is found in northern parts of South America. The flowers are pendulous to hanging and have very narrow side-lobes on their lips. Flower colours are white, green and orange. The lips have no hairs, but usually have fringed margins. bend its petals over the front of the column and in this manner shut the opening to the interior of the flower. Underneath the sticky stigmatic cavity in the yellow flowered Lycaste is a two-pronged structure that catches the pollinia from the back of the pollinator as the latter backs out of the flower and pushes it into the stigma. Anguloa is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia but not in Brazil. They grow at elevations between 1,200 to 2,300m. The flowers are held erect, white or yellow to red in colour, are tulip shaped and have a hinged, tubular or boat-shaped, lip. The first Anguloa species was discovered, because explorers were looking for quinine sources to combat malaria and found a lot of orchids as well. The three genera have also been shown to be separate by DNA testing. Even the South American Lycaste species are in the same “clade” ( a clade is a group of species that appear to have a common ancestor) as the Central American Lycaste. They can also be told apart when their pseudobulbs are leaf-less. In Lycaste section Aromatica, the leaves leave long sharp spines behind when they fall off, but the leaves were all carried close to the top with no noticeable length of pseudobulb between the two leaves. In section Lycaste, there is a noticeable piece of pseudobulb between the two leaves, resulting in a step-like arrangement of the top of the bare bulb. In Ida there are no spines left behind by the falling off leaves. In Anguloa the spines left behind are shorter than those of the spined Lycaste species. Another difference is the structure of the pollinia in the three genera. All have fairly long to quite long stipes ( Note: Most Maxillaria species have short pollen stipes, but some have equally long pollen stipes as the three genera discussed in the talk and all carry two pairs of pollen masses.) The viscidium or sticky end differs in shape for the three genera. Lycastes have rounded to triangular viscidia, idas V or W shaped ones and anguloas spear-shaped ones (often with two basal barbs) or diamond-shaped viscidia. Anguloa uniflora The pollinating insect of Lycaste gets the pollinia stuck onto its abdomen - in some species between the segments of the insect‟s abdomen, in Ida they get stuck just behind the eyes of the pollinator. photo Dr. Oakeley In 1991, our speaker wanted to rediscover the lost Anguloa uniflora because it was the first species in the genus to be described, in 1794, by the Spanish pharmacist/botanists Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavón, who had explored Peru. He found it in 1997 in Tarma where it had originally been found. Even today it is a lengthy journey involving a flight to Lima, Peru, then a When a Lycaste flower is pollinated its scent production ceases within 24 hours and the lip bends upward to close the opening to the interior of the flower and later the lip shrivels and dries. A pollinated Ida flower on the other hand, will 5 nine-hour, over-night bus trip across the Andes, for even the closest of its current habitats. The nomenclatural chaos in the genus Anguloa started with the description of the type species! It seems the author had both A. uniflora and A. virginalis in front of him when he did the description and it is only lucky that the type material has been lost and only a drawing remains and this drawing in definitely of A. uniflora and not of A. virginalis. This drawing has been designated the “holotype”. This pictorial holotype is a substitute for the lost herbarium specimen that should have served as the “type”. Despite the published description of A. uniflora, for the next 150 years all other white Anguloa species were lumped into this name resulting in a lovely mess! It is only since 1997 that all the species have been sorted out. It should be noted that the above two species need different culture. Both grow around 2,300 metres; A. uniflora will flower in somewhat shady locations, but A. virginalis needs full sun or only light shade to flower. The definition of the genus Lycaste had its problems as well. Lindley named the genus after a beautiful woman from Trepanum in Sicily, nicknamed Venus, not after a daughter of Priam, King of Troy, as is often stated in books. The genus that is really named for a goddess is the genus Paphinia which is another name for Venus. The first plant Lindley described as a Lycaste was Lycaste plana in 1843 and this is recognized as the holotype or lectotype for the genus. Today, this species is considered a colour variety of the very variable Lycaste macrophylla. One of the reasons for confusion in the species is that the seven-volume work of the Flora Peruviana et Chilensis never made it past the third volume. Along with the majority of the orchids they discovered, L. macrophylla var. alba, discovered by Tafalla (who continued Ruiz and Pavón‟s expedition) in 1797, was supposed to be in volume 7. The plant with the original painting was eventually published in 2008. Ida locusta photo Dr. Oakeley The genus Ida is based on the species Ida locusta, chosen in 2003 by Ryan and Oakeley. The species was described as Lycaste locusta by Reichenbach f., in the Gardeners’ Chronicle. But the first Ida, Lycaste or Anguloa that flowered in England was the Jamaican Ida barringtoniae. It was introduced in 1790 by Lord Allan Gardiner. In most cases, lycastes and idas were described in the genus Maxillaria until Lindley moved the plants described by that time into the genus Lycaste. Maxillaria (Lycaste) aromatica from Mexico described in 1825 is a good example. It grows at 2000m elevation on oak type trees in dappled shade. Plants in heavy shade do not flower. Maxillaria (Lycaste) macrophylla was a problem, since it supposedly occurred in both Costa Rica and Peru. A plant from Peru was used as the type by John Lindley in 1830 and since the 6 Most Lycaste species grow on mossy treetrunks. Costa Rican taxon is not identical, this species had to receive a new name, namely Lycaste desboisiana. Lycaste macrophylla was described by Lindley to be growing at 400m elevation, beside a river to keep cool, but exposed to full sun. The Costa Rican species was found by our speaker at 800m, in dappled shade, but not in bloom. Mist jets can be used under the staging, with fans blowing air through the mist, to keep the plants cool and humid. Most species need a lot of light. Fortunately it is easy to tell if your plant gets enough light. If the leaves grow horizontally, they are not getting enough light. If the leaves are upright, they are getting sufficient light. The most famous Lycaste is Lycaste skinneri collected by George Ure Skinner in 1840 and painted by Mrs E Powell in 1841. It is native to Guatemala in the Coban area, where it grows on the bark of trees and is exposed to lots of drizzling rain. What was known as L. skinneri var ipala – amongst other synonyms, has been elevated to its own species as Lycaste guatemalensis. Lycaste skinneri also exposed one of John Lindley‟s less endearing characteristics – he never admitted an error. He published Maxillaria (now Lycaste) cruenta as Maxillaria (now Lycaste) skinneri in 1840 and then in 1842 he published it again as Maxillaria (Lycaste) cruenta, but never mentioned the previous mistake. Potting as mentioned during the show table discussion should be done in a loose mix of 50% Perlite and 50% about one inch (3cm) pieces of sphagnum moss. (Use scissors or shears to cut the wet moss). When re-potting, leave enough space for two bulbs at the front end of the plant. If the compost is still in good shape at repotting, take off the compost at the back of the plant and add more at the front. Take off back-bulbs and use them to get more copies of the parent plant. New plants will often sprout from the abscission point at the top of the pseudobulb. Lay these bulbs with plantlets sideways onto the surface of the potting medium, because the roots have no root hairs. As they grow into the medium the new tips will grow root hairs. Dr Reichenbach was another famous botanist with serious character flaws! He was rude and vindictive and stole plants off Kew Herbarium sheets! There are a couple Ida species which have been confused. Ida (as Lycaste) gigantea has been long confused with Maxillaria(Lycaste) longipetala and Lycaste heynderycxii (now Ida grandis). Ida fulvescens, a very floriferous species with an orange lip has been confused with Ida peruviana. Most species have phototrophic flowers. This means that the flowers will grow and orient themselves to face into the light. Species with short stems and phototropic flowers will not need staking (just orient the plant so the flower buds are emerging towards the light). If they have long stems, they will need staking as well to ensure that they are neatly spaced. Cultural Notes: Most Ida and Anguloa prefer to grow terrestrially. Most species of all three genera grow in cloudy, misty damp places. The completely deciduous species experience dry conditions when the bulbs are mature. Plants of Lycaste section Lycaste lose their old leaves when the new growth is partly made up. Most Lycaste section Aromatica and Intermediae lose their leaves two to three months before the new growth starts. Anguloa lose their leaves just before the beginning of the growing season. Idas may keep their leaves 2-3 years. In the rainy season it is very wet. Species with long stems will have to have a fan of stakes inserted as soon as the buds appear and the lengthening stems will have to be retied daily to achieve a pleasing presentation of the flowers. The flowers of some Ida are not phototropic and without staking these flowers will face every which way. If a wayward bud of a phototropic species faces the wrong way anyway, then a black piece of 7 paper can be put behind it. The bud will turn to face away from the black paper. drawings and photographs of all the species and natural hybrids, in order to have a useful scientific record of the genera. Leaves are phototrophic and this can be used to have them out of the way of the flowers. When the leaves emerge the plant should be turned so that the light will make them bend towards the back of the plant. When the buds emerge turn the plant 180 degrees and the buds will face towards the front of the plant and not be obscured by the leaves. Valentine Orchid February 12, Set up Show 2010. 13, Judging, show and sales 14, show and sales, take down. Some phototropic flowers look better unstaked. Just let them cascade over the side of the pot. Your show committee under the able leadership of Wayne Hingston is hard at work. Invitations to sell and exhibit have gone out and replies are flooding in. Now we need the membership to step up and help with set up, judging and clerking, security, guiding, and coat checking. The flowers of these three genera bruise very easily. To get a plant to a show in pristine conditions, bruising can be avoided by staking the flowers far apart in a fan around the edge of the pot. Remove the stakes when the plant is staged. Another way to prevent bruising is to cut a circle of paper a bit larger than the flower for every flower, cut a slit in each circle down to the centre and pin the papers around the ovary to the back of the flowers, securing the two edges with a paper clip. Laura Liebgott will be doing the SOOS members display for those who do not wish to do their own. If you would like to try your hand at displaying your own plants, why not try to do a basket display. Hybridizing: Peter Poot will have the sign up sheets for the various volunteer jobs out at the December meeting. We need lots of volunteers to make the show run smoothly. You can phone Peter at 905-640-5643 if you wish. One of the most famous crosses is Lycaste Auburn. Unfortunately some strains are plagued by a crooked lip that is hard to get rid of in further hybridizing. The fault lies in one of the parents used that had the crooked lip too. We are again aiming for record attendance so please advertise our show to your friends, relatives and acquaintances. Coupons and posters will be available at the December meeting. The red colour seen in so many lovely hybrids comes from the brown species such as L. lasioglossa. The brown colour is produced by a red overlay over a green segment. The breeding then tries to suppress the green colour and we are left with the red colour. Ida costata has narrow leaves and is used to reduce leaf size. Show Table Lycaste dowiana is used to produce full and equally sized sepals. Also the species is summer flowering and shifts the flowering time to a later month than the usual spring flowering species. Our guest speaker, Henry Oakeley and Jay Norris did a wonderful job discussing the show table and below are some of the great cultural tips that came out of the discussion. John Vermeer had a colourful basket of minicattleyas to share with us and told us that he pots his little beauties in a mix of diatomite and perlite. The new Japanese hybrids with Lycaste skinneri are getting incredibly full and colourful. Dr Oakeley finished by emphasizing the importance of keeping herbarium specimens, 8 A little Phalaenopsis violacea on the show table led to the Eric Christenson observation that to tell P. violacea from P. bellina you can use their different fragrances. If the flowers smell like lemon it is P. violacea (formerly the Malaysan form of P. violacea with smaller, more evenly purple flowers) and if they smell like “fruit-loops” then it is P. bellina (formerly the Bornean form of P. violacea, with larger flowers that have the purple colour confined to the inner half of the lateral sepals.).The plant had been kept warm, constantly moist with rainwater and fertilized with 7-11-27 fertilizer with Calcium. Dr Oakeley noted that some Dendrochilum species as well as Ophrys insectifera change their fragrance to attract different pollinators while the flower is open and this indicated to him that variation in fragrance was not a useful indicator for separating a single species into two. The Kennedys and Mario Ferrusi brought several lycastes in bloom and our guest speaker used them to give us a preview of some of the points he later made in his presentation. On culture, he feels they do best if grown in equal parts of Perlite or Styrofoam beads and sphagnum moss chopped into one-inch (2-3cm) pieces. The medium should not be packed into the pot, but put in loosely to allow air to get to the roots. Use rain water to water and never let the medium dry out. When repotting be sure to cover the roots right away with a damp towel, because if the root hairs dry out they are dead and the root is useless until it grows longer and produces new root hairs on the newly grown part. When treated this way, the moss does not deteriorate and can be just fine for at least two years. The deciduous species do not get any rain from November to the end of March and have to make do with evening mists. Therefore in cultivation they should only get a very light misting daily during these months to avoid rotting or drying out completely (although Dr Oakeley just leaves them without water unless the bulbs start to shrivel). Oncidium Sharry Baby on the show table led to a discussion on how to rid it of snow mould, a fungal infestation that starts in the bark medium, covers the bark with white water-repelling mycelium and eventually covers the roots of the plant repelling all water and nutrient uptake by the orchid. The orchid will languish and eventually just dry up and die. The only remedy is to remove all infested potting medium, wash off the roots with warm water and repot into a mix of equal parts of cut sphagnum moss and perlite. Comments on breeding included that the brown Lycaste species are used in red breeding because the brown colour is produced by a red overlay over green flowers. L. cruenta, one of the yellow species is used to improve the shape of the progeny, because it has flat shape and equally sized and shaped sepals. L. dowiana is used to decrease plant size and give long sequential blooming through the summer, and often results in perfect shape. L. guatemalensis is used to shift flowering time of its hybrids from mid-summer to fall. There is a problem with the lip of the famous, much awarded hybrid L. Auburn, because one of the parental clones used had a twisted lip. This character is very hard to breed out. Wendy Hoffman shared her so very successful cultural methods for galeandras with us. The plants are heavy feeders when in growth, but as soon as the leaves start to yellow she backs off with watering and stops fertilizing and when the leaves fall off she stops watering altogether. If a new growth comes before the leaves fall off, she continues watering – and presumably, feeding. Henry Oakeley told us that Dendrobium nobile can get absolutely enormous if it gets high light and heavy feeding while in growth. (Peter, my husband, just happened to get confirmation of this during this year when he ran out of bench space for our various pieces of this species. He hung one plant up near the roof of the greenhouse and this piece instead of a one-foot cane, produced a three-foot cane!) The Plant of the Month is Paphiopedilum Julius, grown by Synea Tan. The plant is about six or seven years old and has many growths and four gorgeous flowers. Synea says that every second year this plant would produce two spikes, so the 2010 show table will have twice as many blooms! Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte, a cross of D. rhodosticta and D. aberrans was full of little white flowers. This cross reblooms on old canes again and again. It has to be grown warm and wet all year. Synea grows the plant on the south window and summers it outdoors on the north side of her house. The eaves protect the plant during the sunniest hours in the mid-day, so the plant only gets early morning and afternoon sun. The plant 9 grows in coconut husks, bigger size in the bottom and smaller size on top. It gets watered once a week with a weak solution of MSU fertilizer - half-a-teaspoon per two gallons of rain water - and occasional flushing with plain water. In summer, it gets flushed a lot. Congratulations, Synea, on a job well done! Iryna Bonya October 2009 Show Table by Iryna Bonya Class Class 1 Cattleya Alliance First Second Cattleya (Laeliocattleya) Mari's Love John Vermeer Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Brassolaeliocattleya) Goldenzelle 'Lemon Chiffon' AM/AOS x Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Potinara ) Rubescence 'Sunset Valley Orchids' AM/AOS John Vermeer Class 2 Paphiopedilum Paphiopedilum Julius Synea Tan Paphiopedilum Mount Toro Synea Tan Class 3 Phalaenopsis and Vanda Alliance Gastrochilus obliquus Ascocenda Princess Mikasa John Bob Jurica Phalaenopsis bellina Wendy Hoffman Class 5 Cymbidium Galeandra batemanii Wendy Hoffman Galeandra dives Wendy Hoffman Class 6 Dendrobium Dendrobium Thongchai Gold Stephen Chen Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte Synea Tan Class 7 All Others Acronia homolantha Joyce Medcalf Acronia ascera Joyce Medcalf 10 Third Paphiopedilum Makuli Synea Tan Dendrobium bigibbum compactum John Spears
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