Yes, try and make it out to one of the Central Ohio Orchid Society meetings! There's usually a very interesting speaker at each meeting!

A quick question before I do anything taboo -- is it acceptable to post a wishlist of species? Some are extremely hard to find and rarely cultivated but important to my study. Or is this a function best left to the classified want ads?

Well then...welcome to the board and to COOS! I really hope you'll be able to make it to a meeting from time to time. We have our picnic in June...it's usually a weekend afternoon so maybe you can make that.

Once I get your info from our membership chair I'll make sure you get the newsletter and that you're in the loop on all events and activities.

Smarty pants! May I first say Cheers & welcome but then can I follow up with a question: how'd you get started down your path to studying Orchid systemics? Sounds very interesting, as does a trip to Australia to study Orchids. I think many of us are feeling a little envious. :)

I'm not the person to answer your question about posting wishlists but I'd be surprised if you couldn't post one somewhere other than the classifieds.

Good luck with your work and obtaining your rarities.

Hope you track down those orchids!
Did you call Andy's Orchids or Oak Hill Gardens Orchids? They seem to both have a wide range of species. If they don't have it, they might know who does or why it isn't available.
Good luck!

Thanks! Sorry for the late reply. Haven't checked in on the board in a while. To answer your question, I spent a few years doing undergraduate research on carnivorous plant physiology. As I became familiar with the plants, it seemed some of the most interesting questions revolved around phylogeography and systematics. I joined a lab at Ohio State University that does systematic work on plants hoping to find a project on carnivorous plants. When that didn't pan out, I took a suggestion from my advisor and lept into the world of mycoheterotrophic orchids and their phylogeny. It sure keeps my interest, as does the required field work to collect samples :)

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Hi! Yes, Andy at Andy's Orchids was quite interested in my request for information on Porphyroglottis. He said that he may have seen it at a nursery in the Philippines, but wasn't sure. There isn't a specific reason why it isn't being cultivated, although I have had some discussions recently about the difficulties in getting material out of Indonesia and Malaysia for study (even with the proper permits). I haven't checked in with Oak Hill, but I will definitely do so now. Thanks for the suggestion!

Welcome to the orchid board, Ryan. If it is not too bold, I am curious...was it a life long interest in orchids that led you to your doctoral program or an amazing mentor?

Wow! Another Mount Vernon-ite! Welcome to the board! Nice to know I'm not the only one keeping orchids out here among the cornfields!

Catherine

I suppose you could conclude that my attempt at obtaining a PhD is really just an exercise in masochism. But seriously... No, I didn't have much interest in orchids in particular until recently. I nurtured a few while working in the greenhouses at Lebanon Valley College and my passion for carnivorous plants led to an interest in bog associates like Calopogon and Pogonia. My academic leanings are certainly the result of my advisor's studies and efforts. At present, I am the only graduate student in his lab working on orchids. Other students are engaged in phylogenetic studies on Monotropa (Ericaceae), Asarum (Aristolochiaceae), and Heuchera (Saxifragaceae).

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Hi, Catherine! Yes, I suppose we are few but mighty in the gardening and horticulture hobbies here in Knox County. Are you a member of the garden clubs? I've just been asked to give a presentation on orchids next February at one of their meetings. (They plan well in advance!)

Hi Ryan--

Not a garden club member--coaching tends to preclude evening activities, unfortunately--but I do grow a number of things in addition to orchids. Natives, heirlooms, and edibles are pretty much what I try to grow outdoors, though the wildlife (deer, woodchucks, and raccoons) make it challenging. I think I might finally have the soils in one site ready to try a native Cyprepedium, though....

So, Heucheras are coralbells if I remember correctly, and I think Asarum is wild ginger? Though I thought that Aristolochias were Indian pipes? Are you looking at native orchids as well?

Catherine