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By ronaldhanko at 2010-02-28 22:05
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 ’ve never been a hunter and have never had either the time or inclination to become one, but last year that all changed. I now know the thrill of the chase, of the shot and of having a trophy to show for it all. I've discovered the thrill of hunting native orchids and of shooting them with a camera. I've grown exotic tropical orchids for over thirty years and will continue to do so as long as I am able. I’ve always found a way to keep them and have grown them on windowsills, under lights, in wardian cases, outdoors, and in a greenhouse. Their endless variety and stunning beauty are things I will never tire of, but in the last few years I’ve found the search for native orchids to be as exciting and wonderful as seeing the blooms on a new species or hybrid.
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By Tindomul at 2010-02-12 00:33
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 lease excuse the lack italics on scientific names. For some reason I could not write in italics in publishing the article on Orchid Board. Masdevallia, Durae and species epithets should be in Italics, not the hybrid grex. Thank you.
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By rdiver7 at 2010-01-17 20:31
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Orchid People and Mr. Rick
I am a Special Education teacher with the Broward County Public School System in Broward County, Florida. I am a member of the Hospital/Homebound team; a small group of teachers that visit students at their homes or places of residency because they are so physically handicapped they cannot attend regular school.
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By Peraj at 2009-12-17 06:53
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I recently visited my friend’s shade house. There was a Phalaenopsis which had a spike from previous flowering season. The spike itself didn’t have any flower directly but there was another small orchid plant growing on that spike which had 2 new flowers. I had never seen this before! The plant is growing new roots and seems to becoming more and more independent from the mother plant.
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By Orchid Gurue at 2009-10-26 23:44
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By cb977 at 2009-06-11 18:32
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Orchidboard is a wonderful community...lots of information about orchids, friendly and generous orchid-lovers willing to share what they've learned over time.
If you are new to forums, please check out our informational thread on getting around:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community/about-board/15195-new-forums-some-t... and read through this article for more tips...
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By camille1585 at 2008-12-04 17:39
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 hile many people discover their love for orchids when they received their very first phal as a gift, I got hooked to orchids after discovering some of the native beauties of my region. I was lucky enough to do the first two years of horticultural studies in a small college in the alpine town of Chambéry. One of my courses involved a series of hikes in the Alps around Chambéry to discover the local flora. Hike after hike, I became more and more attracted to these small orchids that survive the harsh alpine winters.
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By ronaldhanko at 2008-12-01 23:00
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 here is a little-known group of orchids, approximately one-hundred species in fifteen or sixteen different genera, that are all miniatures and all worth growing. The best known genus in the group is Ornithocephalus, and the whole group is known as the Ornithocephalinae. Ornithocephalus mean "bird's head," and the group is well-named, since the similarity of the column to a bird's head is striking, while the whole flower often resembles a bird in flight.
These miniature species are well-worth growing and produce large numbers of flowers. Many are very attractive plants as well, producing fans of leaves, something on the order of a Tolumnia. These plants come from Mexico and range down into Central America and northern South America, especially Colombia and Ecuador, though they are found as far south as Brazil, Peru and Paraguay. They are most closely related to Maxillaria and with only one or two exceptions are under six inches with many of them much smaller.
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By Geoffrey Frost at 2008-11-12 13:44
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few weeks ago I saw an episode of Nature on PBS that told a fascinating and astounding story about orchids, bees, rats, and Brazil nuts and their intricate ecosystem. Thinking about what I saw and learned on that show absolutely gives me goosebumps, even now.
Let me tell you about the Brazil nut tree – Bertholletia excelsa. In the Amazon jungle countries of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, the Brazil nut trees grow to heights of 200+ feet, producing nuts that many of us enjoy and that provide a substantial source of income for the people of these countries.
In fact, export sales of Brazil nuts are In fact, export sales of Brazil nuts are second only to those of rubber, adding $44 million annually to South American economies. We Americans chow down on $17 million of them every year. These amazing trees can live from 500 – 800 years and don’t start producing until they’re 10 to 30 years old! (And we thought orchids were slow!) The nuts are contained in a pod the size of a large grapefruit. When ripe, these pods fall like cannon balls from heights of 150 feet or more and reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Look out below! Anything hit by one is quickly done in!
Amazingly, the pod is the proverbial “tough nut to crack” and doesn’t break open from this fall. For many years no one knew how the pods were opened so that the nuts could escape and start new trees. Recently scientists conducted an experiment to find out, thinking that it was some kind of animal with a powerful jaw that could crack them open. They cut some pods open, attached magnets to the seeds (15 to 25 per pod arranged like orange slices), and resealed them. Then they traced the little magnets with a big one. To their great surprise, they discovered that a large (rabbit-sized – up to 10 lbs.) rat called an agouti (of the genus Dasyprocta), with chisel sharp front teeth, was the sole pod opener! Since virtually all Brazil nut production comes from wild forest trees and wild harvesting, the agouti is essential in dispersing seeds to start new trees. Although cultivated Brazil nut plantations are being tried, they don’t do very well because of a dearth of pollinator bees.
Brazil nut trees have large, tough, complexly coiled, yellow flowers with a heavy hood. These flowers can be pollinated only by an insect that is strong enough to lift the hood and that has a tongue long enough to negotiate the complex coils. Pollination is accomplished exclusively by a specific type of Euglossine or
“orchid bee”, and only the female bee can do this. The males have other things to do. These bees are found almost exclusively in the wild, where they live solitary lives, with no hives that can be moved to plantations for pollination purposes. Hence the problems with getting plantation trees pollinated.
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By Rudi KROON at 2007-10-07 20:17
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It may be of interest to Canadians to know that it is legal to import Orchid plants for your own use into Canada. They should be raised in the continental U.S. There is a limit of 50 plants. They should be part of your luggage. No phytosanitary certificate is required.
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By Rick Barry at 2007-02-04 21:16
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f you are interested in viewing and perhaps purchasing superior plants of any orchid genus, particularly the best clones, you must look to private collections and beyond the 'Employees Only' signs at commercial growers. Some of the best clones ever produced are in the possession of hobbyists and commercial breeders and are not offered in the retail market. The sales of such high-end plants are usually conducted privately. Most often the exchange takes place directly with a breeder or collector who may offer a division of one of his breeding plants or perhaps some other select plants that will never become generally available. Access to view or purchase such plants is usually granted only by arrangement with the owner.
True orchid connoisseurs differ in substantial ways from typical hobbyists. While the average hobbyist may on occasion receive an AOS award for one of his plants, the true connoisseur expects to receive awards on a regular basis. Such awarded plants become the basis for one's reputation as a grower, and perhaps as a breeder. Some of these plants come at considerable expense, depending upon the rarity of the plant, the specific awards it has received, and its potential as a stud plant. The owner of an exceptional plant holds the same sort of regard for it that an art collector might for a Van Gogh or a Matisse. Like fine art, some orchid plants, the rarest and most valuable of all, disappear into the private collections of wealthy collectors, never to be seen in public. Other select plants are confined to the breeding bench, where they remain in bloom only long enough to be pollinated to produce the next generation of seedlings. The opportunity to view (and possibly even purchase) such plants is not granted lightly, and should always be viewed as a rare opportunity, as well as an honor.
***
Should one receive special access to plants unavailable to the general public, one must abide by some rules of behavior which are frequently overlooked in common practice.
Keep in mind at all times that you are a visitor. Watch your manners. Try to be as self-effacing as possible. You may consider yourself knowledgeable about orchids (as no doubt you've really learned a lot in the last 6 months), but your host may rightfully feels he knows more. After all, if you had any reputation in orchid culture he'd already have known of it. The receipt of a blue ribbon or a show trophy, or even an AOS award, doesn't grant you peer status with growers whose reputations have been earned over decades of experience. If you're a beginner, act like it.
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By orchidannie at 2007-02-03 20:38
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HYDROPONICS
A SIMPLIFIED METHOD OF GROWING ORCHIDS
he word hydroponics means working or moving water. This can be accomplished with a pump in a water reservoir or more supply by using an aggregate that has capillary action with a small reservoir of water.
Most orchid growers visualize orchids growing in hydroponics to be sitting in water. They believe that orchids and hydroponics do not mix. There is nothing further from the truth. Orchids need moisture, oxygen, nutrients and light. The first three of these components can be supplied to orchids growing in hydroponics in just the exact proportions that they need with more control than any other growing method.
When the orchid grower pots an orchid in most conventional growing mediums that medium is the best it is ever going to be. The medium will start to break down, decompose, with each passing day. Growing orchids in an inert fixed medium will provide that root zone with a healthier environment without the presence of decomposing matter, bacteria and mold.
Using a hydroponic growing kit with a high fired terra cotta medium is an ideal hydroponic method. The terra cotta growing medium has capillary action and will provide even and consistent moisture to the root zone. This hydropinic growing kit consists of two pots. A culture or grow pot and an outer pot to hold the nutrient solution. It also has a float devise to monitor the depth of the water in the outer pot. The culture pot is of special design. It has slits all around the lower portion of the pot with a concave bottom so that only the lower outer portion of the pot makes contact with the nutrient solution. Orchids growing in any hydroponic system must be allowed to go dry before the water is replenished. This will allow maximum oxygen to the roots.
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By cneos at 2007-02-03 00:29
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 y name is Joanna and I’m an Orchid Addict. It’s been almost twenty years since I got my first orchid fix … and less than a week since I had my last. Oops – take that back, I’m going to a favorite orchid nursery this weekend where I know there will be something that I won’t be able to resist. One of those will be my (next to) last.
What’s the attraction about orchids? Is it their beauty? Rainbow of colors? The romance or mystery that they inspire? Their unusual forms or flower sizes that range from pin-head to dinner plate? For every Orchid Addict, there’s a different lure. For this OA, it’s all of these plus, living in New Hampshire, it’s a way to enjoy an illusion of the tropics all year long.
My first orchid – a very robust plant in a 10” plastic pot – came from Shaw’s Supermarket early in 1988 as an anniversary, Valentine’s Day or birthday gift. Cymbidium Peter Pan ‘Greensleeves’ HCC/AOS carried five inflorescences, each bearing a dozen or more delicate-looking, fragrant flowers.
I was so impressed with Peter Pan that I began reading everything I could find about caring for orchids. That summer, up went a Janco 14’ x 14’ free-standing greenhouse into which we moved patio tomatoes, several houseplants that had outgrown their places in the living room and Peter Pan (now bearing eight new flower spikes). Everything was perfect until December 16 (1988) when it was 16 degrees F outside. The greenhouse glass was so frosted that I couldn’t read the four-inch tall numbers on the thermometer hanging inside. Everything solid in view outside – trees, shrubs, clothes-line – had a fine coating of ice that glittered like diamonds in the morning sunlight. So did every plant in the greenhouse where the propane heater had failed, plummeting the temperature down to 22! Peter Pan was literally frozen in its pot!
We restored the heat and as things gradually warmed up, we watched as all of our treasured plants turned black and died – except for Peter Pan – it only lost its new flower spikes. If an orchid can survive a night in the tundra, it can handle anything that a fledgling OA can dish out. We still have divisions of our original Peter Pan in our collection.
How should you choose an Orchid? Many of us buy plants in bloom for ‘instant gratification.’ Paph. Mint Imperial was just too irresistible. Whatever your craving, any plant that you bring into your collection should ALWAYS be free from disease, have no pests, and have the genetic ability to grow strongly under average conditions.
An OA will buy plants sight-unseen if she’s patient, willing to take a risk and prepared for the unexpected. A few years ago, a show vendor had several dozen seedlings of a complex Paphiopedilum for sale. The seedlings of [(Makuli x curtisii) x Maudiae ‘The Queen’] x Maudiae ‘Napa Valley’ were in bud, but none had open flowers. I bought two. Now, no two seedlings from the same seed pod have flowers that look exactly alike, but imagine my surprise when ‘The Fluke’ opened with two perfectly formed dorsal sepals! (Subsequent blooms of ‘The Fluke’ have been normal.
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By terrestrial_man at 2007-02-01 03:23
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hen I first started growing plants inside I was living in a trailer and had a metal shelf with lights and grew a number of house plants. The plants loved the warmth of the kitchen they were in and the west facing shaded window proved to be the ideal place for them. While I was low-budget at the time I did not have any nice accessories, such as a watering can or even a spray bottle to water the plants. It was just the old soak them in the sink routine! It seemed that my major accessories were an old beat up cardboard box and newspapers that I used whenever I had to repot any of the plants. Didn't even have labels or a thermometer! Definitely low-budget!
While the plants that I now grow center more around orchids, I have found that it is necessary to have a spot where I can keep different soil mixes, pots, assorted tools, containers, and gadgets that I have grown used to having around to make it easier for me as I divide and repot plants. The focus of this work station is a very basic desk and accompanying large stackable Rubbermaid totes.
The desk offers a surface area where I can place shallow trays or plastic dishpans that I use to repot a plant in or to make up a new batch of mix. The three drawers serve to hold both my reference books and small supplies and gadgets in a very convenient location to my potting surface. In the foot-well of the desk rests small bags of the ingredients I use in my mixes, as well as small plastic storage boxes with mounting bark, wire, and bits and pieces of stuff that seemed to fit nowhere else!
In looking over the stuff of caring for my plants I consider the following to be the most important apart from the ingredients that make up the mixes:
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By orchidsusa at 2007-01-31 20:25
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GUATEMALA, AUGUST 10-17, 2002
FELLOW PLANT ADVENTURERS WANTED!!!
 even travelers plus three Guatemalan plant experts who included Jeronimo Lancerio – Bromeliads, Romeo Soto – Movie producer and environmentalist and Jorge Pontaz – Landscape architect, agronomist and greenhouse owner. Plus the lucky seven – Anne and David Joffe of Sanibel Island, Florida, owners of She Sells Sea Shells, a world renowned seashell business. Professor Barry Wilson, PhD. – Orchid Hobbyist, Matt Richards – Horticulturist and Orchid propagator, Steve Beam – a director of the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens and landscape architect, Scott Joffe – Orchid Grower and co-organizer of the trip, and myself, Steve Guiness – Plant collector, grower, floriculturist and co-organizer of the trip..
Our mission and objective was to explore and rescue fallen and distressed plants and remove plants that are in areas about to be cleared for farming and other projects. With permits and permission from the government of Guatemala and all legal and required paperwork for export, we set out.
Most of the group arrived Saturday August 10th except for Matt. After flying from Ohio to Los Angeles without stopping in Dallas due to inclement weather, he arrived in Guatemala City Sunday morning August 11th. This gave him one hour to shower and leave with the rest of us. We were finally ready to head off on our adventure!
Sunday August 11
Off on our plant adventure! We headed East towards Teculatan in the Motagua valley in the shadow of the Sierra de Las Minas mountains to the farm of a friend where we were allowed to search his property for plants. We had a delicious wood fire grilled barbecue chicken lunch with all the fixings. On the farm the vegetation is dry-subtropical and thorny with temperature in the range of 24-26 degrees Celsius (76-78 Fahrenheit). Orchid species in the area were Oncidiums and Encyclias. We also found a huge Cyrtopdium Punctatum growing on a rock in shallow soil as a Lithophyte. The common name of this orchid is Cow's Horn because of the large horn like pseudobulbs.
(see #1).
Monday August 12
On the drive to Cerro San Gil near the town of Dona Maria, there was a fallen tree. We received permission from the land owner to remove plants from. This area is lower and more humid than the previous day. We saved many plants from the fallen tree including Brassavola Nodosa (Lady of the Night), Encyclia Adenocarpum, Encyclia Nematocaulum and Schomburgkias.
Next we proceeded to Cerro San Gil. On the drive to the park, Matt spotted some large Catasetums in flower and we had to stop and take pictures, they were too nice not to. (see photo # 2-3)
Cerro San Gil is a private ecological reserve funded by United States aid and Fundaeco, a Guatemalan non-profit foundation. It is the largest remnant of tropical rain forest remaining in Guatemala. It is located near the Caribbean Sea between Rio Dolce and Puerto Barrios and covers 3348 acres. Romeo told us that we were the first group to ever be allowed to collect in the area which is very hot and humid with an annual rain fall over 3,600 mm. per year and temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). The rescues were limited but we did find one Encyclia Cochleata.
The jungle here was great; a pristine tropical area untouched with over 340 species of birds and an untold number of Aroids, Begonias, Ferns and many different species of tropical trees. Barry, Steve Beam, Jeronimo, Ana Silvia, Jorge and Romeo decided to spend the night at the request of the two Biology students that were stationed there. There is a primitive biological station located on the trail and they stayed there. Arrangements were made to pick the up the next morning at the Rio Carboneras.
The rest of us headed to Rio Dulce for a hot shower, nice dinner and comfortable bed at the Mansion Del Rio!
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