"retired pharmacology professor ... preference for rare natural species...
Bert Pressman... ''You can call me an extreme hobbyist,'' he said of his 30-year love affair... Martin Motes... said Pressman has helped to revive local interest in some orchid species. ''Bert's an interesting guy, and deep into the passion about species. He's a dedicated grower and very active in the orchid culture here,'' Motes said. Pressman has close to 200 orchid species growing in his backyard. To the Brooklyn native, a member of the Coalition for Orchid Species... each flower conjures images of its particular natural habitat... In his essay The Romance of Species Orchids, Pressman associates broughtonias with drumbeat-fueled Jamaican nights, dendrobiums with New Guinea's peaks and valleys and masdavallias with sky-scraping mountains and rainforests. In the past dozen years, he has followed the World Orchid Conference, held every three years, to France, Malaysia, Canada and Brazil. ... ''The storms really did a number back here.'' Pressman estimates he lost about 250 plants. ... Pressman...spends at least two hours a day tending his surrogate babies... He has named most of his dozen or so prize-winning orchids after his wife, and will use his blooms and his literature to recruit new ''orchid nuts''... ''My friend from Madagascar is sending some flowers I'll be selling,'' Pressman said. ``This is the only opportunity anyone in the States will have of getting these species.'' source : http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/13733236.htm *********** Regards, Viateur _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
