[OGD] Peter O'Byrne and Andy Easton
Peter O'Byrne, in his last email on this digest, pointed readers to his discovery of a new Vanda species, documented on the following website: http://www.orchidspng.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?6/5960 He went on to say "To put this discovery in context, there have only been 3 other new Vanda species discovered since 1930, and none in the last 20 years!" Here is the excerpt from that website (minus the two photos) "I've just returned from a trip to a remote part of Sulawesi, where I found a Vanda species growing in huge numbers on trees in 2 mountain valleys. I am fairly certain it is an undescribed species. When I have finished doing drawings & a full description, I'll circulate it around various experts and see it they concur. If no-one can suggest a prior name for the species, then I'll publish it in this year's MOR, probably as Vanda jennae or Vanda jennaiana. If anybody has any information about this species, please contact me. A few details: the largest plant I saw had a stem that was 175 cm long, and had leaves on the upper 80cm. Leaves are up to 34 cm x 42 mm; leaf apex is bilobed, truncated, but rather variable in shape. The largest inflorescence was 21 cm long with 8 flowers. The flowers are ~45 mm wide, lightly fragrant and have a highly mobile lip with a very short spur." The photos are very impressive, and certainly evidence of a species I have never seen before. Peter is to be congratulated on this discovery of such a horticulturally attractive species (if it is proved to be undescribed and new to science). My only disappointment was that Peter flagged its new "name" before all the taxonomic formalities have been conducted and validly published. This could open the door for "someone else" to name this species before the publication date of the next issue of the "Malayan Orchid Review". Personally, I feel such "manuscript names" be kept private until publication...to avoid a needless expansion of an already huge list of orchid synonyms. Whilst it has been mentioned (more than once) that Peter is not a "trained taxonomist", I personally value his taxonomic determinations and knowledge of Southeast Asian orchids a lot more than many with those "important letters" after their name. Peter also studies these plants in the wild, and is enthusiastic and passionate about his topic. I have never met Peter in person, and have only ever corresponded with him by email, and he has always answered my questions quickly and with a lot of supporting evidence. I value his orchid-related opinions. He has written two major books - "Lowland Orchids of Papua New Guinea" (which also includes many of Peter's colour photographs and line drawings depicting the species represented. Most of the orchid taxonomists and hobbyists I know use this book as a key reference work for the orchids of New Guinea. Not bad for an amateur! His other work the "A to Z of South East Asian Orchid Species" is a great introductory field guide to the vast numbers of orchids in this region. There are many species illustrated in this book that I have not seen published elsewhere. Certainly, a "must have" book. Peter's popularity in Singapore is so popular that he has to even go shopping in disguise, to avoid recognition! (See photo on the back cover of the book!). He has also written numerous articles and has described a number of new orchid species in the "Malayan Orchid Review". Then Peter later on wrote... "So, Andy (Easton), please enlighten us all . what has your most significant contribution to serious orchidology been ? Other than playing politics at AOS (yawn) and using the web to rubbish people you've never met?" Well, really the personal orchid interest of Peter and Andy couldn't be further apart. Peter is into species, especially miniatures (his email address features Oberonia) and botanicals. I've never heard Peter mention the word "hybrid". So that is why Andy is probably unaware of what Peter's contribution to orchid literature is. On the other hand, Peter (being the species nut that he is) probably only he ard of Andy Easton in very recent times (like since email became so fashionable). Andy has been (and still is) a world leader in breeding first class orchids, proven over many decades. His foresight and ingenuity kept him a generation or two ahead of his contemporaries, and he revolutionised the way tetraploid orchids were used in breeding. The showbenches and award tables have been overflowing with Easton-bred cymbidiums, in miniatures, intermediates and novelties as well as standards. How many times have we seen the name 'Geyserland' as a cultivar name used for choice orchids? Andy's prowess is certainly no limited to his main interest in cymbidiums. He has bred outstanding lines with the Odontoglossum alliance, and pioneered work on the tetraploid lines of Maudiae-type paphiopedilums as well as the classic, complex slipper orchids, especially in the greens and autumn tones. I have known Andy for many years, and
[OGD] Taxonomy of "Epidendrum pugioniforme"
WARNING!!! ORCHID RELATED QUESTION Taxonomic status of Epidendrum pugioniforme Regel (1890) I note in the new Withner/Harding volume on "The Cattleyas and their Relatives: The Debatable Epidendrums", that there is no reference whatsoever to the Mexican species Epidendrum pugioniforme. Is this perhaps just an oversight? As (to me anyway) it belongs in the same section (or genus) as Epidendrum falcatum (Coilostylis falcata) and Epidendrum parkinsonianum (Coilostylis parksoniana). I was initially surprised to see Epidendrum ciliare (Coilostylis ciliaris), but can see how it falls into this natural group. Are any readers aware if either (or both) of Carl Withner or Patricia Harding are contactable via email? If so, please contact me privately with their details. regards, David Banks David P. Banks (Hills District Orchids) 39 Carole Street, Seven Hills NSW 2147 Australia Phone (02) 9674-4720 Editor "Australian Orchid Review" www.australianorchidreview.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Re OGD 6/288/5
Marquis Hodes wrote: >Why are we putting charcoal into media in the first place? Is it being >done to "darken" at the >roots, to provide a "more natural" environment? (As if there were anything >inherently >"natural" about orchids growing in carbon-and-mineral-supplemented Japanese >jelly). >Or are we adding charcoal to act as a reservoir of substances that are >toxic to orchid roots in >high concentration in solution but are exhausted before inflask growth is >completed - so they leach >off the charcoal as the local concentration diminishes by incorporation >into the growing plant? >Or is charcoal simply, as Aaron implies, "magic" ;^)? It appears to me that the use of activated charcoal has been found to enhance the growth of seeds and seedlings in flask, and since that time, people have been trying to work out why this should be so. They have therefore advanced various useful theories, none easy to prove. So, basically, we are putting in charcoal because it works. I like Aaron's "magic" explanation - it is almost as good as the rest. regards, greig russell "Valhalla", Osborne Lane, 7975 KOMMETJIE, Western Cape. (021) 783 3962 http://www.geocities.com/pennypoint9/ http://tygerorchids.itgo.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
Re: [OGD] Cymbidium Golden Elf "Sundust"
Hi there, FS of Cymbidium golden elf is about 1/2 metre leaf length with bulbs about 2.5-4 cm in diameter. These are one of the very few cymbids with erect spikes that can flower in tropical climates. Mit herzliche Grusz! - Original Message - From: "Murray Shergold" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 11:44 AM Subject: [OGD] Cymbidium Golden Elf "Sundust" > Can anyone give me a lead on the likely approximate physical size of Cym > Golden Elf "Sundust" when flowering size is attained. We have imported > plants that currently carry 2-3 pseudobulbs plus 1-3 new growths & were > sold as Flowering Size. However the plants are at best carrying leaves only > 300mm long & often less & I am having trouble bringing myself to think they > may flower of the current growths. > Any indication/other cultural info regarding this clone will be appreciated. > Murray Shergold > Easy Orchids > Australia ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Cymbidium Golden Elf "Sundust"
Murray: Sounds to me like your Golden Elf's are large enough to bloom assuming that they are established and not recently divided. I would guess that you will have some blooms within the year. Scott ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Charcoal
Many years ago I became disenchanted with bark as a potting medium. I wanted something that would hold up better, so I tried things like Turface, Aliflor and Perlite. They worked, sort of, but none gave me the overall results I was looking for. On a trip to Florida I stopped by a nursery that had all their plants in charcoal. They were overgrown had lots of weeds, and had obviously not been re-potted in several years but when I looked between the weeds I found that the orchids were growing well in spite of the obvious neglect. I tried charcoal alone and found that in the Northeast it didn't retain enough water unless I watered at least once a day, so I tried mixtures of charcoal and sponge rock (extra coarse Perlite) and found that a mix of two parts sponge rock to one part charcoal gave me good water retention with good drainage. I eventually added a little chopped sphagnum moss to the mix and settled on five parts sponge rock, four parts charcoal and one part sphagnum moss. For me it was the holy grail. In response to government regulations the town I lived in started adding KOH to raise the pH to ca 8.0-8.3. They never seemed to get it right, however, usually ending up around 9.3. I was concerned about this and decided to see what effect charcoal has on the pH. It raised it considerably, but my mix had a smaller effect because the sphagnum moss was quite acidic. I added a little vinegar to my water and this have me the desired pH. My plants grew well, and but I really have no proof that this was because of the pH control. It made me fell better at least. A year ago I moved; new water supply (lower pH but 40 ppm of sodium!); lights instead of a greenhouse; RO water instead of municipal water. I saw the thread on charcoal and decided to do a few tests. I found that the conductivity increased by ca 150 5s in one hour when I added 20 grams of charcoal to 200 ml RO water, or to RO water plus 30 ppm Calcium (as the nitrate) or to a fertilizer (Peters 15-16-17) solution containing ca 150 ppm nitrogen. The pH of the RO water jumped to 8.4, that of the calcium nitrate solution to 8.0 (from 5.6), and the fertilizer solution to 7.0 (from 5.3). I suspect that the charcoal has a significant amount of residual potash which is extracted and raises the pH. Rembember in the old days charcoal was used a a source of lye in soap making. In any case, my plants continue to thrive. I suspect that the lye is extracted in the first few waterings and cause no long term problem. This probably is not true in flasking media. My only problem is that with the large amount of air movement in my plant room, combined with the long days (16 hours) I am using cause the plants dry out too quickly. I am experimenting with coconut chip (with some sponge rock and some charcoal). So far no problems but too soon to be sure. Anyway, far from adsorbing things, the horticultural charcoal I use seems to be a net contributor to the potting medium...at least initially. Martin ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] New Vanda species; peppermint candy lollipops!
Re: New Vanda species Peter, Scrumptious flowers. Reminded me of red and white peppermint candy lollipops. The sort we use for decorations on Christmas trees. Congratulations julie, caracs, venezuela ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Conserving Peter's Vanda
Nice looking Vanda, Peter. How are you going to conserve it? Sooner or later someone less scrupulous than you will find it. Indeed, now that the orchid world has heard about it there may actually be people looking for it, and I am sure they will, in time, succeed. Perhaps they can back track your route. Did you have guides? Will they talk? Perhaps if you had not published your finding it would have a better chance of surviving. Of course you could propagate the species and distribute seedlings. This would take a lot of pressure off the plants in their native environment. If you had done this and waited for the seedlings to mature before announcing your find to the world it's possible that no one would even look for it in the wild. So what are you doing to save this new Vanda species??? Martin ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
Re: [OGD] Taxonomy of "Epidendrum pugioniforme"
David, Maybe because it is considered to be a synonym of Epidendrum parkinsonianum. icones - Original Message - From: "David P Banks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Orchidguide Digest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 2:53 AM Subject: [OGD] Taxonomy of "Epidendrum pugioniforme" > WARNING!!! ORCHID RELATED QUESTION > > Taxonomic status of Epidendrum pugioniforme Regel (1890) > > I note in the new Withner/Harding volume on "The Cattleyas and their > Relatives: The Debatable Epidendrums", that there is no reference whatsoever > to the Mexican species Epidendrum pugioniforme. > > Is this perhaps just an oversight? As (to me anyway) it belongs in the same > section (or genus) as Epidendrum falcatum (Coilostylis falcata) and > Epidendrum parkinsonianum (Coilostylis parksoniana). I was initially > surprised to see Epidendrum ciliare (Coilostylis ciliaris), but can see how > it falls into this natural group. > > Are any readers aware if either (or both) of Carl Withner or Patricia > Harding are contactable via email? If so, please contact me privately with > their details. > > regards, > David Banks > > > David P. Banks (Hills District Orchids) > 39 Carole Street, > Seven Hills NSW 2147 Australia > Phone (02) 9674-4720 > Editor "Australian Orchid Review" > www.australianorchidreview.com > ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Sharry Baby
Murray, In my experience, a leaf length about 40%-50% larger seems a more-likely "blooming size," but I have seen smaller plants bloom. As far as "tips" are concerned, they are often billed as "warmth tolerant," but warm-growing appears to be more likely. -- Ray http://mail2web.com/ . ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Re: Consan
A.J. Hicks, astutely avoiding politics querried: "I can't get Physan 20 (except by mail order only). I CAN get Consan 20 for some bizarre reason. I know they're almost the same (there's a bit of difference in the quats that make them up), but can anyone comment from experience as to any untoward effects of Consan *specifically* on their orchids before I use it and kill all my infinitely valuable tiny orchids?" I have always found Physan, Consan and all the other "quats" to be equally effective in trashing my miniatures. I must admit that before I use any of these compounds on my minis, which I grow indoors in an Orchidarium clone that cost a small fraction of what a real Orchidarium would cost, they must be at death's door. I actually do not think that they do any harm when applied as directed and if the temperature is not too high. Sincerely, Marquis Hodes Currently in bloom: Oncidium phymatochilum, Galeandra dives, Catasetum (atratum x pileatum), Vanda Surat "Spots", miscellaneous Epi. radicans types and in bud Oncidium carthagenense and Catasetum incurvum. Minis sulking in the heat wave. Virus checked by Guardian Worm Killer && AntiVirus Version: AVK 14.0.1450 from 19.07.2004 Virus news: www.guardianproducts.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Vanda Locality Data
Nick Plummer asked: "Beautiful plant. It must have been exciting to find them. If you publish a description, will you be permitted to keep the precise locality secret?" Nick, I can be as vague as I want. My options range from the precision of " village, yyy subdistrict, zzz Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia" to the vague "Sulawesi" to the totally useless statement "Indonesia". Obviously, the more detail I give, the more useful it is to future workers, and the more likely it is that someone will land a helicopter there and rip all the plants out. There is a compromise to make I'll decide later how much I want to disclose. Since this taxon has such evident horticultural value and such a small proven range, I'll err on the side of caution. Finding these plants was hard, frustrating work. I first saw this species some 5-6 years ago; one plant was flowering under a shade-net in an orchid-collection in the garden of a house in a town in the Poso Valley. I took some photos of the plant & chatted to the owner for a while. She was from a different part of the island and had brought the orchids with her to remind her of home, which is a quite common thing for Indonesians to do. I came back to Singapore and, on the basis of the photos, decided that it was probably an undescribed species, so I'd have to go back and follow it up. The civil-war, which was just starting in '99, got much worse and for the next few years it was too dangerous to return to the Poso area. By early 2003 the war had died down, so last August I went back to the Poso Valley. The house was still there, but it had been heavily machine-gunned and was standing empty there was no sign of the owner and her family. The shade-house was still there, but no orchids ... someone else was using it to cultivate cocoa seedlings. The neighbours said the family had gone back to their village, and asking around produced the names of the village and it's subdistrict. The village is very remote, and getting there (and back) posed some major problems, so I waited until this year and organised a special trip. Yes, it was worthwhile ... the first one I saw flowering in the wild was a real thrill. Then I saw the next one, and then the next one.. Peter O'Byrne Singapore ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
