[OGD] Phrag. besseae
I asked the question on Phrag. besseae as when I was in Ecuador they were growing by the side of the road where I could easily take a photo and many could be seen further up the cliff. They could easily have been 'harvested ' but as some had youngseed pods I assume it is now not worth collecting as so many better plants can be had from nurseries at a reasonable price. This begs the question that if P. kovachi had been mass propagated, as P. besseae, P. k. would not be under such threat. I am not against CITES as it protects many desirable, but less commercial, plantsbut at times reason and common sense should be considered by the applying authority. Regards from Devon ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Phrag besseae photo link
At 06:13 PM 9/4/2006 -0400, you wrote: Sorry I forgot to include a link to a photo of P besseae in situ http://travel.webshots.com/photo/343581987/2816448500030551835oovwAN Sandy Hardy Savannah, GA wonderful photos! BTW, Need ID 10 is Campylocentrum micranthum or a related species. ---Prem www.premdesign.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Phrag Besseae
I was among the first to see it growing in its original location..Only one small seedling left by the time we got there shortly after it was discovered..I wrote an article about it in the Orchid Digest magazine around 1980 or so..I also lectured on it for years..One thing for sure..they grew upwards. The original spot was next to a bit of a waterfall and you could be sure that their roots were kept damp..as I remember the elevation was over 3000 ft..There are pictures of the original site in that first article..and, of course that was in Peru..All the plants that I was to sell (the first in the West) were all from Ecuador..and all prior to CITES. Shipped to me by a famous collector from there. I got $500 apiece for the first plants (in bloom) and sold out in a matter of hours..They were easy to grow..and I believe easier than the Peruvian var. The main thing you had to remember about those first plants is that they were runners..You had to provide a post for them to grow up to do well. With proper breeding that seemed to have been eliminated to some extent..I grew them fine in Thousand Oaks, Calif..so coolness did not seem to matter that much..I was told by my friend Manuel Arias Silva that he discovered a second location in Peru..which he kept secret so they would not be over collected..Most of the plants he sold prior to that came from Ecuador..and he had a maid who made monthly trips by bus, to and fro..to bring shopping bags of them back to his nursery...So the upshot to this is to say that, noI never saw a location where they grew on the flats..and my supplier from Ecuador told me that his plants were extremely high up some cliffs above an army base where he was an officer..collecting them was a real adventure..Bill Bergstrom ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Phrag besseae in situ
Phil, I've seen P besseae growing in Ecuador at ~6000 ft on a northeast-facing granite cliff with water running continuously down the cliff face. They were also growing at the base of the cliff in amongst the weeds, grasses rocks. Sandy Hardy Savannah, GA Would you like to share my orchid photos? Please be sure to sign the guest book. http://community.webshots.com/user/sthardy ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Phrag besseae photo link
Sorry I forgot to include a link to a photo of P besseae in situ http://travel.webshots.com/photo/343581987/2816448500030551835oovwAN Sandy Hardy Savannah, GA Would you like to share my orchid photos? Please be sure to sign the guest book. http://community.webshots.com/user/sthardy ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
