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OrchidSociety of Great Britain

Journal

170 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Registered Charity No. 261273 www.osgb.org.ukThe Orchid Society of Great Britain

Officers of the Society#President: Mr Peter White61 Stanwell Lea, Middleton Cheney, Banbury,Oxfordshire, OX17 2RFTel: 01295 712159e-mail: [email protected]

Vice Presidents:Mrs B Arnold, Mrs J Kelleher, Mr T Lewis, Dr E Watson

#Chairman:Mr Roy White30 Acorn Grove, Ruislip Gardens, Middlesex, HA4 6LP Tel: 01895 632689 Mobile: 07873 716496e-mail: [email protected]

#Secretary:Mrs Val Micklewright103 North Road, Three Bridges, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1SQ Tel: 01293 528615e-mail: [email protected]

#Treasurer:Mrs Sally Mill82 Hazelwick Road, Three Bridges, West Sussex, RH10 1NH Tel: 01293 547896

#Membership Secretary:Mrs Sue JohnsonLe Touquet, Station Road, Elsenham,Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6LGTel: 01279 812704e-mail: [email protected]

#Displays Manager:Miss Jeanette Beaney50 Court Road, Orpington, Kent, BR6 0QATel: 01689 826631 Mobile: 07517 006387e-mail: [email protected]

Advertising Secretary:Mrs Kim Solomon 31 Burghley House, Somerset Road, Wimbledon,London, SW19 5JB Tel: 020 8946 4410 Mobile: 07717 222403 e-mail: [email protected]

Chair of Judging:Mrs Dusha Hayes62 Link Lane, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 9DZ Tel: 020 8647 8496 e-mail: [email protected]

*Programme Secretary:Mr Francis J Quesada-Pallarés 50 Fir Tree Gardens, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 8JQMobile: 07951 070637e-mail: [email protected]

Committee MembersMrs Betty Barber8 Dean Close, Deeds Grove, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 3NSTel: 01494 529604e-mail: [email protected]

Mr Peter Johnson Le Touquet, Station Road, Elsenham, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6LGTel: 01279 812704e-mail: [email protected]

Vice Chairman:Mr Robert Mundell5 Elm Grove, Wivenhoe, Essex, CO7 9AYTel: 01206 823777e-mail: [email protected]

# Trustee of the Society* Delegate to the British Orchid Council

The Journal (ISSN 0306-2996)

*Editor and Librarian: Lady Samantha Hurley17 Veronica Road, London, SW17 8QLTel: 020 8673 7751 Mobile: 07900 250 247e-mail: [email protected]

Layout and typesetting: Smallfish Designs Ltd

e-mail: [email protected]

Printed by: Impress Print Services Ltd e-mail: [email protected]

The Journal is printed on paperwith a certified Chain of Custodyfor wood fibre. At least 70% of the fibre originates from certifiedsustainably managed forests.

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 171

Editor’s notesIt has been awonderful year forhardy orchids and Ihope members havebeen able to enjoythem around thecountry.

The Society has had abusy and successfulshow season,

winning a Gold medal at the RHS ChelseaFlower Show, and Silver-Gilt medals at the RHSLondon Orchid Show and Malvern InternationalOrchid Show. Thank you to all the members whohave been involved with these shows – lendingplants, building displays and talking to visitors.

This issue includes reports on these shows andour Photographic and Art Competition. HenryOakeley writes about Mike Penney’s Epidendrumparkinsonianum and members Tony Britton,Stuart Meeson and Aud Gjerde write abouttheir some of their plants. An update on nextApril’s European Orchid Show and Conferenceoffers details about events and booking.

The OSGB will be staging two more displays thisyear, at the Orchid Study Group’s 7th OrchidFestival in Wales on 6 and 7 September and atthe Devon Orchid Society weekend in DawlishWarren from 17 to 19 October. A coach fromcentral London will be available to takemembers to the Autumn Show at Wraysbury on1 November (please book places in advance).

The November issue may arrive a little laterthan usual because I shall be away for six weeksthis autumn. Consequently the copy deadlinefor the next issue is 1 September 2014.

ContentsOfficers of the Society .................................................... 170Editor’s notes ..................................................................... 171 News:

Cake presented to OSGB .......................................... 172Orchid named for charity ......................................... 173Coach to Autumn Show at Wraysbury ................ 173Trophies awarded at the AGM ................................ 174Christmas lunch ........................................................... 174Changes to the Committee ..................................... 174Borneo orchid trip 2015 ........................................... 174

European Orchid Show and Conference update .. 175Members’ plants by Tony Britton,

Stuart Meeson and Aud Gjerde ............................ 176Obituary – Wally Lefley by Val Micklewright ......... 179OSGB Spring Show 2014 report

by Henry Oakeley ........................................................ 180RHS London Orchid Show report

by Sam Hurley .............................................................. 186Photographic and Art Competition report

by Mary-Jane Hawkins ............................................... 194Writhlington pupils win research funding

by Simon Pugh-Jones MBE ...................................... 200RHS Chelsea Flower Show report

by Sam Hurley .............................................................. 201Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum

by Henry Oakeley ........................................................ 213A rainforest in your home by Barry Reynolds ........ 216 Tour to Ecuador by Sally Mill ........................................ 219Napier Hall meetings

Table Show report by André Roux......................... 220Lecture report by Sam Hurley and Mary-Jane Hawkins .................................................... 226

RHS Orchid Committee awards .................................. 236Advertisements ................................................................ 243 Services to members:

Meetings, cultural advice, website, library, displays ............................................................ 250

Show Diary ......................................................................... 251

Photos by Henry Oakeley unless otherwise stated

Front cover: Stuart Meeson’s Pleione Tongariroshown at Napier Hall in April (photo by RobertSimmons)Back cover: Lepanthes telipogoniflora shown byKJ Orchids of Denmark at the RHS LondonOrchid Show in April

Photo by RobbiesPhotographics

NewsSam Hurley

172 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Cake presented to OSGB��OSGB Vice President Jo Kelleher received abeautiful cake on behalf of the Society. It waspresented by Oak Furniture Land in June atthe opening of their new store in Orpington,Kent, where both Jo and OSGB DisplayManager Jeanette Beany live. The cake willtake centre stage at the welcome lunch forour new members in August.

Oak Furniture Land paid tribute to the OSGB’ssuccess at Chelsea by asking Kent-based cakeartist Francesca Pitcher of North Star Cakes todesign a cake in the shape of a jardinière ofEulophia guineensis. This species appeared onour Chelsea display as it is native to the

Sultanate of Oman, whose Ministry ofTourism sponsored us again this year.

The cake is based on the stylised aestheticmovement in art, specifically British porcelainof the period. The jardinière is decorated withone of the species from this year’s Goldmedal- winning display, Cattleya purpurata,while other sections are based on enamelledjewellery depicting a generic Cattleya design.The astonishingly realistic Eulophia guineensisspikes were made from sugar and floristrywire, then hand painted in edible dusts. As nocutters exist for this flower the artist spent aday working on three prototypes before workcould begin on the three spikes which took afurther two and a half days to produce.

OSGB Vice President Jo Kelleher (right) and cake creatorFrancesca Pitcher at Oak Furniture Land’s newOrpington store (photo by Keith Larby)

This astonishingly realistic cake depicts Eulophiaguineensis in a porcelain jardinière and pays tribute toour Gold medal success at Chelsea (photo by Keith Larby)

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 173

Orchid named for charityOSGB President Peter White has donated thenaming rights of a new Phalaenopsis hybrid tocharity. They were bought at the RHS MalvernSpring Festival charity auction and donated bythe buyer to Cobalt, a healthcare charity whichprovides advanced diagnostic imaging.

Cobalt celebrates its half century this yearand sales of the soon-to-be-registeredPhalaenopsis Cobalt Celebration will help toboost its 50th Anniversary Appeal in supportof imaging facilities which aid the diagnosisof cancer and dementia.

Phalaenopsis Cobalt Celebration will beavailable from the autumn but can be

reserved in advance. To reserve plants pleasesend a cheque for £15.00 payable to Cobalt atCobalt, Linton House, Thirlestaine Road,Cheltenham GL53 7AS.

Coach to Autumn Show atWraysbury Our Autumn Show will take place onSaturday 1 November at Wraysbury VillageHall (see page 22 of the Annual Supplementfor full details). Please note there is nomeeting at Napier Hall in November.Following the success of the coach to ourSpring Show, the Society is organising acoach to take members to our Autumn Showat Wraysbury.

There is plenty of capacity (up to 53 seats) formembers, and any non-member friends, butplaces must be booked in advance by 13 October, cost £5.00 per person. Membersattending Napier Hall meetings can pay inadvance, otherwise on the day.

The coach will depart from the RHS LawrenceHall on Greycoat Street, London SW1P 2QD at10:00, and also pick up at Raynes Parkoverground station at around 10:40(depending on traffic, meet by the bus stop infront of Starbucks). It will depart fromWraysbury at 16:00, returning to GreycoatStreet via Raynes Park.

To book please contact Jeanette Beaney,giving her your name, contact details, andstating which pick-up point you require; tel:07517 006387, e-mail:[email protected]

News

Phalaenopsis Cobalt Celebration (registration pending)will help raise funds for Cobalt, a charity providingdiagnostic imaging (photo courtesy of Cobalt)

174 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Trophies awarded at the AGMThe Brunning CupFrancis Quesada-Pallarés

The Ray Oddy CupDavid Trendell for Paphiopedilum LibertyTaiwan

The Eric Young TrophyLuis Sousa for Paphiopedilum Taiwan

The Ernie Self Memorial TrophySally Mill for most marks at Table Shows

The Librarian’s CupHenry Oakeley for Anguloa brevilabris

Christmas lunchThis year’s Christmas lunch will take place atNapier Hall on Saturday 6 December, doorsopen at 12:30. All members are welcome toattend although places must be booked inadvance. The Committee will provide a lightbuffet lunch which will cost £2.50 per person(£5.00 for non-members) and include a glassof wine. To book please contact FrancisQuesada-Pallarés, tel: 07951 070637, e-mail:[email protected]

Changes to the CommitteeThere have been several changes to theCommittee since the last issue.

Peter Johnson was elected as a Committeemember at the AGM in June and we arepleased to welcome him back in his ownright, although his support for the Society isongoing as he assists his wife, Sue, in herwork as our Membership Secretary.

Mary-Jane Hawkins has stood down as aCommittee member and SponsorshipSecretary since the AGM. We are grateful forher work for the Society since joining theCommittee in 2010 and the contribution shehas made by writing lecture reports for theJournal over the past three years.

Borneo orchid trip 2015There are still some places left for the tripto Borneo in 2015. Please see OSGBJ(2014) 63(2): 129 or the OSGB website’stravel page for full details. If you areinterested, please contact FrancisQuesada-Pallarés, tel: 07951 070637, e-mail:[email protected]

News

Henry Oakeley’s Anguloa brevilabris was voted the mostpopular member’s plant on the OSGB display at the 2014RHS Chelsea Flower Show and won the Librarian’s Cup(photo by Sam Hurley)

European Orchid Show &Conference 2015 update

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 175

Full details for the forthcoming 17thEuropean Orchid Show & Conference arenow available through the dedicated area ofthe RHS website: www. rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-london-shows/european-orchid-show-and-conference-2015

The event will run from 8 to 12 April 2015. Itincludes an orchid show at the RHS Halls (9to 12 April); scientific lectures at RBG Kew (8and 9 April); horticultural lectures at the RHSHalls (10 and 11 April); and a preview eveningon 8 April.

Lists of speakers can be viewed on thewebsite. Online registration is now open andearly-bird rates apply until 30 November 2014(after which they will increase substantially).

Social events during the show include a GalaDinner on Saturday 11 April, organised by theOSGB and held at the Royal College ofPhysicians. The College was originallyfounded in 1518 and is now housed in amodern Grade 1 listed building by Regent’sPark. It regularly wins awards as one ofLondon’s leading small-event venues. Toursof the College’s Medicinal Garden by HenryOakeley will be available during theafternoon.

Dinner tickets are limited so please bookearly through the website; cost £70.00 perperson, which includes a drinks reception,four course dinner and wine.

There are several registration packages tochoose from: Full Package £130.00;Horticultural Package £70.00; SciencePackage £70.00; Show Package £50.00; andPartner Registration £35.00. Day tickets to

the show are also available. Registrants willreceive a welcome pack, invitation to thepreview, and early entry to the show.

Judging will take place on 8 April.Applications to assist with judging must besubmitted by 1 March 2015 ( judges must beregistrants of the conference); an applicationform is available through the website.

The Gala Dinner reception will be held in the College’sDorchester Library, home to its collection of antiquebooks (photo courtesy of the Royal College of Physicians)

Tours of the College’s Medicinal Garden will be given byHenry Oakeley

Members’ plants

176 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Bulbophyllum wendlandianumTony Britton (photos by Tony Britton)

At the 2012 Durham show I was lookingamongst the orchids on John Keeling’s standand saw the name Cirrhopetalum colletii ona label. It was the only one he had and itlooked healthy if fairly small. John told me itwas from the collection of Major Berry whohad been President of the ManchesterOrchid Society (now the North of EnglandOrchid Society) for some years. It had been inthe Keeling collection for about 50 years, so Iwas pleased to be able to get a piece of it. Iplaced it with my intermediate plants.

I usually look up new additions on theinternet to search for useful furtherinformation on habitat, feeding, water type,etc. Sure enough, there it was but with adifferent name – Bulbophyllumwendlandianum (Ed: This species was firstdescribed as Cirrhopetalum collettianum in1890 but reclassified as Bulbophyllumwendlandianum in 1907).

After a month or two of acclimatising it toour orchid growing house, I repotted it upto a 10cm square pot using medium-sizedbark. It now gets watered almost weekly asindicated by checking the weight of the pot,when it gets a good drink of tap water atpH 6.5 with feed to circa 350/400ppm(various brands). (Ed: this is soft mainswater, rainwater is usually recommendedfor orchids). The plant has grown well in theconditions I have used and I was pleased tonotice in early May that it was showing twoinflorescences. My temperature range of

Tony Britton’s Bulbophyllum wendlandianum (seen herefrom above) flowers on unformed new growth in thespring

Bulbophyllum wendlandianum has ‘tufts’ on its dorsalsepal and petals

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 177

15–25°C, with summer shading on thewarmer days, seems to have been to itsliking.

Ed: Tony Britton is Chairman of the CumbriaOrchid Society and has been growing orchidsfor many years. For more about the genusBulbophyllum read the account in this issueof Bill Thoms’s talk to the Society (NapierHall lecture report).

Epipactis giganteaStuart Meeson (photos by Stuart Meeson)

It was suggested to me that growingterrestrial orchids in a hanging basket wasrather unconventional, but I am pleased withthis year’s display of Epipactis gigantea.

As a result of basket culture the flowers arevisible at eye level rather than the viewerhaving to kneel down to admire their beauty,and they remain easily portable. The basketis now overflowing, with shoots growingthrough the woven willow itself.

Several years ago, I planted four buddedrhizomes in a mixture of general purposecompost with added John Innes compostand orchid bark chips. These orchids, nativesof North America, are grown in an easterlyaspect to avoid the strongest summersunlight. They are kept uniformly moist andfed with tomato food fortnightly. (Ed:Epipactis like to be damp so be vigilant aboutwatering when growing them this way.)Whilst they are hardy plants, the basket iscovered with a protective fleece bag duringthe winter to reduce the risks of severe coldpenetrating from the sides since the plantsare not in the ground.

Ed: Stuart Meeson is a physicist with a keeninterest in horticulture. He is a regularexhibitor at OSGB meetings and shows andwon the RHS Banksian Medal at this year’sSpring Show for the greatest number of first,second and third places.

Members’ plants

Stuart Meeson’s Epipactis gigantea is thriving in itshanging basket

Epipactis gigantea is native to North America

178 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Phragmipedium Paul EugeneConroy Aud Gjerde (photo by Jan Gjerde)

More than any other orchid, PhragmipediumPaul Eugene Conroy (warszewiczianum xlongifolium) has taught me the importance ofpatience and optimism when it comes tonurturing and growing orchids. I met my firstPhragmipedium ten years ago and was thrilledby the long petals and the richly-formed,fascinating flowers. They reminded me of trolls.

Phragmipedium longifolium was first describedas Cypripedium longifolium by Josef vonWarszewicz and H G Reichenbach in 1852.Phragmipedium warszewiczianum has alsochanged genera several times since first beingdescribed as Selenipedium wallisii by H GReichenbach in 1873. There are only about 30Phragmipedium species although growers canchoose from a large number of hybrids thesedays. But that does not mean all of them areeasy to grow.

I decided that I should have a Phragmipediumfor my collection. I knew they had a tropicalorigin and they required the correct light,temperature and humidity. This is always achallenge where I live, in cold Norway. It isnow ten years since a fellow grower in myneighborhood provided me with an excellentspecimen of Phragmipedium Paul EugeneConroy and I was happy to introduce a newmember to the population of my greenhouse,even if it was already overcrowded.

My 12 square metre polycarbonategreenhouse is insulated by two layers ofbubble-plastic and has a layer of white paintshading. I use supplementary lighting all yearwhich is controlled automatically and ensuregood air movement by using a fan with athermostat placed on the floor or on a bench.The temperature is kept at 18–25°C and I alsohave a humidifier to maintain humidity at60–80%. When watering, all plants are liftedto test their weight to prevent giving toomuch or too little water. This plant has beenrepotted once and divided once.

The plant grew rapidly and got all the care andlove possible, but over the years the awaitedspike never appeared. Maybe I treated it toowell? I tried to ignore it. It was moved to acorner of the greenhouse but not forgottenentirely. Then, one spring day early in 2014, tenyears after the first encounter, the sign of aspike appeared. I moved the plant to a newplace in the greenhouse where it got extralight and water. It has been in bloom for twomonths and with four flowers in succession.

Ed: Aud Gjerde is Chair of the NorwegianOrchid Society and has been a member ofthe OSGB since 2010.

Members’ plants

Aud Gjerde’s Phragmipedium Paul Eugene Conroy wasshy to flower but worth the wait

Obituary – Walter LefleyVal Micklewright and Peter Hall

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 179

Val Micklewright, Hon Sec OSGB writes:Wally (to those who knew him) had apassion for orchids. He was a member of theOSGB for 33 years having joined in 1981 andMembership Secretary for more than tenuntil ill health forced him to retire in thespring of 2012.

His record keeping was exemplary, so neatand methodical that it was possible todownload the data from his computer andfor another to carry on his good work whenhe was taken to hospital at a critical time ofyear.

Wally, with his computer and printer, couldbe seen at many orchid shows around thecountry providing labels for the Society’sdisplays, including the RHS Chelsea FlowerShow. He was unflappable and alwaysreliable, such a pleasure to work alongside.He regularly brought along tins of sweets tokeep the display team’s strength up.

He was an enthusiastic stamp collector andwas looking forward to finding the time toput his many boxes of stamps in order. Inrecognition of his many years service theOSGB gave him first day covers of thecommemorative London Olympics stamps in2012 with a special album. I do hope that hefound time to enjoy them.

Wally died at home on 20 February 2014. Hewill be remembered as a perfect gentlemanand we have missed him since hisretirement, but now there is an even deepervoid.

Peter Hall, Chairman Essex Orchid Group,writes:Wally became Treasurer in the late 1990s.This was a job which he handled proficientlyproducing immaculate sets of data for theclub at our AGMs. Wally was a quiet memberbut was happy to help members with adviceand his knowledge was extensive. Heproduced our monthly newsletter for manyyears.

He was a good photographer and had a largecollection of photographs from all theSociety’s shows. He was always ready to helpby giving a talk illustrated with hisphotographs if we were short of a speaker. Heran our Christmas Quiz for many years andset all the questions, prepared the resultschart and bought prizes for the winners.

OSGB Spring Show 2014Henry Oakeley

180 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

The wind howled and sleet drove across thegardens with a blizzard force that deterredall but those with the most fanaticalorchidomania who waded through the mudoutside the Wisley glasshouse to exhibit inthe OSGB Spring Show. But that was lastyear. This was 29 March 2014 and the sunshone, the birds went tweet-tweet(persistently), the temperature outside roseto 20°C, and the visitors poured into theshow, with murmurings of ‘I never knewthere were so many different types of orchid’(and, of course, ‘how do I get my orchid toflower again?’).

Bournemouth Orchid Society staged a groupof plants, full of interest. There were severalpots of Gennaria diphylla – a green-floweredMediterranean terrestrial with shinyperfoliate leaves, which I had never seenbefore. It has been two different Habenaria,as well as Gymnadenia, Herminium,Satyrium, Peristylus, Digomphotis,Platanthera, Coeloglossum and threedifferent Orchis since 1800, so we should notbe surprised at modern taxonomistschanging names of orchids, they are justfollowing a long tradition. Larger and moreflamboyant were three pots of Cypripediumformosanum on the right of the displaywhose paired, plicate leaves appear to be cutwith scissors. It does come from Formosa(present day Taiwan) and while the islandand species name is Latin for ‘beautiful’, Ifind the corrugated inward-turned lip rathergrotesque.

Bournemouth Orchid Society display at our spring show

Gennaria diphylla, a Mediterranean terrestrial, on theBournemouth Orchid Society display

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 181

OSGB Spring Show 2014

Two ‘jewels’ were the rarely seenDendrochilum tortile with its tassels of spikyorange flowers, and the floriferous miniature,Stelis kefersteiniana (shown under itssynonym, Pleurothallis flexuosa). Elsewherethere was another clone with the cultivarname ‘Stripe’, which in any other genus mighthave warranted separate species status. The100 or so, dark purple flowers, with denselyhairy tepals, were a mere 0.7mm across. Thetiny light-reflecting cells on the flowers arethought to be imitation nectar droplets toattract small flies, and the lines on the tepalsare false nectar guides to direct the flies intothe flower. The function of the hairs isuncertain, but they are present in many Stelis.In the wild, high humidity increases thepollination rate of these high-altitude, cloudforest orchids.

Stelis kefersteiniana (above and middle) exhibits thehairy tepals which are present in many Stelis

Stelis kefersteiniana ‘Stripe’ is a particularly appealingcultivar of this species

Dendrochilum tortile is rare in cultivation

182 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)


Bournemouth’s European terrestrials, withvarious Ophrys, Anacamptis and Orchis,fulfilled our recent reclassification of our‘terrestrial’ judging class as being orchidswhich have underground tubers and adormant leafless period in their life cycle.Again, these provided much interest.

Mike Penney’s group of terrestrials fromLatin America had been in his possession forless than a year so they were labelled ‘not forjudging’. Their foliage is so attractive thatthey could also have been entered in thedecorative foliage class. (Ed: There was someconfusion over this relatively new class butour judging subcommittee has ruled thatClass 24 is for plants usually grown for theirdecorative foliage only; plants usually grownfor their flowers should not be entered in it.)

Best in Show was David Martin’sDendrobium Cassiope although MikeBuckingham’s Masdevallia Cassiope (a purecoincidence) with 40 flowers must havebeen a close competitor.

A good reason for always buying plants inflower was given by Cattlianthe Hazel Boyd.The cultivar ‘Red Sunset’ exhibited by SallyMill had flowers almost twice the size ofthose of the cultivar ‘Red Stone’ shown by Jo Kelleher on her display.

More education was to be had in the plant ofMaxillaria picta (now, in 2014, Brasiliorchispicta, although in 2011 it was, briefly, Bolbidiumpictum) which I had acquired a year ago,heavily infested with scale insects. Sprayed andcleaned, sprayed and cleaned, it had then beenquarantined in the unheated spare bedroomon the windowsill, and abandoned.

Sarcoglottis grandiflora from Costa Rica, shown by Mike Penney

Ophrys fusca subsp. iricolor – one of the interestingEuropean terrestrials on the Bournemouth OrchidSociety display

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 183


Henry Oakeley’s Brasiliorchis picta has a strong perfume of hyacinths

Dendrobium Cassiope (moniliforme x nobile) belonging to David Martin won Best in Show

184 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)


I must have watered it three times in the year.It sat getting the morning sun until a weekbefore the show when I noticed a strongperfume of hyacinths pervading the house. Ifound the culprit was the Brasiliorchis in fullbloom on the windowsill, bone dry, with 40flowers facing the glass. It had clearly enjoyednot being watered too often, being grown cooland getting full morning sun. Maybe that iswhat it enjoys in the Andes.

Despite their popularity, there were nospecimen plants of Phalaenopsis to be seen;Christine Carter’s pretty Phalaenopsis PinkCharm won the spectacular Sir JeremiahColman bowl. Will someone please try togrow some specimen plants and tell us howit is done (full instructions in previous OSGBJarticles)?

Malcolm Moodie (and Derek Belcher) were kept busy all day giving repotting talks and demonstrations (photo by Sam Hurley)

Christine Carter’s Phalaenopsis Pink Charm

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 185


Space does not permit me to discuss all theplants in the competitive classes, but it wasencouraging to see the range of orchidsbeing grown, and we look forward to evenmore at the Autumn show and, of course,next year. Thanks to all.

Judging and potting demonstrations are allpart of our shows; the latter were so popularthat several plants were looking a bit shell-shocked by the end of the day from beingrepotted multiple times. New memberswere enlisted. Lady Colman presented theprizes and we are grateful to her and SirMichael, and to The Sir Jeremiah Colman GiftTrust for their kind support to the Society.

The Wisley Glasshouse does seem to be agood venue for us, and the RHS staff wereimmensely helpful, and our own team,particularly Dusha Hayes who runs ourjudging, untiring. It is a lot of work; volunteersto organise the show next year are requested.

Malcolm Moodie Dulcie Rands Trophy Leonard Page Cup Rittershausen Challenge Trophy Sussex Shield

David Martin Dorothy Pestell Cup Penney Trophy Robert Elliott Cup

Sam Hurley Myers Trophy Solomon Trophy

Henry Oakeley Alcock Cup Dolores Rands Trophy

Mike Buckingham Pat Akehurst Trophy

Christine Carter Sir Jeremiah Colman Bowl

Stuart Meeson RHS Banksian Medal

Mike Penney Peppe de Lullo Trophy

OSGB Spring Show 2014trophy winners

Lady Colman presenting the Dorothy Pestell Cup for Best in Show to David Martin (photo by Sam Hurley)

RHS London Orchid ShowSam Hurley (photos by Sam Hurley)

186 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

If you love all things orchidaceous, visit anorchid show. There you will find everythingyou could wish for: displays, plants, sundries,books, advice and even inspiration. A fantasyorchid garden was created by the OSGB’sdisplay team, led by André Roux, to inspirenewcomers and delight the faithful whoreturn each year to the RHS London OrchidShow (LOS). On three sides of the displayshallow slate steps led up to a trellisedwooden arch and deep flower beds full of

orchids on either side of a winding mossypath.

It was an enchanting display with a widevariety of plants grown by the Society’smembers, which had been lent in greatnumbers this year. Species and hybridsfeatured in equal measure, such as PeterWhite’s Cymbidium Tiger Tail (both normaland red form) and David Mathers’sPaphiopedilum rothschildianum.

The OSGB created a fantasy orchid garden for the 2014 RHS London Orchid Show (photo by Henry Oakeley)

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 187

David Trendell’s first-time floweringPaphiopedilum Liberty Taiwan (micranthum xhangianum) was spotted on the OSGBdisplay by members of the RHS OrchidCommittee as they looked around during thepreview evening. It was sent to theCommittee for consideration the followingday and received an Award of Merit. The onlyregrettable part was that the single flowerhad to be removed so it could be painted byartist Deborah Lambkin, who records allorchids receiving a First Class Certificate orAward of Merit from the Committee.

Challenges with this year’s exhibit includedbuilding the flat-pack arch which was, ofcourse, supplied without screws long enoughfor the job, cleaning 50 boxes of moss andwrestling with 15 metres of cloth around thebase to complete the display. We finished ingood time this year without the usual frenzyduring the last hour – a more sensible way toproceed but perhaps not as adrenalin-fuelled.

The OSGB offered repotting demonstrationsalongside its display as a new initiative at theLOS. Derek Belcher and Val Micklewrightvolunteered to give these on the hour overthe two-day show although, from thenumbers of visitors grouped around therepotting bench each day, it appeared thatthe demonstrations ran continuously. Theyproved immensely popular and will be stagedagain next year at the EOC, albeit with morevolunteer repotters to take the strain.

Many of the 35 exhibitors in the LawrenceHall came from Europe but some were fromfurther afield, including Taiwan and SouthAmerica. An impressive white form of

RHS London Orchid Show

Normal form of Cymbidium Tiger Tail (photo by HenryOakeley)

Red form of Cymbidium Tiger Tail (photo by HenryOakeley)

David Trendell’s Paphiopedilum Liberty Taiwan ‘Kathleen’AM/RHS had a busy season with outings to our SpringShow, April meeting and the LOS

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Derek Belcher’s repotting sessions at the LOS wereimmensely popular

Akerne Orchids’ display was dominated by an enormous white form of Masdevallia coccinea which was awarded a aCCC/RHS and won Best Orchid and Best Specimen Orchid in the show (photo by Henry Oakeley)

Epidendrum stamfordianum was shown on RHS GardenWisley’s exhibit

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Masdevallia coccinea was displayed by AkerneOrchids and won Best Orchid and BestSpecimen Orchid in the show. KennethBruyninckx of Akerne Orchids told me that hesuspects somewhere in the centre of itremains a relatively small pot! DavidMcLaughlin’s team from RHS Garden Wisleystaged a display of orchids from theirgreenhouses. Botanical art was on view in theLindley Hall across the road along with LOSregular, bookseller Mike Park, who had thehonour of ringing the bell to close the show.

It was a marvellous time for species,especially dendrobiums. A large specimen ofDendrobium densiflorum graced the LeaValley Orchid Society exhibit which won aSilver-Gilt medal. K J Orchids showed aDendrobium aphyllum with trailing, pendantcanes and Dendrobium alaticaulinum was


Dendrobium densiflorum on Lea Valley Orchid Society’sdisplay

Dendrobium aphyllum on K J Orchids’ display (photo byHenry Oakeley)

Dendrobium alaticaulinum on Equatorial Plants’ display(photo by Henry Oakeley)

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one of the many intriguing smaller specieson the Equatorial Plants display.

Interesting bulbophyllums were dotted aboutthe show, several from Section Megaclinium, agroup of unusual-flowered species from Africawhich are, sadly, rarely cultivated. BurnhamNurseries displayed a large plant ofBulbophyllum purpureorhachis which receiveda Certificate of Cultural Commendation. Thecurious, easily-grown Bulbophyllum falcatum, aspecies from tropical Africa, was displayed byboth Vacherot & Lecoufle and Kopf Orchideen.

Kopf Orchideen’s display also featured a well-flowered Chysis bractescens, a species fromCentral America. Maren Talbot of HeritageOrchids displayed immaculate baskets ofpleiones, perfect as usual, including thezingy Pleione grandiflora, and won a Silver-Gilt medal.


Bulbophyllum falcatum is an easy-to-grow species from tropical Africa

This photo shows just three of the seven spikes onBurnham Nurseries’ Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis‘Orchid Paradise’ CCC/RHS (photo by Henry Oakeley)

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Hybrids, old and new, were well-representedthroughout the show. McBean’s Orchidsincluded some of their own superb hybrids,such as Cymbidium Highland Wood ‘ChelseaGreen’ (1982), as did Burnham Nurseries whoshowed Oncidium Widecombe Fair (1973).Laurence Hobbs displayed a container of thesuitably-named Dendrobium Stardust‘Firebird’ (1986) – this hybrid would later beseen staged as a ‘tree’ on the OSGB’s Chelseaexhibit. Roellke Orchideen’s TrichopiliaEvaline (1995) is an excellent primary hybrid(tortilis x marginata) and has relatively largeflowers for a small plant.

‘The devil is in the detail’ when it comes todisplays and I was charmed by individualdetails on many of the exhibits, such as a‘tree’ of Cattleya coccinea on the EquatorialPlants display; a tray of pristine

paphiopedilums by Vacherot & Lecoufle; andthe leaf-shaped labels used by Ecuagenera.My favourite, predictably, was the mossyslate steps on the OSGB’s display.


Chysis bractescens on Kopf Orchideen’s display

Heritage Orchids displayed immaculate baskets ofpleiones, including Pleione grandiflora

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The OSGB display gained a Silver-Gilt medal.Gold medals were won by BurnhamNurseries, McBean’s Orchids, Helen andDavid Millner and Vacherot & Lecoufle. Helenand David Millner won the prize for the MostCreative Orchid Exhibit and Vacherot &

Lecoufle were judged to have presented theBest Orchid Exhibit.

Many thanks to everyone who helped tobuild and man this year’s display, inparticular the core build team of Marc Harris,Penny Hayes, Val Micklewright, André Rouxand Roy White; and to the members whogenerously lent their plants.

Ed: The RHS London Orchid Show will playhost to the 17th European Orchid Conferencenext year, 8–12 April 2015. For full details ofthe show and conference, and to register,please visit: www.rhs.org.uk/eoclondon2015.org.uk


Roellke Orchideen’s Trichopilia Evaline offers relativelylarge flowers on a small plant

Two huge plants of their hybrid Oncidium WidecombeFair were displayed on Burnham Nurseries’ Gold medal-winning display

McBean’s Orchids created another Gold-medal winningdisplay of Cymbidium and Oncidium

Laurence Hobbs showed plants of DendrobiumStarburst ‘Firebird’ grouped together in containers

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Vacherot & Lecoufle’s display won a Gold medal and Best Orchid Exhibit

An enchanting ‘tree’ of Cattleya coccinea created byEquatorial Plants

Moss-edged slate steps on the OSGB display ledtowards a trellis arch

Photographic and ArtCompetition 2014Mary-Jane Hawkins

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Following the AGM in June the annualPhotographic and Art Competition tookplace. There were a good number of entriesacross the different classes showing thewide range of orchids which interest ourmembers. The winners of each class arediscussed below.

Class 1 – Small orchid photographThis class received the highest number ofentries of all the classes and was won byNigel Johnson with a photograph ofSpiranthes cernua. The sharpness of Nigel’sclose-up image shows the tiny hairs on the

sepals and captures perfectly thetranslucent, lace-like appearance of theflower’s lip.

Class 2 – Small habitat photographStuart Meeson’s photograph of a Britishnative Cypripedium calceolus peeking outfrom long grass in North Yorkshire wassuccessful in Class 2. The photograph wastaken in late May looking down onto theflower when the sun emerged shortly after alight rain shower with a Lumia 920 camerawith Carl Zeiss lens.

Nigel Johnson’s image of Spiranthes cernua captures thelace-like fragility of these tiny flowers

Stuart Meeson’s Cypripedium calceolus focuses on the golden flower rather than the whole plant

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Class 3 – Large orchid photographThis was another well-entered class and thewinner was Sam Hurley’s image of Cattleya(nobilior x Marjorie Hausermann) owned bySally Mill. This plant formed part of the OSGBdisplay at the Durham Show in 2013 and Samnoted the petals, in particular, which had awonderful sheen and a subtlety of colourwhich was reminiscent of silk taffeta. Takenwith a Nikon D3000, using the macrosetting, the photograph has captured thebeauty of the flower; the unfocusedbackground highlights the flower which issharp and clear in the foreground.

This photograph was also the very well-deserved winner of the OSGB PhotographicTrophy this year.

Class 4 – Large habitat photographThis class was also won by Sam Hurley with aphotograph of Dactylorhiza cordigera subsp.bosniaca which was taken in an alpinemeadow (around 1,600 metres) nearProkoško Lake in Bosnia. When Sam took herphotograph the ground was rather boggyand there was snow still lying on the hillsidesnearby although the plant was growing infull sun. There were a lot of plants growingtogether (a few purple flower spikes can beseen to the left of the main plant) but theywere limited to this particular spot.

Sam wanted to convey a feeling of themountains in summer in this image,including the conifers and bright sunlight, solay flat on the ground to take this

Photographic and Art Competition 2014

Sam Hurley’s Dactylorhiza cordigera subsp. bosniacawas photographed in an alpine meadow in Bosnia

Sam Hurley’s Cattleya (nobilior x Marjorie Hausermann) was voted the winner of this year’s Photographic Trophy

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photograph with her Nikon D3000, using theaperture priority setting.

Class 5 – Orchid display photographA colourful photograph by Stuart Meeson ofthe orchid display in the Princess of WalesConservatory at RBG, Kew won this class.Stuart visited Kew’s orchid festival soon afterit opened in February 2014 and took thisphotograph which includes many of theelements of the display, a Phalaenopsis pillar,Vanda arch and orchid-covered tree, with hisLumia 920 camera.

Class 6a – Orchid paintingA return to the previous format for this classproved a success, having several entries thisyear. The well-deserved winner was anattractive painting of Cymbidium GreenValley Emerald (ensifolium x Green Plumage)


Doreen Jenkinson’s painting of Cymbidium Green ValleyEmerald shows the flowers from a variety of angles

Stuart Meeson’s photograph of Kew’s orchid display was taken in bright morning sunlight

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by Doreen Jenkinson. This hybrid, registeredby Green Valley Orchids of Taiwan in 2009,has peloric flowers and was for sale throughYih Cheng Orchids at the LOS this year.Doreen’s painting cleverly showed theflowers from a variety of angles.

Class 6B – Orchid craftThis class was won by Kathy Trendell with alovely piece of embroidery containing someintricate needlework which depicted twoPaphiopedilum flowers.

Class 7 – Professional orchid photographHenry Oakeley came first, second and third inthis class with photographs which hadformed the backdrop of the OSGB display atChelsea. Henry had used a ring flash to goodeffect to create interest in his photographs.

After the winners were announced and thepresentations had been made, HenryOakeley gave a short talk and offered somephotographic tips to members.

Good photographs should contain drama –they should be sharp and of goodcomposition. A good background can improvethe composition and atmosphere of aphotograph and having something whichframes the focal point is always helpful. Busybackgrounds can detract from what should bethe centre of attention but this can be avoidedby having the foreground in focus and thebackground out of focus. Light is crucial forgood images but using a camera flash cancause black shadows; this can be avoided bybouncing the flash off a piece of white paper.It is also important to consider the angle fromwhich the plant is photographed to ensure itis seen from the best possible angle.

Several members entered the competition bypost – please remember that this option isavailable to all members. We look forward toseeing your entries next year.


Kathy Trendell’s Paphiopedilum embroidery representshours of work

Henry Oakeley’s photograph of Prosthechea mariaecaptures the delicacy of this orchid’s lip

Writhlington pupils win researchfundingSimon Pugh-Jones MBE

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Three girls in Year 8 at Writhlington School,aged twelve and thirteen, have won a £600research grant from the Whitley WildlifeConservation Trust (WWCT) for their projectstudying the laboratory conservation of theCommon Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhizafuchsii.

Emily, aged thirteen, explained, ‘We areworking to isolate and grow the particularmycorrhizal fungus associated with CommonSpotted Orchids growing in the gardens ofAmmerdown House, near our school, andthen using this fungus to germinate seedcollected from the same plants. We arehoping to find that this approach will selectand grow plants which are best adapted forlocal conditions and therefore moresuccessful when introduced into nearbyhabitats for conservation.’

Chloe, aged twelve, added, ‘The techniqueswe are using in the laboratory are quite

complicated but we have carried out a lot ofresearch and are very excited with the wayour work is going so far. We collected rootsamples from orchids in the lawns atAmmerdown House and have isolatedseveral fungal isolates which we are nowtesting with orchid seed to see if we getgermination.’

The grant from WWCT allows the girls to buythe specialist scientific equipment they needfor the work and to scale up their productionfor full field trials at Writhlington and atAmmerdown House.

Rosie, aged 13, hopes that the work will helpothers to try out similar techniques. ‘We arelooking forward to publishing our findingsand hope to win a place at the finals of theUK National Science competition in March2015 which will give us a chance to presentour work to more of the public so theybecome aware of our native orchid species.’

Asked what the girls have learnt so far theiranswer was unanimous ‘Mycorrhizal fungusis really cool.’

The girls’ progress can be followed on theWrithlington School Orchid Project website:www.wsbeorchids.org

Ed: The Writhlington School Orchid Projectbegan 20 years ago as an after-school gardenclub and its founder, Simon Pugh-Jones, wasawarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year’sHonours list for his services to education andthe orchid project.

Rose Vallis, Emily Thearle and Chloe McGiveron besidethe exhibit they created at the Malvern show (photo bySam Hurley)

RHS Chelsea Flower ShowSam Hurley (photos by Sam Hurley)

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Chelsea is the gold standard of flower showsso the chance to design and build an exhibitthere is the most wonderful opportunity –not to be undertaken lightly but certainlywith a joyful spirit. The 2013 design team ofVal Micklewright and Sam Hurley wasenlarged this year to include André Rouxwhose creative talents are exceptional. Asalways, Val’s skills of organization meant thatwe were as ready as we would ever be whenthe six-day build began. The display wasgreatly admired by the judges who awardedit a Gold medal and full marks.

We decided to highlight the variety anddistribution of orchids around the world andsettled on a display title: The cosmopolitan

world of orchids – where, why and how theygrow.One metre tall Renanthera weredisplayed alongside minute epiphytes, suchas Mike Penney’s leafless Chiloschistaviridiflava which has flowers less than acentimetre in diameter. Genera werearranged according to hemispheres: westernon the left, eastern on the right with mainlynorthern and southern terrestrials across thecentre. The western hemisphere featured‘mountains’ topped with cloud forest-dwelling Oncidium, Miltonia and Masdevallialeading into a ravine of Cattleya. The easternhemisphere featured Paphiopedilum,Cymbidium, tropical Renanthera, withPhalaenopsis growing epiphytically.

Sam Hurley and Val Micklewright proudly holding their second Gold medal (photo by Peter Johnson)

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The Cattleya ravine on the western hemisphere taking shape on day three

André Roux talking to visitors about the display he helped to design and build

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Northern hemisphere orchids wererepresented by a range of Dactylorhiza andCypripedium, including Cypripediumcalifornicum from America and Cypripediumfasciolatum from China. A floriferousSarcochilus fitzgeraldii from Australia andAngraecum compactum from Madagascarwere among the southern hemisphere orchids.

Choosing to stay with last year’s successfulformula of a background site, we foundourselves in the same location by the BullRing Gate entrance. This made access to thesite easy although it was disconcerting to bedirected by traffic marshals to ‘go round theone way system and park by the gorilla’. Allpart of the rich Chelsea experience.

It was a pleasure to find OSGB member SaulWalker on site in his new role as Chelsea


OSGB member and Chelsea Show Manager Saul Walkerplaced the first box on our 2014 display

The gorilla statue which became a temporary landmark(photo by Simon Waddilove)

Mike Penney’s tiny, leafless Chiloschista viridiflava,native to Nepal and Thailand, added to the variety oforchids on display

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Show Manager. Saul helped build theSociety’s Chelsea displays in 2012 and 2013and, although he was obviously unavailablethis year, he kindly placed the first box on ourdisplay with a suitable degree of ceremony.

We were delighted to welcome sponsorshipfrom the Sultanate of Oman Ministry ofTourism for the second year, and were able toinclude two native Omani orchids on thedisplay. Eulophia guineensis grows inDhofar’s mountain forests in southern Omanand Eulophia petersii grows alongside othersucculent plants in hotter, drier areas of theSultanate. The Society was grateful to AlisonCryer and Suzanne Halil of RepresentationPlus for arranging sponsorship and joiningus on the display during the show.Explaining to visitors that orchids grow in


Eulophia petersii grows several metres tall and has serrated edges to its leaves to protect it from grazing animals in thedrier areas of Oman

A flowering Vanilla polylepis was an unusual addition tothe display, courtesy of RBG Kew

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Oman worked perfectly with ourcosmopolitan theme and hopefully helped topromote Oman as a beautiful and variedholiday destination.

Early in the year we were approached by theBBC which wanted to include a short filmabout amateur exhibitors on Countdown toChelsea as part of its pre-show televisioncoverage. Val and I spent a day filming withthe BBC’s Simon Pass in March and aregrateful for his superb editing skills whichproduced a charming film showing uspreparing for Chelsea. Many visitors came tothe stand as a result and were pleased tolearn they could indeed grow orchids ontheir windowsills.

The Society is always proud to exhibit orchidsgrown by its members but also relies on itsaffiliates and friends to supply somethingslightly unusual. This year we were gratefulto our friends at RBG Kew and Neo TuanHong of Neo Cheng Soon Farm in Singapore.Kew kindly lent us a flowering Vanillapolylepis, some British native Dactylorhiza,recognised by a surprising number of visitorswho find them growing wild in their gardens,and a two metre tall Eulophia petersii.

Kim Solomon sourced some exoticRenanthera and ‘antelope’ Dendrobiumhybrids (both little-seen and little-grown inthe UK) from Singapore. She workedincredibly hard to ensure their importationwent without a hitch and accompanied themto the UK from Singapore. Neo Tuan Hongwas named as one of the top ten hybridisersby the Orchid Society of South East Asia lastyear and is recognised as an expert in SectionSpatulata (antelope) dendrobiums. His


Dendrobium (Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore xlasianthera) featured on the Chelsea display

Kim Solomon and her grand-daughter Gabrielle with MrNeo and his wife, Soon Hwee Hua, at his Singaporenursery which specialises in ‘antelope’ dendrobiums(photo by Kim Solomon)

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Dendrobium lasianthera ‘Singapore Glory’received an Award of Merit from the RHSOrchid Committee at Chelsea in 2011.

Renanthera 20th WOC Singapore 2011 andRenanthera Singaporeans were staged as a‘tree’ and proved overwhelmingly popularwith visitors. These orchids have a scrambling,monopodial habit and can grow to be terriblytall; they do require high light, temperatureand humidity along with good air movement.

My sincere thanks to everyone involved, inparticular all those who lent their plants sothat we can continue to showcase thegrowing talents of our members. My thanksalso to: Val Micklewright (organization);André Roux (inspiration); Henry Oakeley(motivation); Simon Waddilove(transportation); Ian Chrystie (moss maestro);Roy White (carpentry); Mike Buckingham(electrics); David Reilly (general assistant);Penny (ferns and fine finishing); Kim Solomon(orchids from Singapore); Peter White(orchids from Holland); RBG Kew (Europeanand Omani orchids); Jeff Hutchings andJacques Amand (hardy orchids); NigelJohnson, Michael McIllmurray, Henry Oakeleyand Robert Simmons (photographs); RobbiesPhotographics (printing and framing);

Smallfish Designs (layout design): ConnieHurley (calculating the Librarian’s Cupresults); members who lent their plants,manned the stand, helped at breakdown; andthe Chelsea visitors who came to the display.

And then there were twoThere were only two dedicated orchidexhibits within the Great Pavilion this year –the OSGB and McBean’s Orchids. What agreat change from the early years of theshow when the orchid exhibits were stagedin their own marquee. McBean’s created alarge background display full of Cymbidium,Odontoglossum-type Oncidium andPaphiopedilum (many bred by the nursery) allhighlighted by ferns and staged aroundassorted tree trunks.

Once again, hardy orchids were featured byvarious nurseries, all of whom received Goldmedals. Jacques Amand’s display usedCypripedium, Calanthe and Pleione as‘bedding plants’ to create a dense andstunning woodland setting. Dactylorhizafeatured on Harperley Hall Farm Nurseries’and Kevock Garden Plants’ displays of alpineand woodland plants.

Thailand’s Nong Nooch Tropical Garden


The scrambling, monopodial habit of these Renanthera hybridslent itself to being displayed as a ‘tree’

McBean’s Orchids won a Silver-Gilt medal for their orchid display (photo by Henry Oakeley)

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display was made up of thousands of cutflowers, many of them orchids such asDendrobium and Mokara. These werepainstakingly placed one by one into wire-covered oasis forms to create snaking swirls,elephants and even rabbits, all set amidstgilded Buddhist temples.

Prize draw winnerAround 600 visitors entered our free prizedraw to win £100’s worth of orchids bychoosing their favourite orchid on thedisplay. Gwynedd Burgoyne, who livesnear Southampton, was this year’s luckywinner. The member’s plant which gainedthe most votes was Henry Oakeley’s spice-scented Anguloa brevilabris, a speciesfrom Colombia and north Peru.


The golden temples of Thailand’s Nong Nooch Tropical Garden display could be seen from almost all points of theGreat Pavilion

Many of the orchids featured by McBean’s Orchids werebred by the nursery (photo by Henry Oakeley)

Information panels explained ‘where, why and howorchids grow’ to our Chelsea visitors in 2014

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Mike Penney’s EpidendrumparkinsonianumHenry Oakeley

John Parkinson (c1772–1847) was the BritishConsul in Mexico from 1838 to 1840, and akeen plant collector. He sent the orchid,Epidendrum parkinsonianum, which came tobear his name, to the Duke of Bedford fromMexico, and it was named by John Lindley inCurtis’s Botanical Magazine (1840) Vol 66,t. 3778. He had sent back so many plants toWilliam Hooker at Kew that this volume ofthe Botanical Magazine was dedicated to him.

Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianumhas graced the OSGB stand at Chelsea for adozen years, steadily growing and increasingits flower count. It had 15 flowers when ithung over the mouth of the cave in 2007 andat this year’s Chelsea it had 20. Throughoutthe period of his ownership, he has grown itin a pot in his intermediate greenhouse.

Well-grown it is, so what makes a growergain a Cultural Certificate from the RHS?There are no detailed rules, only the onerequirement – that the plant and/or thegrower should ‘show evidence of greatcultural skill’. It is clearly understood thatthis means the plant should be free ofdisease and well-flowered. It does not haveto be a specimen plant any longer; plantswith a single leading bulb can still be judgedto have been grown with great cultural skill.Plants in the wild can be enormous, aGrammatophyllum speciosum weighing twotons was found in a tree in Malaysia in thelast century, but one is not competingagainst nature.

Presentation has always been a crucial (butundocumented) requirement in judgingplants for the other awards – the Award ofMerit and the First Class Certificate. Forthese the flowers should face all around theplant, either in one direction, or evenlyleft/right along a flower scape – dependingon the plant’s normal habit; Cattleya flowersshould not be wired with excessive‘scaffolding’; staking should be neat etc.

Mike’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum hanging over thecave entrance on our Chelsea display in 2007

Information panels explained ‘where, why and howorchids grow’ to our Chelsea visitors in 2014

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Mike’s plant had retained all the naturalsheathing on its pseudobulbs, and were it notfor this, would, I believe, have gained him aCultural Certificate from the RHS OrchidCommittee. His plant showed prolongedexcellence in cultivation over many years. Itwas well-flowered, the flowers facedappropriately and it was disease free. It wasnot as large as some which have been seen inthe wild and it did have those wispy bractswith which nature endowed it…

The OSGB has been very proud of Mike’scultural achievements and the wide range ofinteresting species which he grows; we lookforward to seeing this gorgeous plant againat Chelsea for many years to come.

Ed: Mike Penney has been a member of theOSGB since 1990 and specialises in growingorchid species, mainly from Asia. He is aBritish Orchid Council judge and Secretary ofthe Croydon Orchid Group.

Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum

Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum on ourChelsea display in 2014

Mike Penney has generously lent his plants to OSGBdisplays for many years

Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum on ourChelsea display in 2011 (photo by Sam Hurley)

Mike Penney’s Epidendrum parkinsonianum retains thenatural sheathing on its pseudobulbs (photo by SamHurley)

A rainforest in your homeBarry Reynolds (photos courtesy of biOrbAIR)

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How did a tropical rainforest make it into ourhomes? I am a designer who loves thenatural world and five years ago I had anidea about using biOrb aquariumtechnologies for growing tropical plants. Atfirst it was just a dream, but I fell in love withthe idea that you could have a slice oftropical rainforest in your home. Moderntechnology could actually get you closer tonature, instead of further away from it.

With this in mind I built a prototype to bringthe natural world into the home in a waythat has never been done before. I will admitthat the early prototypes were a bithotchpotch and some of the componentswere fixed together with a glue gun, but,importantly, they worked. Through a longprocess of testing and problem solving, aproduct slowly started to evolve.

I refined the design so that it was not onlyfunctional, but beautiful too – I wasdetermined it had to work as a piece offurniture. The result is the biOrbAIR whichlooks deceptively simple but hides a lot oftechnology. You can put it in a windowlessroom and it will provide all the light plantsneed for growth.

Traditionally, contained plants can sufferfrom rotting roots, but the biOrbAIR cleverlyuses capillary action from a reservoir tohydrate the growing medium from below. Ahidden internal fan circulates air inside thevessel. It constantly draws in a little externalair to prevent stagnation and then expelsclean, odourless air through a carbon filter.

But the most effective part is the humiditycontrol which senses when the humidityinside the vessel drops and automaticallydispenses fine, atomised water vapour ontothe plants to keep the humidity constant. Itquite literally creates its own weather.

I always spray new plants to help themadjust to being transferred into the biOrbAIRand or course they also need feeding – I use asmall atomiser. I have found that non-epiphytic orchids grow well in the coir,supplied for use in the base of the biOrbAIR,as it does not hold excess moisture. Waterwhich is low in total dissolved salts (TDS) issupplied for use in the misting reservoir.

Modern technology within the biOrbAIR lid, such as LEDlights and carbon filters, helps to provide ideal growingconditions

The biOrbAIR is a perspex globe in which one cansuccessfully grow small-scale tropical plants – orchids,ferns and carnivorous plants

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A rainforest in your home

Although the biOrbAIR maintains the correcthumidity and air circulation, orchids stillrequire regular flushing to prevent anaccumulation of salts.

For more information about biOrbAIR,including a video showing how to set one up,visit www.biorbair.com

Ed: A special offer has been extended toOSGB members who can purchase biOrbAIRs

at the reduced price of £250.00 plus p&p(RRP £399.00). Members can enter thepromotional code OS2014 into the website toclaim their discount or telephone direct on01603 710339, quoting the code to one of thesales team who will take payment over thephone. They can also send an email [email protected] with the code in thesubject title, including their contact detailsand the sales team will get in touch.

Andy Phillips manicuring plants in a newly-set up biOrbAIR at the Malvern show (photo by Sam Hurley)

Tour to Ecuador – April 2016Sally Mill

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Following three successful tours to Ecuador(in March 2006, April 2009 and November2012), the OSGB is now planning another tourin April 2016. This is some way off but thesetours take time to organise, and we need toknow whether there is enough interestbefore further arrangements can be made.

The tour promises to be a ‘once in a lifetime’(or twice, or three times for those who havebeen before) opportunity to see orchids intheir natural habitat. It will be run byEcuagenera, whose knowledge of the localorchids is unsurpassed. This tour will mainlyvisit sites in the north of Ecuador, includingthe Choco mountain chain and towards theColombian border. We expect to see manyorchids including species of Dracula,Lepanthes, Lycaste, Masdevallia, Maxillaria,Phragmipedium, Pleurothallis, Prosthechea,Selenipedium, Sobralia, and more.

The tour will also include the following: • Colonial Quito and Quito Botanic Garden • Mindo, a cloud forest area renowned for its

bird life as well as its orchids • Otavalo market, one of the most colourful in

South America • The culture and tradition of the Awa people

• The spa town of Baños• The wonderful Ecuagenera nursery

You do not need to be really fit to enjoy thistour, as many orchids can be seen beside roadsand tracks. There will also be many forays intothe jungle or scrub for those with a little morestamina. However, it is important to bear inmind that many of the areas to be visited areat high altitude, ie above 3,000 metres.

If you have read articles in the Journal orheard Society talks about the trips toEcuador, or missed out on a previous tour,and would like to visit this wonderful orchid-rich country, please contact Sally Mill(Treasurer), tel: 01293 547896, or e-mail:[email protected]

Details:16 day guided tour run by Ecuagenera (provisional departure on 4 April, return on 21 April 2016). Costs:Fully inclusive tour: US$2,720 (about £1,700) per person in a double room US$3,360 (about £2,100) for a single room(includes all hotels, transport, transfers, food and water but does not include beverages) Flight: Approx £1,000 per personSpending money: Just a little for beverages and souvenirs

The diminutive Lepanthes orion is native to Colombiaand Ecuador (photo by Sam Hurley)

Napier Hall meetings

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Table show reportAndré Roux (photos by Robert Simmons)

April and May 2014

‘What’s in a name? that which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.’Juliet’s oft-quoted line might sum up yourpoint of view concerning orchids and theirnames but, tongue-twistingly trickypronunciation aside, there is undoubtedlymore to be learned.

Take the Philippine species Phalaenopsispallens, for example. Phalaenopsis is derivedfrom the Greek words ‘phalaina’ (moth – orwhale, as we recently discovered) and ‘opsis’(appearance), an apt description given that

the type species (Phalaenopsis amabilis) haswhite flowers and at first sight could havebeen romantically imagined as a cloud ofmoths. John Lindley attributed the specificepithet pallens to this species in 1850, pin-pointing the sallow, yellow-green colour thatcharacterises the flowers of this species.

Pleione albiflora bears beautiful, predictablywhite flowers, the lip intricately fringed andembellished with rows of distinct lamellaewhich lead pollinators to the centre of thebloom. The generic name Pleione is also Greekbut in this instance has mythologicalreferences. Pleione, wife of Atlas, was a sea-nymph who bore seven daughters, the Pleiads.She was also known as the sailing queen andancient Greek mariners were cautioned to setsail only between May and November whenthe Pleiades star cluster was visible. Thisspecies from Burma and north-westernYunnan province, China, was only described in1983 and is still considered rare, with many ofthe plants in cultivation incorrectly named.

Of course, even experts are fallible and theunsuitably named Paphiopedilummicranthum is a case in point.Unquestionably one of the most beautiful inthis genus and bearing a large bubblegumballoon of a labellum, ‘small flower’ it is not.This species had been published in 1951 byTang and Wang, botanists working at what istoday the Institute of Botany, ChineseAcademy of Science, in Beijing. Their typedescription was of a miniature slipper orchid,collected in spring in south-eastern Yunnanprovince, with a flower 2cm in diameter –Phalaenopsis pallens is characterised by its yellow-green

coloured flowers (photo by Henry Oakeley)

Dave Trendell’s Paphiopedilum micranthum is native tolimestone mountain habitats

222 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)


actually a bud, borne on an immatureinflorescence, which had been manuallyopened before pressing. Largely as a result ofPaphiopedilum micranthum’s inaccessiblelimestone mountain habitat, three decadespassed before an accurate drawing andmeasurements of a mature flower werepublished, courtesy of Liu and Chen at theKunming Institute of Botany, Academy ofScience in Yunnan.

It is proper, if not surprising, that peoplefeature widely in the generic or specificnames of orchids. William Cattley, whosehorticultural prowess marked him out as oneof the first people in early 1800s England tosuccessfully grow epiphytic orchids, is

Neville Dunn’s Guarianthe aurantiaca var. amarela is the yellow form of this species

David Martin’s Rhynchostele cervantesii was previously classified as an Odontoglossum and then a Lemboglossum


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 223

honoured in the magnificent genus Cattleya.The highly variable Central American speciesGuarianthe (previously Cattleya) aurantiacais thought to be a bridge between thegenera Cattleya and Epidendrum. Its newgeneric name is derived from ‘guaria’ (aCosta Rican vernacular word for orchid) and‘anthos’ (flower), and aurantiaca describesthe typical brilliant orange-red colour of theflowers. The plant exhibited in April,however, was qualified with the varietalamarela, Portuguese for yellow.

Another orchid enduring an identity crisis isRhynchostele cervantesii, a strikingly elegantMexican endemic. As a new species toscience in 1825 it was placed in the genusOdontoglossum, from which it wasdistinguished in 1984 as a Lemboglossum, aterm referring to the boat-shaped callus onthe lip; scarcely a decade had elapsed beforeits transferral to Rhynchostele. Nevertheless,it continues to pay tribute to Vicente deCervantes (1755-1829), a Spaniard who beganstudying Latin and botany while anapprentice pharmacist. He was selected tojoin the royal botanical expedition to Mexicoin 1776, two years later founding the botanicgarden in Mexico City and securing the postof Professor of Botany at the city’s university.His significant contribution to theknowledge of Mexican flora concluded withhis Hortus Mexicanus, a collection of some1,400 plant species.

Ernest Henry Wilson, nicknamed ‘Chinese’Wilson, was born in 1876 in Chipping Camdenand became a prolific plant hunter. His firstexpedition to China, in the employ of thefamous Veitch Nursery to search for the

Handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata), lastedthree years and culminated in a haul ofapproximately 400 different plants. Wilson’stravels took him to the Orient, Australasia,India and Africa and of the 2,000-odd newplants he discovered or sourced, some 60attest to his legacy. The charmingPhalaenopsis wilsonii is one, a species fromsouthern China, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The eminent botanist Carlyle Luerspecialised in classification of thepleurothallid alliance and it was fitting tosee a fine specimen of Dryadella avicepsgracing the display table in May. Hesegregated Dryadella from Masdevallia in1978, the name translating as the diminutiveof dryad and particularly apt for this genus

Francis Quesada-Pallares’ Phaelaenopsis wilsonii is namedafter its discoverer – Ernest Henry ‘Chinese’ Wilson


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 225

of miniature epiphytic plants. In Greekmythology, the dryads were nymphs whoseentire lives, from the moment of their birth,were associated with the care and protectionof specific trees. Aviceps alludes to the flowerbuds which resemble birds’ heads, notespecially relevant when one is admiringfully open blooms.

Yet, for all the wealth of knowledge andhistory that orchid names convey, many arefar less grand or intellectual and allow us tosimply relish the beauty of their flowers. Thefragrant delights of Dendrobium WalnutValley Cassie (Gillian Leaney x Gai Ellen) areno less appealing. But I can surely not be thefirst to wonder if there is some couchedpolitical message lurking within thecurvaceous Paphiopedilum Liberty Taiwan‘Kathleen’ AM/RHS…

The flowers of Dryadella aviceps are worthy of closeinspection

Christine Bartlett’s diminutive Dryadella aviceps grows in moss mounted on cork bark

Claudine Baxter’s Dendrobium Walnut Valley Cassie


226 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Lecture reportApril 2014

Bill Thoms – Bulbophyllum cultureSam Hurley (photos by Bill Thoms)

Bill Thoms visited the UK in April on a lecturetour, proposed and co-ordinated by FrancisQuesada-Pallarés and part-sponsored by theBritish Orchid Council (BOC), giving sevenlectures to orchid societies around thecountry and to BOC judges at the RHSLondon Orchid Show. His talk to the OSGBabout Bulbophyllum culture included superbimages of his plants, many of which havebeen awarded by the American OrchidSociety (AOS).

Bulbophyllum is the largest genus in theorchid world with over 2,500 species. Flowershapes, colours and sizes vary widely andsome have an overpoweringly unpleasantsmell, such as Bulb. echinolabium. They canbe found around the world in tropical andsubtropical regions; mainly in the Indo-Pacific basin, an area covering 12 millionsquare miles, mostly in mountainous terrain.Bulbophyllum loniflorum is the mostwidespread species geographically and isnative to Africa, Indonesia, and the Pacificislands east of New Guinea.

Most bulbophyllums grow in extremelyhumid forest and are constantly wet. Billstrongly recommended ‘more water longer’

Bulbophyllum A-doribil Candy Ann ‘Lavender Lady’ is one of Bill’s favourite bulbophyllums


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 227

and regular feeding – ‘weakly weekly’ is hismotto. His regime involves soaking themthoroughly with plain water first and thenwatering with half-strength fertiliser. Thisresults in less fertilizer being wasted,because the plant is already properlyhydrated. Rainwater is preferable althoughtap water can be used if allowed to stand forseveral hours so the chlorine evaporatesbefore it is used. Good airflow at all times(day and night) with bright shade (enoughthat the light still casts the faintest ofshadows) can lead to the plant makingmultiple new growths each season.

Bill lives in central Florida and has a 5.5m x7.5m greenhouse. His plant-packed tableshave a lip around the edge to prevent potsfalling off, and shallow trays to hold ‘morewater longer’. He grows in plastic pots usingSphagnum moss with Styrofoam peanuts inthe base for improved drainage. Billrecommends placing mounted plantshorizontally because this allows them toabsorb more water. Slugs and snails may be aproblem in such a humid environment butcan be controlled with slug bait/pellets;other pests can be treated with insecticides –but only when conditions are cool.

Bill’s presentation included photographs ofthose Bulbophyllum species which are readilyobtainable, along with a wonderful array ofhis own cultivars and hybrids. Many aregiven the cultivar name ‘A-doribil’ which isderived from the names Doris (Bill’s wife)and Bill, and a pun on ‘adorable’. Whenjudging plants, Bill believes colours should bedistinct, that richer is better, and that if aplant has only a single flower it should be

Bulbophyllum longiflorum is the most widespreadspecies geographically

Bulbophyllum inunctum ‘A-doribil’, from PeninsularMalaysia and Borneo, has distinct, candy-striped markings

Bill Thoms enjoying the sights of London in TrafalgarSquare (photo by Sam Hurley)


228 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

perfect, while flowers on plants withmultiple blooms should be uniform.

Knowledge of a hybrid’s parentage can helpin understanding how its flowers shouldlook; hybrids made with Bulb. putidum andBulb. fascinator will inherit their low flowercount. Time of year and climate can alsoaffect the quality and colour of flowers.Bulbophyllum lobbii has been used widely inhybridizing and gives some dominant traitsto its offspring, namely swept back petals,pinching at the base of the dorsal sepal, andsickle-shaped lateral sepals.

Flower size can vary enormously. The Thaispecies Bulbophyllum longissimum hasflowers 40-50cm long while those of Bulb.dennisii are only 7cm tall, on a 10cm tallplant. The flowers of Bulb. medusae, aspecies from Thailand through to Borneo,are among the most spectacular – but to dowell it requires frequent, heavy watering.

Some Bulbophyllum have flowers arranged inumbels. Species such as the easy-to-grow Bulb.flabellum-veneris have flat flowers, unlike thetubular flowers of Bulb. makoyanum. Theflowers of Bulb. auratum, native to Sikkim,Malaysia and the Philippines, exude agelatinous goo, which resembles drops ofwater, to attract pollinating fungus gnats.

There is a group of giant-leafed, curiously-flowered bulbophyllums from New Guineawhich include Bulb. orthosepalum, Bulb.fletcherianum, Bulb. phalaenopsis, Bulb.macrobulbum, and Bulb. agastor.Bulbophyllum fletcherianum can grow leavesover two metres in length and the flowers ofBulb. phalaenopsis smell of rotting meat.

Bulbophyllum medusae ‘A-doribil’ requires frequent,heavy watering to flower well

Bulbophyllum longissimum ‘Pink Showers’ CCE/AOS hasflowers up to 50cm long

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 229


Relatively few Bulbophyllum hybrids havebeen made and registered to date (around200), but Bill enjoys breeding from the manyplants he grows. Bulbophyllum Ed Gilliland‘A-doribil’ HCC/AOS (registered in 2001) wasmade by crossing his award-winning speciesBulb. amplebracteatum subsp. carunculatum‘Magnifico’ CBR-AM/AOS with Bulb. bicolor‘A-doribil’ AM/AOS.

Bulbophyllum makoyanum ‘A-doribil’ AM/AOS hastubular flowers

Flowers of Bulbophyllum auratum ‘A-doribil’ exude agelatinous goo which attracts pollinating fungus gnats

Bulbophyllum fletcherianum is not an obvious candidatefor windowsill culture

Bulbophyllum macrobulbum ‘Magnifico’ AM/AOS isnative only to New Guinea

Bulbophyllum Ed Gilliland ‘A-doribil’ HCC/AOS is aspectacular hybrid


230 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Bulbophyllum Doris Dukes is a primary hybridmade with Bulb. fascinator and Bulb.rothschildianum (registered in 1996). Bill’swife liked it so much she agreed he couldname it after her.

New species continue to be discovered anddescribed, such as Bulb. kubahense fromBorneo (2011). This is just beginning to beused in hybridising and offers a newdirection for the future; I look forward toseeing what beauties Bill will create with it.

Ed: Bill Thoms is a Bulbophyllum specialist andhas received over 43 cultural awards for themfrom the American Orchid Society. With hiswife, Doris Dukes, he has been growingorchids for 40 years. His informative andwhimsical book Bulbophyllums The IncompleteGuide: From A to Why? is available to borrowfrom the OSGB library or to buy direct from Bill(price about £31.00 including postage to UK),e-mail: [email protected]

Bulbophyllum Doris Dukes ‘A-doribil’ AM/AOS is named after Bill’s wife

Bulbophyllum kubahense is a newly discovered speciesfrom Borneo


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 231

May 2014

Bill Haldane – Hunting orchids in the easternCaribbeanMary-Jane Hawkins (photos by Bill Haldane)

Bill Haldane gave a fascinating talk abouthunting orchids in the eastern Caribbean,accompanied by some of his photographs.Bill’s trips to the eastern Caribbean includedthe islands of Dominica and Barbados(visited during January and February) and StLucia (visited in November).

Before departing Bill did some research butwas only able to find one book, NativeOrchids of the Eastern Caribbean (MacmillanCaribbean, 1988) by Julian Kenny. This bookrevealed around 160 orchid species whichgrow in the eastern Caribbean, but of theseabout 80 species only grow in Trinidad. Therelative isolation of this group of islands iswhy so few orchid species are found there.

Dominica is the least developed of the Caribbean islands – a pristine island covered in a blanket of forest

Bill Haldane (photo by Sam Hurley)


232 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Dominica is the least developed of theCaribbean islands; indeed, it is claimed itwould still be recognisable to Columbus. Thispristine island is covered in a blanket offorest with a central chain of mountains andits road system, although improved over thelast 20 years, is still relatively primitive.Winter temperatures range from 21ºC to27ºC but drop by around 5ºC in themountains. Like all Caribbean islands, theeastern Atlantic coastline is characterised bystony beaches and big waves while the westcoast has sandy beaches and calmer seas.

Bill and a local guide trekked to see a superbwaterfall where the river empties from aplateau. The White River, so called becauseparticles of sulphur from a nearby volcano

make the water appear white, rises rapidlyafter rain and has to be criss-crossed manytimes while trekking. On this trek Bill foundan orchid which he had not seen in his book.He contacted the local Department ofAgriculture and was referred to the head ofthe Forestry Department who identified it asSpathoglottis plicata. It originates from thePhilippines and had travelled steadilywestward by wind borne seed to West Africabefore being lifted over the Atlantic byHurricane David in 1979 and deposited in theeastern Caribbean where it has thrived. Thehurricane was so severe that it strippedmuch of the vegetation from the mountainsin Dominica.

Another orchid identified by islanders as

A waterfall on the White River in Dominica – sulphurparticles make the water appear white

Stony beaches and big waves characterise the Atlanticcoastline of Caribbean islands


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 233

native to Dominica is Papilionanthe(previously Vanda) Miss Joaquim, a hybridregistered in 1893 and the national flower ofSingapore. It was obviously brought toDominica at some point, escaped fromcultivation, and has now been growing wildon the island long enough for islanders tobelieve it is native.

Bill saw a number of Epidendrum includingEpidendrum angustilobum (previouslylatifolium); Epidendrum difforme which hasgreen/white flowers and Epidendrum ciliare(known locally as the Eyelash Orchid) whichwas common. He also found Bletia purpurea;Laelia (previously Schomburgkia) gloriosa;Oncidium altissimum which has trailingspikes; Ornithidium coccineum (previously

Maxillaria coccinea) which has variableflowers from a fleshy pink to a vivid redcolour; and Ornithidium inflexum (previouslyMaxillaria inflexa).

An endless frustration was being able torecognise orchids from their growth habitbut being unable to identify them as theywere not in flower. Ones which Bill couldidentify included Maxillaria virguncula(previously guadalupensis), the tiny Stelis(previously Pleurothallis) imraei, Trichosalpinxdura and Trichosalpinx memor.

Once again, habitat destruction is a dangerto native orchids. The main host forCaribbean orchids seems to be old citrusbushes and trees which are known locally asWhite Cedar. The latter often has several

Vanda Miss Joaquim (registered 1893) has been growingwild on Dominica for so long islanders consider it anative orchid

Spathoglottis plicata originates from the Philippines butwas carried to the eastern Caribbean by HurricaneDavid in 1979


234 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

different species growing on a single tree.However, White Cedars are highly prized bylocal carpenters for making furniture andwhen they are cut down the orchids living onthem are left on the ground to die. Localschools teach children that orchids areparasites so re-education is required topreserve the local flora. Bill attempted to raisetheir awareness of local orchids by strappingtree fern trunks to a garden fence and thenattaching discarded orchids. Recent reportssay the orchids are doing well and in flower.

In Barbados, en route to Dominica, the firstorchid Bill saw was a large Myrmecophila(previously Schomburgkia) with rock-hardpseudobulbs growing on a tree by his hotel.The interior of Barbados, where much of theland does not lend itself to mechanisedfarming, consists of land which has been

Epidendrum ciliare has a beautifully fringed lip (photoby Henry Oakeley)

Ornithidium coccineum has variable flowers, from a fleshy pink to a vivid red colour


OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 235

exhausted by sugar farming. However, hesaw Laelia (previously Schomburgkia)gloriosa; Camaridium vestitum (previouslyMaxillaria conferta), Epidendrum nocturnum,and Epidendrum ciliare.

Bill visited an orchid ‘farm’ where he foundmore Spathoglottis plicata. The orchid farmhad a wide range of orchids in pots; manyhad lost their labels, were not being fed andwere in need of repotting, but the majorityof them were flowering beautifully.

St Lucia is much more developed thanDominica and has a thriving holiday industryalthough large parts of the island are stillundeveloped. Bill found Epidendrum difformegrowing on the remains of an old British Fortoverlooking the town of Castries, and aspecimen-sized plant of Epidendrum ciliare

growing high up on a Royal Palm tree(Roystonea regia) at the back of a garage.

Other orchids included Ponthieva petiolatagrowing on woodland slopes of one of thetwo volcanic peaks (the Pitons) andPolystachya concreta which has tiny flowersmeasuring only 4mm across. Bill also sawepidendrums in a private garden growingsuccessfully in a medium of large gravel andcoral with very little organic matter.

Ed: Bill Haldane is a long standing member ofOSGB and has been growing orchids for 40years since he lived in Bermuda. He has had anumber of roles within the orchid-growingcommunity including Chairman of DevonOrchid Society. Since moving to Suffolk fouryears ago he has joined both the CambridgeOrchid Society and Suffolk Orchid Society.

An enormous plant of Epidendrum ciliare growing on a Royal Palm tree in St Lucia

The Royal Horticultural SocietyOrchid Committee11 April meeting photos by David Ridgeway

236 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

Full descriptions and illustrations of theplants awarded by the Committee arepublished in The Orchid Review. Subscriptiondetails are available from the RHS, tel: 0207821 3401, e-mail: [email protected] orwebsite: www.rhs.org.uk/orchidreview

The Committee met on 1 April 2014 at theRHS Great London Plant Fair and agreed thefollowing awards:

Award of Merit

Lysudamuloa Le Saut Geoffroy ‘Verde’(Angulocaste Augres x Sudamerlycaste locusta)

Oncidium Cotil de Langlois (registrationpending) ‘Les Buis’ (Victoria Village xBeauvallet)

Oncidium Ville Bree ‘Noirmont Tower’ (BlackDiamond x Grands Vaux)

All three plants raised, registered andexhibited by the Eric Young OrchidFoundation

Certificate of Cultural Commendation

Christopher Ryan, Orchid CollectionManager, RBG Kew for Stelis emarginata‘Kew’, a species from Mexico to Peru

Lysudamuloa Le Saut Geoffreoy ‘Verde’ AM/RHS

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 237

The Royal Horticultural Society Orchid Committee

Stelis emarginata ‘Kew’ CCC/RHS

Oncidium Cotil de Langlois (registration pending) ‘LesBuis’ AM/RHS

Oncidium Ville Bree ‘Noirmont Tower’ AM/RHS


238 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

The Committee met on 11 April 2014 at theRHS London Orchid Show and agreed thefollowing awards:

Award of Merit

Paphiopedilum Liberty Taiwan ‘Kathleen’(micranthum x hangianum) raised andregistered by Taiwan Tristar and exhibited byDavid Trendell

Rhyncholaeliocattleya Golf Green ‘Hairy Pig’(Cattleya Moscombe x Rhyncholaeliadigbyana)registered by J D Liou andexhibited by Chantelle Orchids


Akerne Orchids, Belgium, for a white form ofMasdevallia coccinea ‘Akerne’, a species fromColombia

Burnham Nurseries for Bulbophyllumpurpureorhachis ‘Orchid Paradise’, a speciesfrom the Ivory Coast and west Central Africa

Paphiopedilum Liberty Taiwan ‘Katheen’ AM/RHS

Rhyncholaeliocattleya Golf Green ‘Hairy Pig’ AM/RHS

A white form of Masdevallia coccinea ‘Akerne’ CCC/RHS

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 239


Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis ‘Orchid Paradise’ CCC/RHS

Close-up details of the flower spikes of Bulbophyllum purpureorhachis ‘Orchid Paradise’ CCC/RHS

240 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)


The Committee met on 19 May 2014 at theRHS Chelsea Flower Show and agreed thefollowing awards:

Award of Merit

Gomiltidium Kulnura Calypso ‘Flash Dance’(Miltonidium Tropical Heat Wave x OncidesaKulnura Gold)

Gomiltidium Kulnura Calypso ‘Sarah’(Miltonidium Tropical Heat Wave x OncidesaKulnura Gold)

Oncidesa Kulnura Triumph ‘Barrita Fuss’(Gomesa Kulnura Radiance x OncidesaKulnura Gold)

All three plants raised, registered and exhibitedby S Barrie, Barrita Orchids, Australia

Preliminary Certificate of Commendation

Oncidesa Kulnura Delight ‘Total Impact’(Oncidesa Kulnura Gold x Gomesa Dark Sun)raised, registered and exhibited by S Barrie,Barrita Orchids, AustraliaGomiltidium Kulnura Calypso ‘Flash Dance’ AM/RHS

Gomiltidium Kulnura Calypso ‘Sarah’ AM/RHS

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 241


Oncidesa Kulnura Triumph ‘Barrita Fuss’ AM/RHS

Oncidesa Kulnura Delight ‘Total Impact’ PC/RHS

242 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)



David McLaughlin, RHS Garden Wisley forAnguloa uniflora ‘St Thomas’, a species fromPeru

RHS Westonbirt MedalThe May meeting was preceded by thepresentation of the Westonbirt Medal by Jim Gardiner, RHS Executive Vice President,to Professor Harold Koopowitz.

This medal is awarded for ‘outstandingcontributions to orchids’.

Anguloa uniflora ‘St Thomas’ CCC/RHS

Harold Koopowitz receives the Westonbirt Medal fromJim Gardiner

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AdvertisingAnnouncement

Notice To Advertisers

Advertisements are welcomed. Full page£80, half page £40, quarter page £20. Fliers, size A5 or A4 folded, for insertion

(please supply 1,100 leaflets) £80.Adverts must be prepaid. Discountsavailable for four consecutive issues.

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For all requests and artwork specificationsplease contact Kim Solomon.

Tel: 0208 9464410, email: [email protected]

Society goodsavailable for purchaseGoods are available from the Secretary,Val Micklewright, at meetings or by post.

Badge: £4.00 each, p&p £1.25

Polo shirts in royal blue, red or navy with logo.Unisex sizes, S, M, L and XL: £10.00, p&p £4.50

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Back copies of the Journal are available from theMembership Secretary: £5.00 per volume

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Services to members

250 • OSGBJ 2014, 63(3)

The JournalPublished quarterly

MeetingsMeetings are held on the first Saturday of mostmonths at Napier Hall, 1 Hide Place (off VincentStreet), Westminster, London, SW1P 4NJ. Doors openat 13:30, guest speaker’s lecture at 14:30–15:30followed by refreshments, a raffle draw and a talk onthe table show plants.

A competitive table show takes place at all meetings,except at the plant auction. Plants for judging mustbe in place by 14:00. Non-competitive plants arealways welcome.

Parking is currently free on Saturdays on singleyellow lines (do not park with wheels on thepavement/kerb or alongside dropped kerbs) and inPay & Display bays, but DO NOT PARK in Residents’Parking bays.

Meetings at which members may bring plants to sell(with 10% to the Society, please) are marked with anasterisk (*) in the meetings diary on the Services tomembers page of the Journal, or online atwww.osgb.org.uk

20142 Aug 09:30 Beginners’ seminar – new members

only, book in advance13:30 Doors open 14:30 Malcolm Perry – Coelogynes

6 Sep* 13:30 Doors open14:30 Saul Walker – Tropical terrestrials

4 Oct* 13:30 Doors open14:30 Johan Hermans – Recent travels

around the orchid world

1 Nov 10:30 OSGB Autumn Show in conjunction with Wraysbury Orchid Event

6 Dec* 12:30 Christmas lunch, places must be booked in advance

20153 Jan* 13:30 Doors open

14:30 Auction by Henry OakeleyMembers may bring four plants each to be auctioned or six plants per family membership

Cultural AdviceMembers are encouraged to bring problem plants tomonthly meetings if they would like cultural adviceand guidance. Cultural advice is also available bypost from Val Micklewright, 103 North Road, ThreeBridges, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1SQ (pleaseenclose an SAE for reply) or e-mail:[email protected]

Website www.osgb.org.uk

The website has been designed by Marcel Kral ofSmallfish Designs. The Society’s website manager,Sam Hurley, will be pleased to receive material forthe website, e-mail: [email protected]

LibraryBooks are available by post from the Librarian, SamHurley, or can be collected at the monthly meetings,or from OSGB shows if requested in advance. Theymay be borrowed for up to four weeks. The borroweris asked to pay the outward and return postage. Afull list of books may be found on our website orobtained from the Librarian, e-mail:[email protected]

DisplaysMembers are invited to bring their plants tocontribute to official displays by the Society at thoseshows shown in bold in the Show Diary, but pleaseliaise beforehand with Displays Manager, JeanetteBeaney, e-mail: [email protected]

All articles and photographs in the Journal are thecopyright of the OSGB and the authors, and may not bereproduced in any form without written permission.

Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the authorsand they, together with services and products offered byadvertisers, are not necessarily endorsed by the Society.

The Journal is produced quarterly and is available tomembers by subscription only. The annual subscription is£16.00 with £4.00 extra for each additional family member atthe same address. There is an overseas members’ postagesupplement of £5.00 for Europe and Russia, and £6.00 for therest of the world. Young person membership (under 21), UKonly, is £12.00. Back copies of the Journal are available (fourissues per year): £5.00 + p&p UK £5.65, Europe £7.00,overseas £11.00.

All subscriptions are due on 1 January unless new membershave a special arrangement to cover 18 months.

Membership application forms, standing order forms, GiftAid forms and back issues of the Journal may be obtainedfrom the Membership Secretary, e-mail: [email protected]

OSGB Show Diaryincluding Affiliated Societies and International Shows

OSGBJ 2014, 63(3) • 251

2014September6–7 Orchid Study Group 7th Orchid Festival,

National Botanic Garden of Wales,Carmarthenshire SA32 8HG, Saturday 10:00–18:00 and Sunday 10:00–16:00 Contact: Lynne Harrendence, tel: 01269 269847,e-mail: [email protected]

7 Durham Orchid Show, Josephine ButlerCollege, Durham University, Durham, 10:30–16:00Contact: Chris Barker, tel: 01642 654748, e-mail: [email protected]

10–14 21st World Orchid Conference, SandtonConvention Centre, Johannesburg, South AfricaWebsite: www.woc21.org

27 Bournemouth OS Autumn Show, AllendaleCommunity Centre, Hanham Road, Wimborne,Dorset, BH21 1AS, admission £3.00, 12:00–16:30Contact: Chris Broomfield, tel: 07712 479056,e-mail: [email protected],website: www.erythos.com/BOS/

October12 Croydon & District OG Open Autumn Show,

Diamond Riding Centre, WoodmansterneRoad, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 4DT, 11.00–16.00Contact: Derek Belcher, tel: 020 8715 3635

12 Orchid Society of East Anglia Autumn Show,Eaton Parish Hall, Colman Road, Norwich, NR4 7AW, admission £2, 10:00–16:00Contact: Jack Butcher, tel: 01603 466535, e-mail: [email protected]

17–19 Devon OS Orchid Weekend, Langstone CliffHotel, Dawlish Warren, Devon, EX7 0NAContact: Sue Lane, tel: 01884 32430, e-mail: [email protected] Nicola Wakley, tel: 01404 850354, e-mail: [email protected], website: www.devon.ukos.com

26 South East OS Autumn Open Show, Ashford Rail Staff Hall, Beaver Road, Ashford,Kent, TN23 7RR, 13:00–16:00Contact: Karina Sellers, tel: 01233 720238, e-mail: [email protected], website: www.seos.care4free.net/

November 1 OSGB Open Autumn Show, Wraysbury

Village Hall, The Green, Wraysbury, Staines, TW19 5NA in conjunction with theWraysbury Orchid Event, 10:30–16:30Contact: Francis Quesada-Pallarés,tel: 07951 070637, e-mail:[email protected]

2015February14 North Bucks OS Annual Show, Flitwick Village

Hall, Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1HP, 11:00–16:00Contact: Bill Dickins, tel: 01933 355406

March29 South East OS Spring Open Show,

Ashford Rail Staff Hall, Beaver Road, Ashford,Kent, TN23 7RR, 13:00–16:00Contact: Karina Sellers, tel: 01233 720238, e-mail: [email protected], website: www.seos.care4free.net/

April4 Solihull & District OS 50th Anniversary Show,

Arden School, Station Road, Knowle, B93 0PT,11:00–16:00, admission £2.00Contact: Martin Ball, tel: 01564 822897,e-mail: [email protected], website: www.solihullorchidsociety.org

5 West Cornwall OS Spring Show, CamborneCommunity Centre, South Terrace, Camborne,Cornwall, TR14 8SU, 11:00–16:00Contact: Kit Lindsay, tel: 01209 717947, e-mail: [email protected]

8–12 17th European Orchid Show and ConferenceLondon 2015, RHS Halls and RBG Kew,website: www.eoclondon2015.org.uk

May19-23 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, website:

www.rhs.org.uk

Further diary dates can be found via the OSGBwebsite: www.osgb.org.uk and the British OrchidCouncil website: www.british-orchid-council.info/

Documents

Orchid J Soocietyu of Grrenat Braitailn - 63)3_web.pdf · 2016-02-16 · £5. 0f o r n- m eb s) adi c lu g of ine.T b kpl a sctFr Quesada-Pallarés, tel: 07951 070637, e-mail: [email protected]