Atlanta Orchid Society Newsletter

The Atlanta Orchid Society Bulletin

Affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the Orchid Digest Corporation and the Mid-America Orchid Congress 2001 Recipient of the American Orchid Society’s Distinguished Affiliated Societies Service Award Newsletter Editor: Danny Lentz Society Librarian: Elaine Jacobson

Volume 45: Number 10 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

OCTOBER EVENTS

The Meeting: 8:00 PM Monday, October 11 at Atlanta Botanical Garden - Day Hall Speaker: Mr. Howard Gunn

The speaker at AtOS's October meeting will be Howard Gunn from California who will talk about Bulbophyllums. Howard has been growing orchids since 1965 in separate intermediate and warm greenhouses. Howard grows over 350 Bulbophyllums along with Paphs, Phrags, and other orchids and has 29 AOS awards. Howard has traveled in Australia, Mexico, and Ecuador, which has added to his knowledge of growing orchids from seeing them in situ.

Greengrowers: Peach State Orchids, 920 Homer Rd., Woodstock, GA 30188 Saturday October 2 from 9:00 to 2:00 Bill will have special sale prices for Greengrowers, 25-50% off plants that are not in bud. Come out and visit the largest orchid nursery in our area. Peach State has many thousands of orchids available from a large number of genera. You can get directions from the Peach State website at www.peachstateorchids.com/contact.htm, or call Bill at (770) 751-8770.

Inside This Issue

Atlanta Orchid Society 2004 Officers…………………………………………..….…………… Page 2 Collector’s Item……Pescatorea lehmannii Reichb. f. …..…Ron McHatton…...…….……... . Page 2 Events Out and About………………Dates for your Calendar…………...……….…….……… Page 3 Minutes of the September Meeting …..……..….…….…...……….………….…………….… Page 3 The September Exhibition Table (with notes by Ron McHatton)……….…………………..... Page 4 Dillon/Peterson Essay Competition……………………………………………………………. Page 6 AtOS and SMOS Fall Show….David Mellard….……………………………………………… Page 7 Notes from Ervin Granier’s Presentation………Danny Lentz and David Mellard……………. Page 9 A Note on Using the Current Orchid Name…..David Mellard and Ron McHatton………….. Page 10 Finding Orchid Hybrid Information on the RHS Web Site…Danny Lentz……………...……. Page 13 A Note on Oncidium Alliance Name Changes…….Helga Gray…………………….………… Page 15 Third Quarter Ribbon Judging Results……..Rob Rinn………………………………………… Page 15

All contents © Atlanta Orchid Society unless otherwise noted.

Page 2 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

THE ATLANTA ORCHID SOCIETY COLLECTOR’S ITEM Pescatorea lehmannii Reichb. f. Officers Pes-ka-TORE-ee-ah lay-MAN-ee-eye

President Tribe: Cymbidieae Evan Dessasau, III Subtribe: Stanhopeinae 2431 Elkhorn Drive Decatur, GA 30034 Etymology: In honor of M. Pescatore, French patron of the 404-241-4819 orchids

Vice-President/Programs David Mellard The genus Pescatorea currently comprises some 16 3409 Regalwoods Drive species distributed from Costa Rica through Ecuador. Plants Doraville, GA 30340 are without pseudobulbs, consisting of fan-like growths of 770-270-5758 thin, folded leaves. Inflorescences are one-flowered and Secretary produced from within the leaf axils. The lip callus is large, Sandy Phillips fleshy, either ribbed or glandular and extends beyond the sides 870 Virginia Circle NE of the narrow column. Atlanta, GA 30306 404-874-1417 All species in the genus are epiphytes in very wet forests and require abundant water throughout the year. Treasurer Depending on the species, they are found at elevations from Scott Smith 481 W. Ontario Ave. 100 meters to 1000 meters (330 – 3300 feet) and respond well Atlanta, GA 30310 to intermediate conditions. Their thin leaves dictate 404-752-6432 moderately shady conditions to avoid sunburning of the

Immediate Past President foliage and sufficient airmovement and humidity to avoid Linda Miller fungal and bacterial leaf spotting. 135 Pheasant Drive Pescatorea lehmannii grows in southwestern Colombia Marietta, GA 30067 770-953-2853 and northwestern Ecuador. Flowers are typically about 5cm (2”) across although those of selected clones can reach 8cm Directors (3”). The extent of purple blotching on the sepals and petals

Term Expiring 2004 can vary form a simple apical blotch to nearly covering the Frank Decaminada entire flower as shown in the photo below. (770) 992-8309 Andrew Dott 404-256-7858

Term Expiring 2005 Mark Reinke 404-622-4872 Jeff Whitfield 706-675-3583

Term Expiring 2006 Richard Ackerman 770-978-6109 Fred Missbach 404-237-1694

Photo courtesy of Andy’s Orchids

Page 3 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

Events Out and About MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER MEETING

• The meeting was called to order by President Evan Dessasau III. October The minutes were approved as written. Saturday, 10/2. Greengrowers at • David Mellard reminded everyone to send in your proxy for Peachstate Orchids. Bill will have American Orchid Society officer elections. Seemingly, your only special prices, see page 1. choices are to vote for the suggested officers, withhold your vote or not return the proxy. David mentioned a fourth option to vote for Howard Saturday, 10/9. American Orchid Bronstein for President and Sue Eloe for Executive Vice President, Society monthly judging, Atlanta which requires a form, found at the following web site. Center, 2 pm, ABG basement (http://www.aosmembers.org/pages/1/index.htm). Time is of the workshop. If entering plants, please essence. arrive before 1:30 pm to allow time for • Our participation in the Atlanta Orchid Show is appreciated research and paperwork. beginning on Thursday, November 11 with show set up through the show breakdown on November 14. We are important to the success of Monday, 10/11. AtOS Monthly the show, even if we can only participate for a few hours. • Paul Turner and Roy Harrow will be organizing the Atlanta Orchid Meeting at ABG. Howard Gunn will Society exhibit for the show. be speaking on Bulbophyllums. • Volunteers are needed for clerks (administrative/runners/ribbon

placement) Friday morning and afternoon for AOS judging. Even if you Wednesday, 10/6 to Sunday, 10/10. have no experience, it takes only five minutes to learn the job. American Orchid Society members • David hopes to convince Good Morning Atlanta to introduce and meeting in Denver, Colorado. Pre- cover the orchid show to encourage public participation. Here is a star registration is recommended. For quality volunteer opportunity. more information, visit the DOS • Reba Herzfeld and Terri Hansen are co-chairs for Hospitality. This website at year the Atlanta Orchid Society members will be providing the catering, http://denverorchidsociety.org/society_ instead of hiring caterers. A structured sign up sheet, with food events.html categories, is available. You will be reimbursed reasonable costs for your food contribution. AtlOS will furnish honey-baked hams and Monday, 10/11. Atlanta Orchid turkeys. Breakfast and lunch will be provided (cold food only). We will Society monthly meeting, ABG, Day be feeding 30-50 people per day. Hall, 8 p.m. Howard Gunn will talk • In the past, there have been few participants in the Art Exhibit, featuring orchids in use; for example, corsages and floral arrangements. about Bulbophyllums. Help requested to encourage participation. • An email will be sent requesting sponsors for trophies for the show. November • Roy Harrow thanked everyone for their participation in the orchid Monday, 11/8. Atlanta Orchid Society auction at his home last month. $125 was raised for the orchid society monthly meeting, ABG, Day Hall, 8 and a good time was had by all. p.m. The topic and speaker are to be • The Decatur Garden Club would like a speaker on orchids. determined. • The Atlanta Botanical Garden seeks volunteers who can answer questions about orchids in the conservatory. Friday to Sunday, 11/12 to 11/14. • Greengrowers at Peachtree State Orchids in Woodstock will be held Atlanta and South Metro Orchid the weekend of September 18th and also on October 2nd. In October, Societies Fall Show and Sale, ABG, discounts of up to 50% will be given on those orchids not in bud. Day Hall. Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. • Mr. Ervin Granier from St. Gabriel, La. (near Baton Rouge) was our to 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. See guest speaker. He is well known for growing blue Cattleyas and article and schedule of events in this specimen plants. To date, he has received 107 AOS Awards. He gave newsletter for more details. Contact: an interesting slide presentation followed by his unique cultural David Mellard, Show Chair. methods, and treatments for pests and fungus. You can find his web site at http://home.att.net/~egranier/

• Thanks to Liz Wyman and Charlotte Gladner and others for Saturday, 11/13. American Orchid providing refreshments. Thanks to all who brought in plants, filling two Society monthly judging, Atlanta tables, for the raffle. Center, 2 pm, ABG basement workshop. If entering plants, please There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. arrive before 1:30 pm to allow time for Respectfully submitted, Sandy Phillips research and paperwork.

Page 4 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

SEPTEMBER 2004 EXHIBITION TABLE AWARDS with notes by Ron McHatton

CLASS 1: CATTLEYA ALLIANCE Blue Lc. (Sunset Flare x S. J. Bracey) Lyda Red Ctna. Capri ‘Lea’ AM/AOS Collier/Reinke Red Laelia crispa Rinn White Cattleya Fort Motte ‘Leopard’ Collier/Reinke White Cattleya labiata Collier/Reinke

(Blue) Lc. (Sunset Flare x S. J. Bracey) : Laeliocattleya S. J. Bracey is one of those wonderful old breeders that shows up in an amazing list of modern hybrids. It’s Lc. (Sunset Flare x S. J. Bracey) influence is the source of the incredible deep color of things like Blc. Owen Holmes and Blc. Oconee. In general it imparts very strong inflorescences with up to four flowers. In addition it is fragrant and imparts its fragrance to its progeny. When bred to purple Cattleyas, the result is an intensification of purple color. When bred to yellows, the result is very often iridescent copper like that of Lc. Lee Langford ‘Copper Queen’, orange or other metallic colors.

CLASS 2: CYMBIDIUM Blue Cym. kanran Mellard/Marino Red Grammatophyllum scriptum Rinn White Grammatophyllum scriptum var. citrinum ‘Hihimanu’ Rinn

(Blue) Cymbidium kanran : This Asian species belongs to the subgenus Jensoa, a group of closely related species including Cym. ensifolium, cyperfolium, sinense, munronianum and kanran. Cymbidium kanran is distributed from South China to Hong Kong and Taiwan, north through the Ryukyu Island, South Japan and into South Korea. It’s habitat is open hardwood forests with moderate shade. The species occurs in a wide range of colors with at least six color Cym. kanran variants recognized in Japan. The species is best distinguished from its relatives by its long, narrow, acuminate leaves, long floral bracts (nearly as long as the pedicel and ovary in the lowest flowers becoming shorter on the upper flowers) and its long, finely tapering sepals clearly visible in this photograph.

CLASS 3: DENDROBIUM Blue Den. rennellii Dampog

(Blue) Dendrobium sp. : This was entered under the name Dendrobium rennellii. Unfortunately this must be incorrect. Dendrobium rennellii is an exceptionally rare species endemic to Rennell Island (the southernmost of the Solomon Islands). This species is pale lavender with narrow sepals and petals and a rather pointed trowel-shaped lip. The lip is generally pale lavender covered with much darker violet venation. The plant in the photograph is most likely a semi-antelope type complex Dendrobium hybrid. Den. rennellii

CLASS 4: EPIDENDRUM Blue Epi. floribundum Collier/Reinke Red Epi. diffusum Hallberg White Epi. ilense Collier/Reinke White Enc. phoenicia Hartong

(Blue) Epidendrum densiflorum : This plant was entered as Epidendrum floribundum. A search of the Kew database indicates this name is a synonym for Epidendrum densiflorum. Whatever species this turns out to be its spectacular. It is not a synonym for Epi. paniculatum although some references show it as such. The flowers of Epi. paniculatum are structurally quite Epi. floribundum different. The sepals and petals are green as in this species but beyond those simple comparisons the flowers are entirely different. It would be interesting to have this formally identified. Page 5 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

CLASS 5: ONCIDIUM ALLIANCE Blue Miltonia clowesii Hallberg Red Onc. forbesii Hartong White Odontioda Fu-Shing Rinn

(Blue) Miltonia clowesii : This true Miltonia is a native of southeastern Brazil at low to moderate altitudes. This species epitomizes the genus Miltonia and there cultural requirements. The plants thrive in warm, very bright conditions and are best grown on mounts to accommodate their tendency to produce new growth in a clambering fashion. If potted, they will continue to produce new growths an inch or more above the previous one and, in effect, climb out of the pot rather Miltonia clowesii rapidly. When well grown, the inflorescence can reach more than 2 feet and carry upwards of ten relatively large flowers. The flower pictured appears to be an excellently marked dark clone.

CLASS 6: CYPRIPEDIUM ALLIANCE Blue Paph. Thomas Fourman Mellard/Marino Red Phrag. Cape Bonanza Smith/Malaguerra White Paph. Primechild Smith/Malaguerra

(Blue) Paph. Thomas Fourman : This plant was entered as the unregistered grex Paph. (liemianum x malipoense). Krauss registered this cross in 2000. You can clearly see the influence of both parents in the large bulbous pouch, narrow petals and the large green dorsal sepal. When mature, this cross should produce 3 or 4 flowers, more or less sequentially, on the inflorescence.

(Red) Phragmipedium Katahdin Sunset (Cape Bonanza) : This is one of those rare

Paph. Thomas Fourman situations where the same cross is registered under two names. The first name, registered in 1999 by Michael Tibbs, is Cape Bonanza. Phrag. Katahdin Sunset was registered in 2000. Under normal circumstances, the older name should have priority and this plant should probably be called Phrag. Cape Bonanza. CLASS 7: PHALAENOPSIS ALLIANCE Blue Phal. Brother Chasqui ‘Green Man’s Primrose’ AM/AOS Lyda Red Phal. micholitzii Gilmore White Phal. (Doritis) pulcherrima Dufano

(Blue) Phal. Brother Chasqui ‘Green Man’s Primrose’, AM/AOS : This is a spectacular flower. The cross is Phal. (Taisuco Kochdian x Brother Oxford). Taisuco Kochdian is a large, standard white cross and Brother Oxford is a complex hybrid involving Phal. lueddemanniana, P. fasciata, P. venosa, P. amboinensis, and several white species. Phal. Brother Oxford flowers Phal. Brother Chasqui are an unusual chartreuse, with small amounts of red dotting at the base of the sepals and petals. ‘Green Man’s Primrose’ This base color is the result of yellow blocking by Phal. lueddemanniana. When crossed to a large complex yellow, the result is an essentially white flower. The substance and texture of this cross are remarkable. (White) Phal. Pulcherrima : While it may be hard to do, we should all probably be getting in the habit of calling what used to be Doritis as Phalaenopsis. This nomenclatural change is well supported morphologically as well as molecularly and it’s now accepted by virtually all taxonomists.

CLASS 8: VANDACEOUS ALLIANCE Blue Neostylis Lou Sneary ‘Pinky’ AM/AOS Collier/Reinke Red Vanda Pattaya Delight Smith/Malaguerra White Rhynchostylis coelestis var. pink Gilmore

(Red) Vanda Pattaya Delight : I have been unable to find this cross listed in either Wildcat or the RHS database. There are several other crosses using the name Pattaya but not Pattaya Delight. We see this problem all the time in hybrid Phalaenopsis. Many, many plants appear on Neostylis Lou Sneary the market as registered crosses but it turns out that the cross was never registered. Unless the ‘Pinky’ AM/AOS parents of the cross are known it may never be possible to determine the correct name. Page 6 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

CLASS 9: MISCELLANEOUS OTHER GENERA Blue Stanhopea Penelope Walkosky Red Paphinia herrerae Rinn White Bulbophyllum kolopakingii ‘Shan’ Dampog

(White) Bulbophyllum kolopakingii : I checked the Kew database for this species and this name is not listed in either the primary species list or the list of synonyms. Rather often these names get attached to species that a taxonomist intends to publish but as yet hasn’t. Until a name is validly published it technically should not be used. At the present time, I believe Dr. Leslie Garay has created some 150+ unpublished names in this genus alone.

Stanhopea Penelope

2004 Dillon/Peterson Essay Prize Competition

The theme for the 2004 Gordon W. Dillon/Richard C. Peterson Memorial Essay Competition is "My

Favorite Orchids." Authors should write about a genus or group of orchids they are particularly interested in, explaining their fascination, the plant's cultural needs and the types they grow. The winning entry (if any ) will be published in the May 2005 issue of Orchids. Color slides or black-and- white prints as well as line drawings or tables that enhance the essay are not necessary for prize consideration.

Deadline - All entries must be received at AOS headquarters in Delray Beach, Florida by Friday, November 30, 2004. Submit all entries to Dillon/ Peterson Memorial Essay Contest, AOS, 16700 AOS Lane, Delray Beach, FL 33446-4351, or electronically to [email protected] (documents must be saved in Word for Windows [.doc] or sent as a rich text format file [.rtf]). Images must be sent as 35mm

slides or color or black-and-white prints, not electronically. Please include mailing and email addresses, and a telephone number.

For contest rules or questions contact Jane Mengel, 16700 AOS Lane, Delray Beach, FL 33446-3451 (phone 561-404-2043; fax 561-404-2045; email [email protected]).

JOIN THE AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY JOIN THE ORCHID DIGEST CORPORATION For $46.50/year, you reap the following benefits:

Don’t let the name fool you, the Orchid Digest is a • 12 issues of Orchids, the Society’s monthly full color non-profit membership-b ased organization dedicated magazine chock full of insightful articles and tempting to orchids. Designed to appeal to the mid-range to ads for plants and supplies.

advanced grower nothing beats the Orchid Digest. • 10% off on purchases from the Society’s Bookstore For just $32/year you get 4 issues of full-color, in- and Orchid Emporium. Reduced or free admission to depth articles about orchids. The magazine is large participating botanical gardens. format and the fourth issue of the year is always an extra-special issue devoted to a single genus. For a limited time, if you join for two years ($84) you will also get a $30 gift certificate (good on an order of $100 or For membership application forms contact Fred more) at any one of 13 commercial growers who advertise Missbach. in Orchids. JOIN TODAY. For information, contact Evan Dessasau. Page 7 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

The Atlanta and South Metro Orchid Societies Fall Show and Sale November 12 and 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. November 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Day Hall

Hi Atlanta Orchid Society Members,

Most of you have heard by now about our orchid show in November at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I thought I would put a few things about the show in the newsletter in case you’ve missed something at our meetings. The most important thing is that we make the show a society event and that the show is fun.

■ Your society needs your help in putting on the show. If you find yourself at the show with nothing to do, please see one of the show committee members (David Mellard, Jeff Whitfield, Ben Lyda, Mikie Emerson, and Evan Dessassau) to see if something needs to be done. We can use your help almost every day.

■ Set up for the show is Thursday, November 11, starting at 9 a.m. By afternoon, everything is in full swing with societies and vendors putting in their exhibits and vendors setting up their sales tables. This is often the best time to put some orchids aside and pay the vendors later once they’ve finished setting up. Quite often you can just put your name on an orchid and talk to the vendor later when things are less hectic. Please be mindful that on Thursday vendors are putting in exhibits and setting up their sales tables. Vendors often can use some help in bringing in their plants.

■ If you are entering orchids in the Atlanta exhibit, please try to bring them by 4 p.m. on Thursday. There is an entry process for orchids, which you need to follow. If you are not familiar with entering an orchid, other society members will be around to help you.

■ There are quite a few things that you can do on Thursday. They include: → help with AtOS’s exhibit, → help with hospitality, → help register orchids, → help vendors bring in orchids, and → run errands.

■ On Friday, November 12, ribbon judging starts at 9 a.m. If you’re a clerk, please be at Day Hall by 8:30 a.m. The society will need your help at 1 p.m. to take orchids from the exhibits to the basement classroom for those orchids that will be judged by AOS standards.

■ If you find yourself at the show on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday with nothing to do, please help out at the societies’ table. You can talk to newcomers about the American Orchid Society, Orchid Digest, and the Atlanta Orchid Society, give out orchids to new AOS members, talk about orchids, and more.

■ Please remember to sign for specific items that are needed for hospitality. A sign-up sheet is available at the meetings, you can call Reba Herzfeld (770-394-3731) or Terri Hansen (706-384-4592).

■ If you bring a hot dish, please bring it ready to serve or use the kitchen facilities to warm it up. Please note that you will be responsible for warming the dish you bring. The society will provide a ham and turkey.

■ Show breakdown starts on Sunday, November 14 at 4 p.m. The room is clean in about 2 hours. Please help out since clean up goes faster with a lot of people helping.

And one last thing, just know that the show committee appreciates your help at the show. Page 8 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

AtOS & SMOS Fall Show Schedule Show Vendors Atlanta Botanical Garden, Day Hall Andy’s Orchids Wednesday -- November 10, 2004 734 Ocean View Avenue Room Preparation 7 p.m. Encinitas, CA 760-436-4239 Thursday -- November 11, 2004 www.andysorchids.com Setup for exhibits and vendors 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Hospitality room opens Noon - 7 p.m. Carolina Orchids 3637 Pleasant Road Orchid registration 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. Fort Mill, SC 29708 Friday -- November 12, 2004 803-548-1682 Hospitality room opens for vendors and show workers 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. www.carolinaorch.com

Judges’ briefing and clerk assignments 8:30 a.m. Elmore Orchids Ribbon judging in Exhibition Hall 9 a.m. - Noon 325 Elmore Lane Luncheon setup (ABG, basement workshop) 10 a.m. - Noon Knoxville, TN 37922 Judges’/clerks’ luncheon (ABG, basement workshop) Noon - 1 p.m. 865-966-5294 AOS judging (ABG, basement workshop) 1:00 p.m. www.elmoreorchids.com

Sales area in Day Hall open to public 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Hoosier Orchids Orchid exhibits open to public Noon - 5 p.m. 8440 W. 82nd Street

Saturday -- November 13, 2004 Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-291-6269 Show and sales open to public 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. www.hoosierorchid.com Hospitality room open for vendors and show workers 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monthly AOS judging (ABG, basement classroom) 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. J & L Orchid (Note: Plants entered in the show are not eligible for 20 Sherwood Road Saturday’s AOS judging unless they were marked Easton, CT 06612 “Not for AOS judging” during ribbon judging on November 12) 203-261-3772 www.jlorchids.com Sunday -- November 14, 2004 Show and sales open to public 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Marriott Orchids Hospitality room opens for vendors and show workers 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 1039 Fairweather Drive Judges’ training (ABG, basement workshop) 8 a.m. - Noon Kernersville, NC 27284 Show Breakdown 4 p.m. 336-655-5883 www.marriottorchids.com

Show Vendors Show Vendors Show Vendors

Nature Glassworks Orchid Inn, Ltd. Woodland Orchids P.O. Box 998 19785 Wesley Street 1816 Hart Road Alpharetta, GA 30004 Downs, IL 61736 Charlotte, NC 28214 770-442-8190 309-378-2531 704-394-6530 www.natureglass.com www.orchidinnusa.com www.woodlandorchids.com

Oak Hill Gardens Peach State Orchids Silk Synergy 37 W 550 Binnie Road 920 Homer Rd Julie Jennings Dindee, IL Woodstock, GA 30188 678-475-1617 home 847-428-8500 770-571-8770 768-575-1178 cell (after 3:30) www.oakhillgardens.com www.peachstateorchids.com www.silksynergy.com Page 9 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

Notes from Ervin Granier’s presentation Danny Lentz and David Mellard

At September's meeting, Ervin Granier gave a side and bottom of the pot. When repotting a wonderfully informative talk on growing Cattleya Cattleya, he would go up a couple sizes, such as and Dendrobium. After proving to us that he knew moving a plant from a 4” pot to a 7” pot. how to grow these species by showing slides of his numerous cultural awards from AOS, Ervin talked Watering is done once a week in summer (maybe about how he grows specimen plants of Cattleya every 6 days if really hot), every 2-3 weeks when it and Dendrobium. Ervin pointed out that we should gets cool in winter. The potting medium is allowed remember that whenever someone gives advice for to get very dry between waterings. No misting is how to grow orchids, their advice pertains to their done. growing conditions. If you use his advice, you Fertilizing is done with every watering. The might need to make some changes because your fertilizer is whatever 20-20-20 with micronutrients growing conditions are different. The advice given formula he has on hand. No fancy orchid here is only meant for Cattleya, Dendrobium, and fertilizers. A little phosphoric acid (not Epidendrum/Encyclia types. hydrochloric or sulfuric acid) is added to the Ervin uses a potting mix of 2 parts charcoal, 2 parts fertilizer solution to keep the pH around 5.5-6. sponge rock, and a little less than 1 part peat. He Fertilizer is given with every watering. Before doesn’t use more than 3-4 inches of the mix in a flowering a higher nitrogen fertilizer is applied, and pot, filling in the bottom of the pot with styrofoam the plants are given lots of light. The peanuts. Keeping the depth of the potting mix at micronutrients in the fertilizer seem to help give this level allows the center of the pot to dry out, better color in the blue Cattleyas. Ervin uses 1 reducing the chances of getting root rot. This mix pound of 20-20-20 to 30 gallons of water. (Note: doesn’t break down (most of the peat eventually this works out to 800 ppm Nitrogen.) washes out of the pot) so if the plant is in a large The greenhouse has about 4000 foot candles during enough container it does not require repotting every the brightest part of the day. Temperatures in the couple years like bark mixes do. The old mix also greenhouse get up around 95-100 degrees in does not need to be removed from the roots when summer, and the winter minimum is 55 degrees. repotting. Just put the intact root ball in another pot and fill in around it with new mix. This minimizes Some of the pesticides used are Duraguard, disturbance to the roots when repotting. Diazinon, and Orthene. For thrips it may be possible to mist the growing area with a blue can of Ervin thinks the conventional wisdom that all Raid. For botrytis control in winter the greenhouse Dendrobiums need a tight pot is not necessarily is fumigated periodically with Exotherm. Subdue is true. His CCM winning Dendrobium plants are in used when necessary for rot. large pots. If you want to see some of Ervin’s plants, try this For his larger plants Ervin uses clay pots such as website: http://home.att.net/~egranier/ 12” bulb pans. He uses a saw with a masonry blade to put slots in the pot so that they open up both the

Here are a couple of plants I’ve recently bloomed. On the left is Laelia rubescens. It has very attractive flowers that only last about a week. On the right is Masdevallia infracta which has many color forms, this clone is fairly pale. -Danny Lentz Page 10 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

A Note on Using the Current Orchid Name David Mellard and Ron McHatton

Introduction Thus Oncidium leucochilum is one species in the When writing the notes for the monthly exhibition large tropical American genus Oncidium, other table, have you ever wondered how Ron McHatton species being O. baueri, O. forbesii, O. gardneri, always knows the latest orchid names? A lot of it for example. Readers will note the convention that comes from his in-depth knowledge of orchids when a generic name is repeated in a list it is while the remainder comes from searching Kew’s abbreviated to the initial capital letter followed by a monocot checklist for orchids….and other sources. full stop. All specific epithets start with a lower Kew’s orchid checklist is an inventory of 25,000 case letter. Specific epithets normally agree in taxonomically validated orchid names and 45,000 gender with the genus to which they are attached. synonyms along with associated bibliographic The common endings are –a, -is (feminine), -us, -is details. Authorities, places of publication, and (masculine) and -um, -e (neuter). The endings of distributions are also included. specific epithets based on names follow a different set of rules. The exact number of orchids is still the subject of considerable debate. New orchids are being The scientific name is often followed by one or described at a regular rate that exceeds 150 species more personal names, often abbreviated. These a year, a rate that has not changed much over the represent the botanist or botanists (often referred to past century. Although worldwide in distribution, as authors) who first described the species as new to orchids are predominantly found in the tropics and science or later changed the plant’s classification. subtropics. The richest areas are in the mountains of Thus, in the cases given above, Batemann (actually the tropical Americas and Southeast Asia. The translated to Latin by Lindley) described O. number of orchid species may eventually reach cavendishianum and Robert Rolfe described P. 30,000 or more as the floras of these regions gratrixianum. Often the first author name is in become better known. brackets followed by a second author name, e.g. Paphiopedilum rothschildianum (Rchb.f.) Stein. In The accepted classification of orchids is currently in this case H. G. Reichenbach’s son (the f. is an a state of flux as new evidence, mainly from DNA abbreviation for filius, a Latin word meaning “son”) studies, is incorporated into an increasing data set described this species in 1888 as Cypripedium that forms the basis of assessments of generic and rothschildianum but the German botanist B. Stein higher affinities. Kew anticipates that this list will transferred it to its currently recognized genus in evolve rapidly over the next few years as new 1892. evidence is incorporated into orchid classifications. To be accepted a scientific name must be described The Names of Orchids in a prescribed way, today with at least a diagnosis Orchid names are subject to the rules of or description in Latin and a type specimen cited. nomenclature as laid out in The International Code The type is usually a herbarium specimen deposited of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) (2000). It is in a herbarium. To be validly published the name updated every five years following an International must also be published in a distributed journal, Botanical Congress. The names of species are book or other printed publication. Electronic bipartite e.g. Oncidium leucochilum and publication of names is not acceptable. Names of Paphiopedilum gratrixianum. Scientific names are botanical subspecies, varieties and forms are also in Latin form even when derived from another controlled by the ICBN. Such names must be language such as Greek or English. Conventionally published in the same way as species names and be the scientific name is italicized in print or supported, or vouchered, by a type specimen also underlined when written. The first part of the deposited in a herbarium. scientific name is the generic name, in the cases above Oncidium and Paphiopedilum respectively. Hybrids can be either naturally occurring or All generic names start with a capital letter. The artificially bred. Their names are controlled by two second part is the specific adjective or epithet, codes - the International Code of Botanical which identifies one particular species in the genus. Nomenclature and the International Code of

(continued on next page) Page 11 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (1995). Generic naturally occurring plants of Stanhopea (ecornuta x names are controlled by the ICBN. Hybrids can be oculata) are named S. x lewisae while those of the named using hybrid formulae, which comprise the artificial cross are S. Penelope. scientific names of the parents combined by a multiplication sign, e.g. Cattleya (forbesii x You will notice that grex names are fancy names loddigesii) and Dendrobium (stratiotes x written in roman script, not in italics. Cultivar antennatum). Natural hybrids can be given their names are also used for orchids and distinguish a own specific epithet, e.g. Paphiopedilum x unique individual. These individual plants are often siamense is the natural cross of P. callosum x P. awarded clones, but it also a good practice to assign appletonianum. Generic names used for hybrids are cultivar names to plants of which you share the same as those of the genus of the parent. divisions. This makes it possible to trace divisions However, intergeneric hybrids are known in nature back to an original seedling. The cultivar name is and are common when orchids are artificially also a fancy name written in roman script but is crossed. When two genera are involved in a cross enclosed within single quotes. Thus, Vuylsteakeara the hybrid genus name is formed from a Cambria ‘Plush’ is a cultivar of a hybrid of which combination of the two parental generic names, e.g. the genus is Vuylsteakara (Miltonia x Cattleya crossed with Laelia gives xLaeliocattleya Odontoglossum x Cochlioda), the grex epithet is and Doritis crossed with Phalaenopsis gives Cambria and the cultivar epithet is ‘Plush’. xDoritaenopsis. Trigeneric hybrids are given a similar name as long as the combination can be Verifying the Correct Name pronounced. For example, the combination of Currently, text files of orchid nomenclature are Cattleya, Laelia, and Brassavola is available at the following Kew website: xBrassolaeliocattleya. When such combination http://www.kew.org/data/monocots/. This page would be difficult to pronounce or more than three allows you to search the databases for a specific genera are involved, the combination is given a orchid. The three pdf files that Kew maintains for name that combines a personal surname with the orchids can be found at this website: ending –ara. Thus, Rolfeara is Sophronitis x http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/monocots/contribut Cattleya x Brassavola, and Moirara is Renanthera e.html. The pages for the individual files (Main x Phalaenopsis x Vanda. The multiplication sign is Orchid Checklist, Synonymous Genera, and often left out when writing about hybrid genera. Unplaced Names) are accessible under the “Orchid Checklist” heading on the right side of the page. If Artificial orchid hybrids are treated in a way that you want to go directly to the main orchid checklist differs from that of other artificial hybrid plants the address is: where cultivars (cultivated varieties) are named and http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/monocots/orchid_c registered. Grex names ["grex" is Greek for a hecklist.html. group] are registered for orchids. A grex is a group of cultivars with the same parentage. For example, The main aim right now is to show the data to a all of the offspring of Cymbidium floribundum wider audience for comments and corrections. The (pumilum) x C. devonianum have the grex name C. next stage is making a rough checklist available for Miss Muffett while all of the offspring of checking, which is what Kew is currently making Dendrobium atroviolaceum x D. forbesii are D. available. In a later stage, a searchable database will Nellie Slade. By convention, artificially produced be made available on the web and also hardcopy grexes for which a natural hybrid exists carry the may be published. Kew is also looking for same name as the natural hybrid although spelled information that should be added and has a with a capital letter and not italicised. For example, procedure on the website for sending them artificially raised seedlings of the cross Cattleya information. But remember, the data you see on this (skinneri x aurantiaca) would be registered as C. website is at least one year behind, so the latest Guatemalensis while naturally occurring plants changes may not yet be in the database. would be labeled C. guatemalensis or more Using the Kew Checklist appropriately C. x guatemalensis. This convention The Kew database currently consists of three is relatively new and as a result, a search of searchable pdf files: Sander’s List of Orchid Hybrids will sometimes 1). Main Orchid checklist yield two names for the same cross. For example, (continued on next page) Page 12 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

2). Synonymous genera, and as those of hybrid origin. 3) Unplaced names. Consider our Dockrilla case. If you were faced The “Main Orchid Checklist” consists of 2,304 only with the name Dockrilla wassellii, and you pages and takes a couple of minutes to search the didn’t know its relationship to Dendrobium, the entire database. In many cases, you might want to first thing to do would be to look at this list. There use the cursor to scroll to the appropriate name for a you would find the entry: Dockrilla Brieger == quick check. The accepted genus and species name Dendrobium Sw. This entry means that the genus will appear in bold while synonyms will appear as Dockrilla described by Brieger is currently unbolded text. Taking an example from July’s considered synonymous with Dendrobium. Below exhibition table (appearing in the August this entry, in alphabetical order, are all validly newsletter), let’s use the plant entered as Encyclia published species under the name Dockrilla and mariae. Searching Kew’s orchid checklist for their accepted names. Encyclia mariae reveals that Encyclia mariae (Ames) Hoehne is now considered a synonym (it’s One last place to look before concluding that in unbolded text) for the current name of Euchile Dockrilla wassellii is, in fact, a misspelling of mariae (Ames) Withner. The position and Dendrobium wasseltii is the list of unplaced names. punctuation of the author’s names tell some of the This list contains all those orchid names for which taxonomic history. E. mariae (Ames) Hoehne was a confirmed placement has not been made. In first described by Ames (as Epidendrum mariae in addition to those names currently under 1937) and later moved to Encyclia by Hoehne. Carl investigation, the list also includes improperly Withner published a taxonomic revision and moved published or incompletely described species. There this species to a new genus, Euchile. With this is only one entry under Dockrilla in the list. This separation, he published the new combination entry is Dockrilla convoluta and the list indicates it Euchile mariae hence the new name Euchile mariae to be a synonym of an, as yet, unidentified species (Ames) Withner. of Dendrobium. Since there is no other entry under this genus, our earlier spelling-error assumption is If we look at another example (Dendrobium confirmed. . As you can see, tracking down the wasseltii), we can see additional information. This correct name is part science, part art. plant was entered as Dockrilla wassellii. The species name wassellii does not appear in the list of Other sources of information about plant names bold-face names under Dendrobium in the Kew include the Wildcatt database and the AOS CD of checklist but the name Dockrilla wasseltii does awarded plants. These databases are especially appear in the list of synonyms under Dendrobium. useful for hybrid names; however, neither database The listing indicates that the accepted name for this is complete. The Wildcatt database groups plants species is Dendrobium wasseltii. It’s pretty safe to (species and hybrids) under 10 or so subgroups and assume that the plant was entered with wasseltii then does not list all species are hybrids. For misspelled as wassellii, a mistake that’s easy to see instance, Wildcatt does not list Goodyera. The as coming from handwritten names. But, before AOS CD provides a listing of AOS awards to reaching this conclusion there are two other lists to species and hybrids; so, obviously, a plant has to examine. have an AOS award to be listed in the AOS CD. Both databases, however, are still valuable sources The first of these is the list of Synonymous Genera. of information and can be useful in confirming an In the case of Dockrilla, it’s fairly obvious that the orchid’s name and the correct spelling. plant in question is either a Dendrobium or a fairly close relative. That makes it fairly easy to focus in Please visit our web site at on Dendrobium in the checklist. It’s not always http://www.atlantaorchidsociety.org . If that easy. In many cases you may be presented you have suggestions or, better yet, only with an orchid name or the plant’s genetic material to contribute to the site, contact affinity may not be obvious. In this case, the list of Tom Kaschak at 678-474-9001 Synonymous Genera is useful. At 455 pages, this list contains essentially all published generic names Remember that Tom is a volunteer also and including those that are a simple misspelling as well will certainly appreciate the help. Page 13 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

Finding Orchid Hybrid Information on the RHS Web Site Danny Lentz

The Orchid Registrar (currently Julian Shaw) at the abbreviation is part of the name. For example, if Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) maintains the you want to look up Blc. Fortune, you cannot use database of registered orchid hybrids. Their web Blc for the genus. You will need to use site includes pages with lists of the latest orchid Brassolaeliocattleya, or a part of it as explained hybrids, and a search engine that allows you to look below. You may often run into cases where you up orchid hybrids. don’t know what the abbreviation on your plant tag stands for. I certainly didn’t know that Drlla. stood The main page for the Orchid Register is: for Doriella when I ran across this one a couple of http://www.rhs.org.uk/seedlist/registration_orchids. months ago. If you need help finding out what an asp abbreviation stands for, some sources are given From here you can get information on registering later in this article. hybrids, access the latest lists of hybrids, and access the search pages for hybrids. You can do a partial match. For example, if you put "Phalaenopsis" for the genus and "Gold" for the List of New Orchid Hybrids Grex, you will get all 600+ Phalaenopsis crosses Six times a year the RHS publishes lists of newly that have "Gold" in the name. You can also just registered orchid hybrids in their magazine “The type the first part of the genus name, like "Phal" Orchid Review”. The lists also have notes instead of Phalaenopsis. This can save some typing regarding name changes, newly created genera, if you just put in “Brasso” instead of which species have been hybridized for the first Brassolaeliocattleya, but you may get a much time, tips on using the web site, etc. The lists are longer list of search results when you don’t put in available as .pdf documents on this web page: the exact name because you will also get matches http://www.rhs.org.uk/publications/pubs_journals_o for other genera such as Brassocattleya. rchid_hybrid.asp If you look through these lists periodically you may The search page no longer requires you to enter a find newly registered names for some of the hybrids genus. You can just enter the grex name. This in your collection. The most recent list has feature is extremely handy with all of the name Bardendrum Bamboo Dance (cyclotella x Terusan) changes that are taking place. For example, if you which I purchased at the AtOS auction a couple of search for Colmanara Wildcat you won’t find it years ago. The lists may also give you some new anymore because one of the parents was recently ideas for making crosses, and let you know who is moved to a different genus. If you leave the genus working in a particular area of hybridizing. blank and just type in Wildcat for the grex name, you can figure out it was moved to Odontocidium. Searching For Orchid Hybrids You can get some useful information on orchid If you don’t find a match on your first attempt, try hybrids from the RHS site, such as the parents of a just putting part of the name in the search field. particular cross (grex), who registered it, and the Names are often spelled incorrectly on tags, registration date. If you want to find information especially the endings. If you buy Brassidium such as the parents of a particular cross, then you (formerly Odontobrassia) Kenneth Bivin from three would use the “Grex Name Search”. If you want to different sources, the grex name will probably be find out whether a cross between two plants has spelled three different ways. Since the ending of been registered, you would use “Grex Parentage this name is almost always misspelled and the Search”. genus was recently changed, the best way to find it would be to leave the genus blank and put Grex Name Search something like “Kenneth Biv” for the grex name. To find the parents of a cross, use this page: http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/registerpages/orchid You can often have problems when the registered search.asp name contains an apostrophe or accented character. You cannot use the abbreviation for a genus except in a few lucky cases such as Phal where the (continued on next page) Page 14 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

A note on the web page currently says that also help you figure out whether the RHS orchid “Accents or apostrophes should not be included registrar recognizes the species names you are when searching for grex names”. This note is using. incorrect. If you don’t include the correct accented characters or apostrophes in your search, you will The order of the parents matters. If you don't find a not find the name. You can use the partial match, try switching the order of the plants and matching method above, or you can include the search again. Unfortunately the web site does not proper characters in your search. automate this process. If the cross is not found, you need to go back to the Grex Parentage Search page It took me a bit of searching to figure out that Drlla. and manually switch the names of the seed parent Nina was registered as Doriella Niña. I found it by and pollen parent. dropping off letters so that I ended up searching with Doriella for the genus and just “Ni” for the For example, see if the cross between Phalaenopsis grex name. lindenii and Phalaenopsis violacea has been registered. If you put Phalaenopsis lindenii as the If there is an apostrophe in the name, use two seed parent and Phalaenopsis violacea as the pollen apostrophes when you type it in. For example, you parent, it will tell you that no match was found. If would type "Gemstone''s Gold Fever". you put Phalaenopsis violacea as the seed parent and Phalaenopsis lindenii as the pollen parent, it The following note from Julian Shaw appears in the will show you that the cross was registered as Sept.-Oct. 2004 New Orchid Hybrids list: Phalaenopsis Vilind. Web version searches of the Orchid Register using names with diacritical marks. You can also use partial names for searching on this “One frequently asked question is ‘How can I page. You can leave out a genus or grex name. search for a grex name that contains an accent or You can even leave out one of the parents other diacritical mark?’ To produce the required altogether if you want to see what hybrids have character on your screen in the web grex search box been registered for a particular parent. To get a do the following: select the character from the table complete list you would need to enter the plant first below, then with the number lock for the number as a seed parent, and then as a pollen parent. key pad on, hold down the Alt. key while tapping in the three digit code. If you want examples, you Genus Abbreviations might like to try Blc. Caribeña del Paraíso, Paph. Where can you find out the genus abbreviations? Raïta, Phal. Baptême.” This information isn’t available on the RHS site (at least not where I can find it), but it can be found 128 Ç 129 ü 130 é 131 â 132 ä other places on the web. Two sources are the 133 à 134 å 135 ç 136 ê 137 ë London (Ontario) Orchid Society site and the Mid- 138 è 139 ï 140 î 141 ì 142 Ä America Orchid Congress site. 143 Å 144 É 145 æ 146 Æ 147 ô 148 ö 149 ò 150 û 151 ù 152 ÿ The London Orchid Society in London, Ontario, 153 Ö 154 Ü 155 ø 157 Ø 158 _ 160 á 161 í 162 ó 163 ú 164 ñ Canada provides a couple of very useful features on 165 Ñ their web site, http://los.lon.imag.net .

Grex Parentage Search One feature is a searchable database of references to If you want to see if a cross has been registered, use pictures that have appeared in various orchid this page: publications. If you’re having trouble finding a http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/registerpages/orchid picture of an orchid species, this may be a good _parentage.asp place to check. The link on the page is currently called “Picture Ref”. Before you do a Grex Parentage Search, it is important to look up each of the parents on the Another extremely useful feature is a list of orchid Grex Name Search. You want to make sure the genera and their abbreviations. The data has been names are spelled correctly, and that the RHS supplied by Julian Shaw, the RHS Orchid Registrar. database is still using the same genus names. It can (continued on next page) Page 15 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

This data is currently available under the Hi All! “Miscellaneous Files” section of their web site. I’m not sure whether this information gets updated. For those of you who are interested in the list of registered orchid hybrids, here are a few items: The Mid-America Orchid Congress web site is at www.midamericanorchids.org. Under the “Show 1. The number of names in the list exceeded 120,000 Documents” link you can find the MAOC Show during February and totaled 121,602 at the end of June, Schedule (this is what we use to determine the according to Julian Shaw as stated in the September- competition classes in our November Show) and the October Supplement of New Orchid Hybrids. “Intergeneric Cross Reference” list that you can use to look up the abbreviation for a genus. 2. The orchid registrar has made a number of changes to the list of registered hybrids which have resulted in a re- Other Resources for Orchid Names assignment of genus names to more than 2200 hybrids in Another good place to search for species plant the Oncidium group, or just under 20% of the total names is the International Plant Names Index, registrations in this group. For example, two species http://www.ipni.org. This site is not specific to formerly treated as Miltonia , Milt. schroederiana and Milt. orchids. It combines data from several other warscewiczii, have been transferred to Oncidium as Onc. databases into one easy to use search engine. schroederianum, and Onc. fuscatum. This change results in a change of genus for the well known and highly rd awarded hybrid Colmanara Wildcat, which is now called AtOS Ribbon Judging – 3 Quarter Results Odontocidium Wildcat, among others.

3rd 3. All of the equitant Oncidium species have been Name July Aug Sept Qtr. segregated out under the genus Tolumnia. Collier/Reinke 12 8 16 36 Hallberg 18 9 8 35 4. Lastly, Onc. onustum has been changed to Zelenkoa Rinn 9 11 20 onusta in the registry. Gilmore 8 7 4 19 Lyda 5 10 15 I have compiled a list of hybrid names that have changed Hartong 8 4 12 due to these revisions and placed it on our web site in an MS Word document. Visit the following web page for a Lentz/Morgan 6 4 10 link to this document: Mellard/Marino 10 10 http://www.wildcattdata.com/NewWeb/news.htm. Dott 8 8 Weil 8 8 Regards, Smith/Malaguerra 7 7 Helga Gray Brinton/Park 6 6 Wildcatt Database Company. Dampog 6 6

Whitfield 1 5 6 Hansen 5 5 Thurner 5 5 To submit material for the newsletter, or Walkosky 5 5 to sign up for the email version of the Aberson 3 3 newsletter, please contact Danny Lentz:

Brannon 3 3 [email protected] Emerson 3 3 MAIL TO: Danny Lentz Jacobson 3 3 1045 Wordsworth Dr. Chandler 1 1 Roswell, GA 30075 Dufano 1 1 th Frank 1 1 The deadline for submissions is the 20 . Missbach 1 1 Page 16 www.atlantaorchidsociety.org October 2004

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