SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY NEWS June 2015, Volume 50, Issue 6 Celebrating 50 years SOOS
Web site: www.soos.ca ; Member of the Canadian Orchid Congress; Affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the Orchid Digest and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance. Membership: Annual Dues $30 per calendar year (January 1 to December 31 ). Surcharge $15 for newsletter by postal service. Membership secretary: Liz Mc Alpine, 189 Soudan Avenue, Toronto, ON M4S 1V5, phone 416-487-7832, renew or join on line at soos.ca/members Executive: President, Laura Liebgott, 905-883-5290; Vice-President, John Spears, 416-260-0277; Secretary, Sue Loftus 905-839-8281; Treasurer, John Vermeer, 905-823-2516 Other Positions of Responsibility: Program, Mario Ferrusi; Plant Doctor, Doug Kennedy; Meeting Set up, Yvonne Schreiber; Vendor and Sales table coordinator, Diane Ryley;Library Liz Fodi; Web Master, Max Wilson; Newsletter, Peter and Inge Poot; Annual Show, Peter Poot; Refreshments, Joe O’Regan. Conservation Committee, Susan Shaw; Show table, Synea Tan . Honorary Life Members: Terry Kennedy, Doug Kennedy, Inge Poot, Peter Poot, Joe O’Regan, Diane Ryley, Wayne Hingston, Mario Ferrusi. Annual Show: February 13-14, 2016
Next Meeting Sunday, June 7 , Floral Hall of the Toronto Botanical Garden,Sales 12 noon, Cultural snapshots will cover Light, Humidity, Temperature, Summering out of Doors on the stage at 12:15 pm. This will be the end of the snapshots for the season. Program at 1 pm Fred Clarke on “Aussie Native Dendrobiums and their Cultivation” Our friends down under have been breeding their native Dendrobiums and creating some fantastic flowers, the word is out! Aussie Dens are easy to grow, tolerant of heat and cold, have fragrant flowers, and re- bloom from the old bulbs!!! They grow well with Cattleyas and in frost free areas they are perfect plants for the shade house. In conclusion we cover the ‘best practices’ for growing these remarkable plants. A PowerPoint presentation Fred Clarke has been growing orchids for 33 years and has been Fred Clarke hybridizing for 25 of those years. With over 25 years as a professional grower and manager in the horticultural industry, Fred applies these skills at his orchid nursery; Sunset Valley Orchids, located in San Diego, California.
He is a passionate orchid grower whose curiosity in orchids is broad and varied. Although developing Cattleya hybrids has been his sustaining interest, he is also actively creating new Aussie Dendrobium and Paphiopedilum hybrids.
His pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark, which produced “the blackest flower ever witnessed”. 1
Please Note!! Orchid fest is Sunday July 5, Judging in the morning, pot luck lunch at noon and Juan Felipe Posada
President’s Remarks Welcome Orchid Plan to meet here at 2:30 so that we can carpool to the th property tour as parking will be limited. Lovers.Our 50 anniversary has come and gone and We are asked to give the naturalist our approximate now the urge to get outdoors and dig and plant is strong. numbers coming so please let me know either with a It was a great time to socialize, relax, eat and receive phone call or through email if you would like to our 'SOOS Celebrates 50' dendrobium. Thank you to participate. The deadline is May 23rd. At this point I will the volunteers who worked so hard in making sure the be sending the Nature Conservancy our numbers. food was out, the orchids were received, the memorabilia was put on display and the providing of On June 7th Fred Clark from California will be our information for our powerpoint. Without you, we would speaker. If you ordered any plants from Fred, please have been lost. pick your order up at the meeting. Remember the deadline was May 13th for ordering. On another note, hopefully you have planted your little treasures. For those members who have not as yet Also, on July 5th during our Orchidfest, we have Juan received their plants, we will be bringing them to the Felipe Posada from Columbia speaking to us. If you meeting again this month only so you can pick them up would like to see a list of the plants you can order, during the social break. please go to our web site. His order deadline is June 1st as he needs to clear all these plants before bringing Treats for the June meeting will be from members them into the country. This takes time. whose last names begin with the letters L through M. These are two great opportunities for you to purchase plants that are not always seen up here. On the weekend of June 5-7, 2015, the Bruce Peninsula Orchid Festival is being held in Tobermory, Ontario In September (19th — 20th) we will once again be having (about a 4 hour drive from Toronto). SOOS members our growers' tour. We are preparing the agenda. The and their friends and family are invited to attend this list, when finalized, will be posted in the newsletter, on most delightful event. Last year’s activities included the website, on the overhead before the meeting and evening lectures from eminent scientists and a variety of during the meeting for your convenience. This is the morning and afternoon hikes led by expert nature lovers. weekend before the COOS Show. Be prepared to see some rare native orchids such as the calypso and ramshead as well as other blooming spring Our cultural snapshots are ongoing at the meetings. flowers, birds, mammals etc. Headquarters for this event These take place onstage at 12:15 p.m. right before the is at the Visitors Centre of the Bruce Peninsula National meetings start. Wayne Hingston and Alexsi Antanaitis Park. For the latest information, check the Tobermory will be delivering the topics: Orchidfest website. June 7th Light, Humidity, Temperature, Accommodation reservations for the nights of Friday Summering out of Doors June 5 and Saturday June 6 can be made at the Coach This will be the end of the snapshots for the season. House Inn Resort [email protected], phone 519-596-2361. Interested participants are asked Looking forward to our next meeting. Laura Liebgott to make their own transportation and accommodation Questions or comments: Please contact me at: arrangements. [email protected] or 905 883 5290
During this same weekend (on Friday June 5th and in the Tobermory area), members of the SOOS Conservation Get the latest in names and Committee will be touring the Nature Conservancy land for which SOOS has contributed money. This two hour culture for your orchids on your tour will begin at 3 p.m. SOOS members are invited to computer!! Get OrchidWiz at the join the tour. Here are the directions: COC discount for US $153.00 From the south, travel Highway #6 north. Shortly after On behalf of our members, the COC negotiated with passing Dyers Bay Road you will see a picnic area with OrchidWiz a 50% volume discount to members of all washroom facilities on your right (east side of Hwy. #6). COC societies if we (COC) purchase over 20 licences at If you’ve crossed the Crane River or passed Johnsons once. Harbour Road, you’ve gone too far. You will receive OrchidWiz 2
Encyclopedia11.3 installable on two computers, plus *Each license allows one user to install and run the next 3 updates! This volume discount is exclusive to the software on two computers, for example a the COC and it is the lowest price for OrchidWiz desktop and a laptop. The software requires Encyclopedia 11.3 available anywhere. This offer does activation. not apply to renewals, and users are not obligated to **The initial package of software will be mailed purchase ongoing renewals if he/she chooses not to. together to the COC for further distribution. The OrchidWiz is one of the world’s most complete and accurate orchid research softwares, with over 140,000 next 3 updates will be shipped to each individual photos and all kinds of valuable information for any by OrchidWiz. orchid growers. Key features include: Contact Laura Liebgott to reserve your Baker Culture Sheets that provides basic copy now. cultivation information for more than 4,700 species displayed in graphical format Award data from the American Orchid Society,
the Coordinating Body for the Brazilian Societies, the Cymbidium Society of America, Coming Events 2015 the German Orchid Society, the New Zealand Orchid Society, the Orchid Council of New May Zealand, the Orchid Societies Council of Victoria 23, TJC Business Meeting, Jardin Botanique de Montreal. (Australia), the South African Orchid Council, the Montreal monthly judging. South Florida Orchid Society, and the Taiwan 27, Niagara Region O.S. meeting”Orchids of Mexico” 7:30 Orchid Growers Association, for a total of more pm, Holy Rosary Church Hall,35 Queen Street, Thorold. than 98,000 awards. Over 112,000 color images of orchids June Over 9,300 botanical illustrations, including 6, Toronto Judging Centre, Monthly Judging, 1 pm almost 3,900 postage stamps. Toronto Botanical Garden Comprehensive Genealogy charts for more than 7, SOOS meeting, Toronto Botanical Garden, sales 12 148,000 hybrids. noon, program 1 pm. Compile and organize all of your orchid 20, Montreal Monthly Judging, Jardin Botanique de photographs in the OrchidWiz Album Montreal Detail plant owner, venue, camera settings for each photo in the Album July Inventory and track your own orchids in the 5, SOOS Orchidfest, Toroto judging centre judging. OrchidWiz Journal Updated with the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) almost 160,000 hybrid registrations AOS Judging Results Search for Cross / Genus / Hybridizer Please note, all of these awards are provisional until Ability to print labels and profile reports published by the American Orchid Society. Profile analysis for each species or hybrid detailing some of the most important information Toronto Judging Centre May 2, 2015 on a single screen Oncidium luridum’Brown Bee’ HCC-AOS 78 points Navigate the world using 3 levels of Synea Tan. geographical maps to list species present or Phal. Charm Sun Big Red Robe HCC-AOS 77 points, endemic to a specific region Doris Jensen. Minimum Systems requirements: Windows XP, Vanda Robert’s Delight HCC-AOS 75 points, Doris Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The Jensen software is available in DVD format only. The Sarcochilus Cindy HCC-AOS 77 points Jean Allen- program requires the computer have 8GB of disk Ikeson Vanda Newberry Apricot HCC-AOS, Sherry and Peter space. Decyk. The discount is calculated on the regular price of US$295 and cannot be used in Note! The next judging will be held at the Toronto conjunction with other discounts: Botanical Gardens, Saturday, June6; education at 10 am, Fred Clarke on Aussie Dendrobiums, judging at 1 # Licenses* Disc. Discounted S/H** Total per User pm. AOS Judging is a service of the American Orchid Price Society and is open to all! 20+ 50% US$147.50 US$9.5 US$153.00
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Ribbons from Ottawa Show Dendrobium nobile hybrid---Anita Kho Display
st 1 Place Ribbon 3rd Place Ribbons Paphiopedium henryanum X primulinum 'Tropical Magic‘ Phalaenopsis Golden Venus---Jay Norris — Heinz Ernstberger (Lths. telipogoniflora X Lths. calodictyon)---Jay Norris Phalaenopsis hookeriana---Jay Norris nd 2 Place Ribbons Psychopsis [Pyp.] papilio var. alba---Ingrid Wauro. Phragmipedium Hanne Popow — Patrick Paph. Elfin Snow (Paph. Elfstone X Paph. In-Charm Phalaenopsis Yu Min Polar Bear — Synea Tan White)---Ingrid Wauro. Paphiopedilum Hsinying Web var alba X Onyx var alba Paph. leeanum--- Joe O’Regan. — Patrick Paph. Chou-Yi Yuki (Paph. niveum X Paph. hangianum)- Phalaenopsis Sara Gold — Synea Tan --Ingrid Wauro Phragmipedium Peruflora's Spirit (Eric Young 'Rocket Dendrobium bracteosum var. alba--- Anita Kho Fire’ X kovachii ‘Gigantic’) — Ingrid Wauro Phragmipedium Fritz Schomburg (bessiae X kovachii) — Thank you all for the use of your Inge and Peter Poot plants in the SOOS displays. Cymbidium sinense 'Da Mo’ — Jay Norris Paphiopedilum vietnamense — Synea Tan Phalaenopsis Sogo Morrison — Jay Norris Plant of the Month: Cymbidium ensifolium — Jay Norris
3rd Place Ribbons Dendrobium chrysotoxum — Michael Hwan Dendrobium bracteosum var alba — Anita Kho Phalaenopsis Zuma's Pixie X I-Hsin Spot — Robin McLaughlin Dendrobium Chian-Tzy Li-Xia — Ken Yau Cymbidium sinense 'Da Shi Men' — Jay Norris Lepanthes (calodictyon X telipogoniflora) — Jay Norris Display
Ribbons from TAOA Show
1st Place Ribbons Lepanthes tsubotae---Anita Kho Synea Tan did it again and earned the Paphiopedilum niveum---Stanley Luk Plant of the Month honour with her lovely Dendrobium Oncidium Issaku Nagata (Onc. leucochilum x Onc. Christy Dawn. The front of the plant was covered with fuscatum)---Joe O’Regan. white flowers with an orange blotch in the lip and the Phragmipedium Fritz Schomburg---Synea Tan. buds on the back promised a similar show from the other Cattleya Sea Breeze ‘Blue Ribbon’---Synea Tan. side, maybe a month from now! Chiloschista viridiflava---Synea Tan. She repots the plant every year after blooming (usually Phalaenopsis Sara Gold---Synea Tan. June or July, but this year in March) using a mix of small Phal. I-Hsin Black Soot (Phal. Zuma's Pixie X Phal. I- coconut chips, bark, chopped sphagnum moss, Perlite, Hsin Spot)---Robin Mc Laughlin. charcoal, crushed Excel and slow release fertilizer. Phalaenopsis Taida Lttle Monkey---Jay Norris. She has to water the plant every second day because it
nd gets bone dry in that period and uses MSU fertilizer with 2 Place Ribbons most waterings. Phalaenopsis Taida King’s Caroline ‘Taida Little Zebra’ -- The plant spends the summer out-of-doors on a North- -Robin Mc Laughlin facing veranda, covered with a 40% shade cloth that Phalaenopsis Yu Pin ‘Polar Bear’---Synea Tan. filters the sun that reaches the plant by about 3 PM. For Phalaenopsis Chain Yen Momo ?? Chika- Momo?--- the winter the plant is placed in the brightest spot in Synea Tan. Synea’s South window in a Grow- room that has the (C. Mahalo Jack X Rlc. Toshie Aoki)---Synea Tan temperature set for a minimum of 15C for the night and Rhynchorides Memoria Suranaree---Synea Tan. 21-22C for a day-time high. Synea has no fan in the Ionopsis [Inps.] utricularioides---Synea Tan grow-room and the heating system is the only thing that Psychopsis [Pyp.] papilio---Ingrid Wauro provides air-movement. Paph. Wenshanense---Stanley Luk Great Job! Lepanthes calodictyon---Anita Kho 4
New Hampshire WHERE CAN YOU SEE 1,000’S OF LADY’S-SLIPPERS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT Yes, that New Hampshire.
Join the Native Orchid Conference for its annual seminar in the beautiful White Mountains of NH June 1-4. Two days of fascinating presentations and two days of exciting field trips to see 1,000’s of Cypripedium acaule (including the rare alba form) in glorious bloom. For complete details, visit:
www.nativeorchidconference.info
.Crystal Star Orchids
broker service with over 15 top orchid nurseries Summer Open House From June to August weekends only From 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. By appointment only . Tel: 905-478-8398 or email : [email protected] 20815 2nd Concession Road East Gwillimbury Ontario L9N 0G9
Ching Hua Orchids, In Charm, Krull Smith, and Sunset Valley.
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Epipactis helleborine: The Invader, Here to Stay by Tara Seucharan
Why talk about it? It's the exception! It is Common It can be Invasive An easy growing orchid Reproductive success of orchids depends on wide dispersal of millions of seeds via wind Tiny seeds = no endosperm Germination depends on mycorrhizal fungi Orchids are one of the largest plant families with great diversity which means great specialization Specialization means that they're vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change Orchids are known for being notoriously finicky Epipactis helleborine is the shocking exception Epipactis helleborine is so unique that it can't be confused with any other plant. Broad leaf helleborine: the most distinctive feature is its flat, deep parallel veined leaves, which clasp the stem. Mature helleborine plants have well developed rhizomes, which allow for several stems to develop from the same rootstock. It grows 20 – 80 cm tall, with 4 - 10 leaves arranged spirally on the stem. In July & August flowers are produced on a spike, each flower around 2.5 cm in diameter, pale green to whitish or pinkish in colour, and usually has a lavender tint on sepals. Plants are dormant in winter - rely on rhizomes for survival. It thrives in a variety of habitats: most types of forests from young to mature and from deciduous to coniferous, in relatively open ground with little other vegetation nearby. It is usually found in areas of indirect sunlight.
Some Media Reports: see next page
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Some History: see next page 7
Epipactis helleborine is known to have been thoroughly naturalized in North America since 1879. It was first documented in upstate New York. Highly desirable by gardeners in early 1900's, planted in Michigan and Wisconsin. Present day distribution: (achieved during less than 150 years!)
(1) Seed dispersal - widely distributed by wind - also carried by water - accidental distribution due to movement of soil (2) Rhizome - after seed germination, immature plants grow as underground rhizomes - fully mycoheterotrophic - can stay in this state for 10+ years before the onset of the adult phase, that is stem growth, leaves, flowers, seed pods etc (3) Hardy! - poor soils, cement cracks - disturbed habitat - stems can grow through asphalt - tolerates cold well - can grow among (and crowd out) other aggressive plants, such as English ivy. Epipactis helleborine is so common there’s no effort to conserve it. In fact, one name is “Bastard Helleborine”... Control of this plant is quite difficult. – Michigan State University states that there is “no magic bullet” – no research on effectiveness of herbicides – hand-pulling = rhizomes can sprout new plants. A study in a park in Quebec found that in a 20-year period, 62% of Epipactis helleborine plants emerged only once. It often occurs in small numbers but is aggressive in some places, particularly in the limestone bedrock areas around the Great Lakes. From its history of spread in North America to date, it is a very aggressive plant and we can expect to see further spreading. Tom Atkinson commented that in the areas where the SOOS conservation committee has planted Cyps, there were spots with the helleborine orchid and spots with Cyps but no spots with both. Your transcriber’s note: this could mean that the two types of orchids use different mycorrhizal fungi, not necessarily that the helleborine orchid eliminated the Cyps. We have planted cyps in our garden successfully by augmenting the soil with bark and peatmoss and have never had any of our cyps replaced by helleborines. The helleborines are not
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aggressive in our sandy limestone garden and we treasure every plant of it and would not dream of trying to eradicate it! However in areas of the Northeast and upper Mid-west USA with limestone bedrock this species can become downright invasive! In such areas “it is undaunted by some of the East’s most aggressive plants, like English ivy or pachysandra; it frequently grows through dense beds of these plants." http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/an-orchid-disguised-as-a-weed/
The May 2015 AOS Corner- From the desk of Laura Newton, Membership and Affiliated Societies Chair The May issue of Orchids has many great articles, which you may have already seen if you are a current AOS member, but for those of you who are not, here is what you can find inside this months magazine, which will entice you into becoming a member. Embreea- a monster orchid in 3D, by Thomas Mirenda, gives a great overview of this fascinating genus of enormous, yet short-lived flowers. Disas by Peggy Alrich and Wesley Higgins, is a beautifully illustrated look at many variations in color of this African genus. There is a new series of articles called Growers Profile, highlighting a different grower each month. This month we get to peak into Paph Paradise and proprietor David Sorokowsky with a Q&A that gives up some insight into how you can start with a “box store” purchase and end up in a full-blown addiction into growing, hybridizing and selling award- winning orchids, as explained in the questions that Kathy Barrett asks. Selecting a Pot by Sue and Terry Bottom, is a great tutorial on how to select the perfect pot for your plant, for your growing conditions. Sarchochilus- Modern Breeding Lines and Plant Culture, by Scott Barrie and Fred Clarke, gives an in depth look at the new and excitingly colorful hybrid in this Australian genus. In Brazil with Francisco Miranda, by Stig Dalstrom, is a wonderful article that showcases Brazilian orchids in their native habitat.
Another great thing that you can find on our website is the new “Kid’s Corner” tab, by Sandy Stubbings of the education committee. She provides great ideas on how to encourage and foster interest in orchids for the young children in our lives, so please check it out!
The Webinars for this month: We will again have two webinars this month, one of which will be another Greenhouse Chat that will be available to all. At the time of this sending, the topics, dates and times have not been announced. Please check the webinar tab on www.aos.org for updated information.
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May 3, 2015 Show Table Ribbons
Class First Second Third Class 1 Rlc. (Pot) Little Magician C. mossiae f. coerulea Epi radicans ‘Vigor’ Cattleya Alliance Joe DiCiommo Peter & SherryDecyk John Barnes Rlc. (Pot) Samantha Duncan ‘Orange Tart’ Peter & SherryDecyk Class 2 Paph Dellaina Paph thaianum Paph venustum Paphiopedilium John Spears Anita Kho Var. attratum Synea Tan Paph Fumi’s Delight ‘Synea’ AM/AOS Synea Tan Paph delenatii ½ album Anita Kho Class 3 Vanda Newberry Apricot Chilochista viridiflava Aerangis fastuosa Phalaenopis and Vanda ‘Jenny’ HCC-AOS, Peter & ‘Synea’s Green Apple’ Chee Chong Sherry Decyk AM/AOS Synea Tan Phal Baldan’s Alliance Phal. Sara Gold Kaleidoscope ‘Golden Synea Tan Treasure’ AM/AOS Henry Glowka Class 4 Onc luridum ‘Synea’s Comparettia speciosa Oncidium and related Brown Bee’ HCC/AOS Anita Kho Synea Tan Class 5 Cymbideae Class 6 Den Christy Dawn Den ( Gatton Sunray) Den wattii Dendrobium Synea Tan probably: chryseum Anita Kho Anli Sheng Den lindleyii Anita Kho Class 7 All Others Class 8 Specimen Plants Class 9 Basket of white orchids Basket of mixed orchids Baskets and Displays Erika Lorincz Henry Glowka
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