LANKESTERIANA 9(1-2): 1-268. 2009. ORCHIDS AND ORCHIDOLOGY IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 500 YEARS OF HISTORY * CARLOS OSSENBACH Centro de Investigación en Orquídeas de los Andes “Ángel Andreetta”, Universidad Alfredo Pérez Guerrero, Ecuador Orquideario 25 de Mayo, San José, Costa Rica [email protected] INTRODUCTION “plant geography”, botanical exploration in our region seldom tried to relate plants with their life zones. The Geographical and historical scope of this study. XIX century and the first decades of the XX century The history of orchids started with the observation and are best defined by an almost frenetic interest in the study of species as isolated individuals, sometimes identification and description of new species, without grouped within political boundaries that are always bothering too much about their geographical origin. artificial. With rare exceptions, words such as No importance was given to the distribution of orchids “ecology” or “phytogeography” did not appear in the within the natural regions into which Central America botanical prose until the early XX century. is subdivided. Although Humboldt and Bonpland (1807), and Exceptions to this are found in the works by Bateman later Oersted, had already engaged in the study of (1837-43), Reichenbach (1866) and Schlechter (1918), * The idea for this book was proposed by Dr. Joseph Arditti during the 1st. International Conference on Neotropical Orchidology that was held in San José, Costa Rica, in May 2003. In its first chapters, this is without doubt a history of orchids, relating the role they played in the life of our ancient indigenous people and later in that of the Spanish conquerors, and the ornamental, medicinal and economical uses they gave to these plants. It is not until the late XVIII century, but above all in the XIX century that we can talk about a history of orchidology, with the development of botanical science and the establishment of the bases of modern orchidology by Lindley. But the XIX century was also the time of legendary commercial collectors who, frequently with the complicity of men of science, collected with a frenzy often bordering on madness. Orchid knowledge became sometimes a synonym of orchid destruction. During the second half of the XX century the world developed a growing conscience of the negative impact of man on his natural habitat and I would like to believe that, in the future, orchidology will devote itself in an increasing manner to the study of orchids as a means to preserve them. Motivated by this belief, I decided to write this history, that will be more a story about orchids and men than a story about orchids and science, hoping that mankind will rediscover the harmonious relation with nature that characterized the life of the first inhabitants of our region. The great naturalist Alexander F. Skutch, who chose a life of study and contemplation amidst the forests of southern Costa Rica, expressed it in much better words: “Sometimes, before leaving the hilltop, I visit the old Indian burial ground. Despite promises of golden ornaments, I have never permitted anyone to excavate these graves, for I believe that we should treat the burials of alien races with the same respect that we desire for our own. Sometimes, in a meditative mood, I ask myself whether, from the moral standpoint, my title to this land is as valid as that of the men whose dust lies beneath the red clay. Perhaps the only answer to this perplexing question is that he most deserves to have the land who makes the best use of it. If my love of the mountains and rivers and forests is greater than theirs, if these things speak more meaningfully to me and I am more keenly appreciative of their beauty; if I strive harder to preserve this natural setting in its pristine splendor and to conserve the soil’s fertility — then perhaps I can justify my possession of this land that once belonged to them. If I fall short of the aborigines in these respects, then I — and the whole line of too-aggressive palefaces who transmitted to me what was once theirs — are but piratical intruders, whose right to this land would be hard to defend. Enlarging on this theme, it seems to me that, unless evolution miscarries, the ultimate possessor of the earth will be the race that most appreciates its grandeur and beauty and cherishes it most carefully, that rules it as a generous and compassionate lord instead of raping it like a greedy tyrant, as men have all too commonly done” (Skutch, 1971: 223-224). LAN-09-01 Ossenbach.indd 5 8/10/09 1:49 PM 2 LANKESTERIANA but above all the monumental account by Godman of the expedition of Malaspina, continued during the and Salvin on the Central American biology, in which first decades of the XIX century with the exploration Hemsley wrote the botanical part (Hemsley, 1883). by Cuming of the Pacific coast belt and the arrival of The enumeration of species in this work is followed Skinner in Guatemala. It gained strength at the end of by a detailed description of the known localities of the first half of the century with the fortunate arrival of collection from which the phytogeographical regions the illustrious trio formed by Oersted, von Warscewicz of Central America can already be inferred. and Wendland. In the second half of the century, In the first chapters, our history centers on Mexico- knowledge about our orchids grew in an accelerated Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire and later of form and experienced an enormous boom during the the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The first descriptions of first decades of the XX century. The publications by orchids for our area of study (with a medicinal rather than Reichenbach (1866) and Hemsley (1883), and later botanical purpose) originate in locations that, although Schlechter (1918), opened the eyes of the world to the outside of the geographical area with which we are richness of orchid diversity in Central America. concerned, were strongly influenced by the ancestral Their place was taken by Standley and especially culture of the Maya and maintained a close interaction, Ames after World War I. Ames, Hubbard and during the centuries preceding the Spanish conquest, Schweinfurth published in 1936 a work of great with the rest of Central America. It is no coincidence importance at the generic level, The Genus Epidendrum that the northern limit of the cultural expansion of the in the United States and Middle America (Ames et Mayas overlaps very approximately with what today al., 1936), but it was not until the first years of the is considered the northern limit of Mesoamerica: the second half of the XX century that a new attempt was Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The southern region of Central made to see the orchids of Central America in a more America during this period offers only a few references to phytogeographical than political context, with the the use of orchids in ritual ceremonies of the indigenous publication by L. O. Williams of his Enumeration of cultures of northern Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. the Orchidaceae of Central America, British Honduras During the colonial period and especially since the and Panama (Williams, 1956), preceded some years XVIII century, Guatemala became more and more the before by The Orchidaceae of Mexico (Williams, political and cultural center of the region. Important 1951). During the last decades of the XX century and at during this period are the works of Friar Francisco the beginning of the third millennium, the investigation Ximénez and, above all, the arrival in Guatemala of the of our orchids showed an increasing emphasis in the expedition of Sessé and Mociño. After independence study of our natural regions. A higher awareness of the from Spain, Chiapas was separated from the Captaincy multiple threats to the conservation of our biodiversity General of Guatemala. Due to its annexation to contributed to generate a growing interest in studying Mexico, the northern border of Guatemala became the orchids from an ecological and phytogeographical first artificial border in northern Central America. The point of view. An example of this is the publication botanical exploration of southeastern Mexico and the of the monumental Flora Mesoamericana (Missouri Yucatan peninsula, isolated from Guatemala as well Botanical Garden, UNAM, Field Museum of Natural as from Mexico itself for geographical and political History, in press), preceded by works of smaller scale reasons, was delayed until the late XIX century. but no less importance, such as Field Guide to the The separation of Belize, that had become a British Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama by Dressler (1993) possession in the last third of the XVIII century, and the Synopsis of the Orchid Flora of the Mexican contributed to this problem. Something similar Yucatan Peninsula by Carnevali et al. (2001). occurred to the south. Panama remained as a part of Our history has important gaps that cannot be Colombia and its integration with the rest of Central avoided. Research on our species started in Guatemala America did not begin until the second half of the XIX with Mociño and continues there through the present century (Fig. 1A—B). days. After the travels by Oersted, von Warscewicz and Modern history of botanical exploration and of Wendland, the orchid floras of Nicaragua, Costa Rica orchids in Central America, initiated by the botanists and Panama were brought into the light of day. LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009. LAN-09-01 Ossenbach.indd 6 8/10/09 1:49 PM OSSENBACH — Orchids and orchidology in Central America 3 In Belize, the Botanical Station was founded in 1892 “I arrived at Cape Gracias a Dios3 and from there our and by 1899 there were already reports of 23 orchid Lord gave me prosperous wind and current.