Newsletter June 2011 First Names Only

If unclaimed, return to The Editor THE SPECIES ORCHID SOCIETY OF WA ( INC ) 204 Park Street, Henley Brook WA 6055 http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/species Newsletter.htm

Vol 23 No 1 June 2011 NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER

Peter & Shirley Masters 110 Crawford St East Cannington 6107 WA Phone: 08 93506087 Mob 0419831177 CULTURAL AWARD, May 2011 Cattleya skinneri Shirley 0414948469 Tom & Pat E-mail: [email protected]

Peterskorner is now distributing a range of orchid products from NEXT MEETING --- TUESDAY 14 JUNE Easy Orchids (Murray and Jean Shergold) and we are happy to take orders, and bring them to the Species Society monthly meeting Contents 6 Plants displayed May 2011 (please confirm your order the week prior to the meeting) . 2 General Meeting Minutes 8 Epiblema grandiflora - A swamp 3 Notes from your Committee loving orchid Check out our catalogue at www.peterskorner.com , phone Peter or 4 Noticeboard 10 About us Shirley on the numbers shown, or e-mail [email protected]. 5 Monthly plant

12 MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING ABOUT US

10 May 2011, 8.05 pm Monthly Meetings may be able to identify them. There is Monthly meetings held on the 2nd no competition nor restriction on Present: 38 available to members Tuesday of each month (exc January flower count, quality or length of • Thanks and appreciation for the great Apologies: Bill & Sandra at Forster Park Hall, cnr of Abernethy ownership. We want members to be day was given to Margaret for hosting Road and Keane Street, Cloverdale able to see species plants in flower. Visitors : Nil the last Home Visit. commencing 7.45 pm. Usually, the So even if your flowers are a bit past New members: Wally made an • The OrchidWiz software has arrived short formal meeting is followed by their best, bring them in as others honorary member. and will be auctioned at the next plant descriptions given by members. may not have seen that species in Supper follows to allow members time flower. Minutes: Minutes as circulated accepted General Meeting. to socialise and discuss orchids. Plant Sales • (John, Sharon) Norm advised he had received both All visitors are very welcome The Society provides an opportunity email & paper copies of the newsletter. Membership Fees table for members to sell surplus Business Arising: Nil st Financial Report: The Financial Report He is happy to just receive the Family $30 PA + 2 badges (1 year plants and equipment, and for the electronic version. only) [Badges come in two versions. Society to sell product from time to was tabled by Lee , current time. A commission of 10% is Cultural Award: A plant of Cattleya Pin fastening ($11.50) or Magnet balance is $1547.30 #2 A/c $1811.31. fastening ($13.50) Please indicate charged on all sales. skinneri that Tom said he had been (Graham, Peter ) your preference.] Plant Purchases Correspondence: growing for nearly 40 years. Single $20.00 PA + 1 badge(1 st year The Society endeavours to obtain a Inwards: Raffle: Hannah, John, Vic only) [Pin fastening ($11.50) or different species seedling for sale at Name Badge: John Magnet fastening ($13.50)] each meeting, usually costing - GCA Winter magazine between $6.00 and $12.00. The - Flyer re Tulip Time at Bowral Special Raffle: New members who don't live in Perth will not require name badges, there- Society makes a small profit on these - Various Club Newsletters sales which is invested in benefits to fore membership will be at the members. As it is always difficult to Outwards: renewal fee only Nil Monthly Home Visit get new or different species, should members have 20 or more plants of Business Arising: Nil On the weekend following the fourth one species which they feel might be Thursday of each month (generally on General Business: suitable as a monthly plant, please the Sunday morning), a home visit is • Peter suggested that we put E.S contact a Committee member. held at a member’s home. This gives Raffle Species Societies links on our members an opportunity to enjoy the The Society conducts a raffle each website fellowship that our mutual interest meeting and at home visits as a • Graham & Tony were both congratu- provides, and to see how others go means of raising funds. lated on their about growing their orchids. Plant Imports acceptance as Members of the AOF. Monthly Plant Display The Society is able to use quarantine • Given that the prime objective of the facilities provided by Ken & Chris to The members were advised that there Society is to promote the cultivation of co-operatively import species orchids. is advertising space available in our species orchids, only species or Newsletter. Management natural hybrids are acceptable for In accordance with the Constitution, • display. Since we all may be A few packs of the fertilizer & the Annual General meeting is held in uncertain about the identification of a conditioner still available for purchase. May each year at which time the • Brazilian Orchids, a book purchased by plant from time to time, we encourage office-bearers and committee are members to bring plants along about the society from the estate of the late elected. The majority of Committee which they are unsure since someone Barry Gardner is now in the library and members serve two year terms.

2 11 around our necks, we waded into the water with our toes in the muck. We were surprised at height of the Epiblema NOTES FROM YOUR COMMITTEE flowers above the water and estimated • that many were a good metre from the Come prepared to bid on the auction of a President: Adrian soil below. copy of OrchidWiz. The retail value of this software package is US$295, and it has Vice President: Graham Only one species occurs in the genus been donated to the Species Society by Secretary: Maxine Godbeer Epiblema but there is another variety, the late Ron Heberle’s son (permission 2195 Hidden Valley Rd, Parkerville (var. cyaneum ) a light blue form which is was given to the publisher to reproduce 6081 currently listed as endangered under the many of Ron’s wonderful photos of WA Treasurer: Sandra Federal Governments Environmental terrestrial orchids). If you are actively Editor: Ken Jones Protection and Biodiversity Conservation growing, propagating and exhibiting Act. This variety was reported to occur in orchids, this is the only reference that you 204 Park Street, Henley Brook only two known areas, one in a northern will need. 6055. Phone: 9296 1765 Perth suburb and the other at Walpole on • A special raffle will be conducted at the e-mail: [email protected] the South Coast, but it seems there is To the best of my knowledge, Epiblema June meeting - the plants will be flowering Committee: some dispute regarding Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum has never size Bulbophyllum membranaceum and Chris grandiflorum var. cyaneum at the Walpole Oncidium divaricatum . Tickets are $1.00 been grown in private orchid collections , site. (See "Orchids of Western Australia" • Annual membership fees were due in Michele 2008 by Andrew Brown et al.) which should come as no surprise to any May. If you haven’t been able to get to a Lee who have seen them in their natural meeting, or it may have slipped your mind, Sharon Our own observations of the Epiblema environment. To duplicate the optimum grandiflorum var. grandiflorum at Windy please pay as soon as possible. As you Tony conditions in your garden, though not know, we have been hit with a very Harbour showed that there is quite some Mavis impossible, would be difficult in the substantial increase in our hall hire and variation in colour forms within a 1 km extreme. Besides, it is good to know that Trevor range with some lighter and others newsletter printing costs year and will the future of these orchids is safer in their need to manage our budget carefully to darker. Their colour is difficult to describe, natural environment and they do not run often being called mauve. The closest I make sure that we can continue to Life Members the risk of becoming the subject of orchid provide you with the benefits of could come to it would be blue-ish with a collecting. Barry Gardner (dec’d) tinge of red-ish. You would not call them membership of this eclectic group. • If you haven’t ordered your new badge Gordon blue. Ed: Now that I’ve wetted your appetite be sure to visit the Species Society website yet, please see Mich. The cost for badges Joan & Ted (dec’d) The pollinators of Epiblema are unknown at http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/ with a magnetic clip is $13.50, and with Neville at this time, but they had certainly been pin is $11.50. page18.html . Noel & Eva busy at the Windy Harbour site as many • Don’t forget the parking - please ensure plants carried seed capsules in various that you park your car in the bitumen stages of development. It was common to parking area whenever possible as it will see buds, fully open flowers and seed avoid a fine! capsules on the same plants showing that the flowers were opening in succession . A good reproduction strategy!

10 3 endemic to Western Australia and have area was burned but fewer and fewer in subterranean tubers. They have a single succeeding years. Other factors may also NOTICEBOARD leaf that is almost terete and grows to bear some responsibility for that decline approximately 30cm. such as road works and housing Home visits: development, etc . FORTHFORTH---- At 10am on the Sunday after the fourth Thursday of The stem grows to about 80cm to a metre tall and can carry up to 8 or more blue to COMING each month. Please bring chairs and a plate of food to Graham had been told that the Epiblema share. mauve flowers with darker spots. were in flower at the time so a EVENTS 26 June - Ken & Chris Jones, 204 Park Street, The flowers are up to 4cm across.... photography trip would seem to be worth Henley Brook. while. We left Perth at 6am, and a five hour drive south had us in the area at 31 July - Sharon, 11am. We needed to be away from there by around 1pm so we would be back in Perth about 6pm. This left us two hours on site in which I still managed to take FOR SALE/WANTED around 200 pictures. Digital, naturally.! Oliphant, model CWS 900 laminar flow clean air work station for flasking. Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum Barry Gardner’s laminar flow is for sale, priced to sell at $1,500 ONO (new were not difficult to find on the low lying price $4,500). While it has not been used for some time, it was in good coastal plain. They grew in profusion in working order when last used and was tested some years back. An autoclave standing water alongside the road with for preparing media is also available. Contact Tony on 9342 3799. the flowers easy to spot as we drove along.

Close up photography dictated that we .... and have a most unusual series of had to get our feet wet, so it was off with ribbon like appendages called calli, at the the shoes and, camera safely strung base of the labellum. The column wings form a hood over the anther. The flowers are very similar to Thelymitra but do not share the Thelymitra habit of closing on Imported plant news cloudy days and at night. I have arranged an inspection of the plants that Tony, Mavis, Lee and Rita bought back in November 2010. in the week prior to our We noticed that the back of the flowers home visit on 26 June. You will be able to pick up what ever showed distinct colour changes where the plants are released when you’re here, although I remind you that sepals and petals had overlapped in the the survival rate on this shipment has been very poor . buds. They grow in peaty soils in winter . wet swamps and tend to form colonies. Ken & Chris Jones They do not appear to require fire to regenerate but at one site, it has been recorded that 200 plants were found in each of the years 1987 & 1988 after an

4 9

Epiblema grandiflorum var. MONTHLY PLANT grandiflorum Dockrillia pugioniforme

Country of origin: Australia A Swamp Loving Orchid of the Southwest Description: Mat-forming twig epiphyte

Tony had the following article published in through the water, and flowering Difficulty: Generally easy to grow 2009, and it is on the Species Society continues as the standing water dries out website. There are many more large through the summer. Epiblema can be photos showing interesting facts about this species. Tony and Graham’s photos Cost: show just why WA terrestrial orchids are $15 so admired by enthusiasts worldwide. . Thanks to Mich who has grown these authors suggest that Dockrillia pugion- In mid December 2008, Graham took me large, mounted flowering size plants for forme can be difficult to flower in subtropi- on a trip to Windy Harbour on the south some time. cal lowland environments where the win- coast of Western Australia to photograph ter is cold and wet , however I am aware Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum , Dockrillia pugionforme (formerly known as that several members of the Species So- an orchid that is wide spread throughout Dendrobium pugionforme ) is native to ciety have had success with this and simi- the coastal strip from north of Perth to Northern New South Wales and Southern lar species. Queensland. It is found in rainforest as an East of Esperance. epiphyte on trees, or as lithophyte at low I am also advised that this species can be For good reason has this small settlement to moderate elevations. Over time, this susceptible to cotton and hard scale and been named Windy Harbour. Sited on the species grows into a large mat that can mealy bug where there is insufficient air Southern ocean with its cold winter be literally covered in small yellow and movement. As there is no pseudobulb, storms, this sparsely populated region white flowers. these plants often succumb to quickly to has an almost constant sea breeze even these and other sap-sucking insects. on calmer days . Its common name is the Dagger Orchid for its fleshy leaves which have a rigid, Suitable slab mounts are well-weathered The handsome purple flowers of dagger-like point. hardwood, natural or compressed cork, Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum seen flowering into the southern summer sheoak or other Casuarina species. grow mainly in swamps, sometimes It is said to be easy to grow, and appears between November and January and, to be best on large slabs or mounts that covered in thick rushes and often with after flowering, become deciduous, their roots in water. It seems that they will allow it to grow undisturbed for resuming growth with the winter/spring several years. In its natural habitat, this start their growth while there is standing rains. water in the swamps, and growth contin- species will form roots where the dangling ues as the stems push their way up Epiblema are terrestrial orchids that are stems contact a suitable surface. Some

8 5 Graham & Margaret Tom & Pat Gillian Eriochilus dilatatus Cattleya skinneri Oncidium trulliferum Trichoglottis batanense Stenoglottis longifolia Restrepia trichoglossa Ken and Chris Michele Gordon Cattleya skinneri Peter & Shirley Masters Cattleya intermedia var . alba Christensoniana vietnamica Aerangis cryptodon ‘Breckenridge Snow’ Laelia anceps Paphiopedilum spicerianum Paphiopedilum insigne var. sanderae Prosthechea cochleata var . alba Phalaenopsis sanderiana Psychopsis papilio Maxine Stenoglottis longifolia Noel & Eva Angraecum superbum Cattleya skinneri Barkeria lindleyana ‘white’ Adrian & Deanna Bulbophyllum cominsii Coelogyne fimbriata Tony & Mavis Bulbophyllum rothschildianum Liparis rizalensis Brassavola nodosa Christensonia vietnamica Ornithophora radicans Dendrobium bigibbum ‘Blue’ Cymbidium erythrostylum Sophronitis cernua Dendrobium striaenopsis var . alba Oeonia volucris Oncidium hyphaematicum Sophronitis cernua Mich Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica Restrepia trichoglossa PLANTS DISPLAYED MAY 2011

Aerangis cryptodon Oeonia volucris Peter & Shirley Maxine

Sophronitis cernua Barkeria lindleyana Maxine Maxine Adrian & Deanna

Photography by Tony

6 7 Graham & Margaret Tom & Pat Gillian Eriochilus dilatatus Cattleya skinneri Oncidium trulliferum Trichoglottis batanense Stenoglottis longifolia Restrepia trichoglossa Ken and Chris Michele Gordon Cattleya skinneri Peter & Shirley Masters Cattleya intermedia var . alba Christensoniana vietnamica Aerangis cryptodon ‘Breckenridge Snow’ Laelia anceps Paphiopedilum spicerianum Paphiopedilum insigne var. sanderae Prosthechea cochleata var . alba Phalaenopsis sanderiana Psychopsis papilio Maxine Stenoglottis longifolia Noel & Eva Angraecum superbum Cattleya skinneri Barkeria lindleyana ‘white’ Adrian & Deanna Bulbophyllum cominsii Coelogyne fimbriata Tony & Mavis Bulbophyllum rothschildianum Liparis rizalensis Brassavola nodosa Christensonia vietnamica Ornithophora radicans Dendrobium bigibbum ‘Blue’ Cymbidium erythrostylum Sophronitis cernua Dendrobium striaenopsis var . alba Oeonia volucris Oncidium hyphaematicum Sophronitis cernua Mich Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica Restrepia trichoglossa PLANTS DISPLAYED MAY 2011

Aerangis cryptodon Oeonia volucris Peter & Shirley Maxine

Sophronitis cernua Barkeria lindleyana Maxine Maxine Adrian & Deanna

Photography by Tony

6 7

Epiblema grandiflorum var. MONTHLY PLANT grandiflorum Dockrillia pugioniforme

Country of origin: Australia A Swamp Loving Orchid of the Southwest Description: Mat-forming twig epiphyte

8 5 endemic to Western Australia and have area was burned but fewer and fewer in subterranean tubers. They have a single succeeding years. Other factors may also NOTICEBOARD leaf that is almost terete and grows to bear some responsibility for that decline approximately 30cm. such as road works and housing Home visits: development, etc . FORTHFORTH---- At 10am on the Sunday after the fourth Thursday of The stem grows to about 80cm to a metre tall and can carry up to 8 or more blue to COMING each month. Please bring chairs and a plate of food to Graham had been told that the Epiblema share. mauve flowers with darker spots. were in flower at the time so a EVENTS 26 June - Ken & Chris Jones, 204 Park Street, The flowers are up to 4cm across.... photography trip would seem to be worth Henley Brook. while. We left Perth at 6am, and a five hour drive south had us in the area at 31 July - Sharon, 11am. We needed to be away from there by around 1pm so we would be back in Perth about 6pm. This left us two hours on site in which I still managed to take FOR SALE/WANTED around 200 pictures. Digital, naturally.! Oliphant, model CWS 900 laminar flow clean air work station for flasking. Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum Barry Gardner’s laminar flow is for sale, priced to sell at $1,500 ONO (new were not difficult to find on the low lying price $4,500). While it has not been used for some time, it was in good coastal plain. They grew in profusion in working order when last used and was tested some years back. An autoclave standing water alongside the road with for preparing media is also available. Contact Tony on 9342 3799. the flowers easy to spot as we drove along.

4 9 around our necks, we waded into the water with our toes in the muck. We were surprised at height of the Epiblema NOTES FROM YOUR COMMITTEE flowers above the water and estimated • that many were a good metre from the Come prepared to bid on the auction of a President: Adrian soil below. copy of OrchidWiz. The retail value of this software package is US$295, and it has Vice President: Graham Only one species occurs in the genus been donated to the Species Society by Secretary: Maxine Godbeer Epiblema but there is another variety, the late Ron Heberle’s son (permission 2195 Hidden Valley Rd, Parkerville (var. cyaneum ) a light blue form which is was given to the publisher to reproduce 6081 currently listed as endangered under the many of Ron’s wonderful photos of WA Treasurer: Sandra Federal Governments Environmental terrestrial orchids). If you are actively Editor: Ken Jones Protection and Biodiversity Conservation growing, propagating and exhibiting Act. This variety was reported to occur in orchids, this is the only reference that you 204 Park Street, Henley Brook only two known areas, one in a northern will need. 6055. Phone: 9296 1765 Perth suburb and the other at Walpole on • A special raffle will be conducted at the e-mail: [email protected] the South Coast, but it seems there is To the best of my knowledge, Epiblema June meeting - the plants will be flowering Committee: some dispute regarding Epiblema grandiflorum var. grandiflorum has never size Bulbophyllum membranaceum and Chris grandiflorum var. cyaneum at the Walpole Oncidium divaricatum . Tickets are $1.00 been grown in private orchid collections , site. (See "Orchids of Western Australia" • Annual membership fees were due in Michele 2008 by Andrew Brown et al.) which should come as no surprise to any May. If you haven’t been able to get to a Lee who have seen them in their natural meeting, or it may have slipped your mind, Sharon Our own observations of the Epiblema environment. To duplicate the optimum grandiflorum var. grandiflorum at Windy please pay as soon as possible. As you Tony conditions in your garden, though not know, we have been hit with a very Harbour showed that there is quite some Mavis impossible, would be difficult in the substantial increase in our hall hire and variation in colour forms within a 1 km extreme. Besides, it is good to know that Trevor range with some lighter and others newsletter printing costs year and will the future of these orchids is safer in their need to manage our budget carefully to darker. Their colour is difficult to describe, natural environment and they do not run often being called mauve. The closest I make sure that we can continue to Life Members the risk of becoming the subject of orchid provide you with the benefits of could come to it would be blue-ish with a collecting. Barry Gardner (dec’d) tinge of red-ish. You would not call them membership of this eclectic group. • If you haven’t ordered your new badge Gordon blue. Ed: Now that I’ve wetted your appetite be sure to visit the Species Society website yet, please see Mich. The cost for badges Joan & Ted (dec’d) The pollinators of Epiblema are unknown at http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/ with a magnetic clip is $13.50, and with Neville at this time, but they had certainly been pin is $11.50. page18.html . Noel & Eva busy at the Windy Harbour site as many • Don’t forget the parking - please ensure plants carried seed capsules in various that you park your car in the bitumen stages of development. It was common to parking area whenever possible as it will see buds, fully open flowers and seed avoid a fine! capsules on the same plants showing that the flowers were opening in succession . A good reproduction strategy!

10 3 MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING ABOUT US

2 11 If unclaimed, return to The Editor THE SPECIES ORCHID SOCIETY OF WA ( INC ) 204 Park Street, Henley Brook WA 6055 http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/species Newsletter.htm

Vol 23 No 1 June 2011 NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER

Peter & Shirley Masters 110 Crawford St East Cannington 6107 WA Phone: 08 93506087 Mob 0419831177 CULTURAL AWARD, May 2011 Cattleya skinneri Shirley 0414948469 Tom & Pat E-mail: [email protected]