SONOMACOUNTYORCHIDSOCIETY

January 2013

A California Non-Profit 501 (c) (3) Corporation

IN THIS ISSUE WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE AS OUR JANUARY 8 SPEAKER, 1 RON PARSONS January SCOS Meeting Speaker Dinner Ron Parsons is considered by many to be one of the 2 finest flower photographers in the United States. His President’s Corner photography and encyclopedic know-ledge of orchids is Treasurer's Report known both nationally and internationally. He has been 3 photographing orchids, wildflowers, and almost every Board Highlights other kind of plant for over 25 years, and has a slide collection that numbers well over 80,000 slides! He went "digital" just over a year ago, and in this Membership Report short time has taken thousands of photos of orchids, wildflowers and other rare plants. Ron loves to Refreshments travel, photograph orchids and wildflowers in situ, visit orchid and other plant enthusiasts' collections, Thank You and most of all, to take photographs of plants and flowers that he likes. 4 Orchid Genera and their Ron's photos have been featured in journal articles, on book covers and in several books. Not only abbreviations does Ron photograph plants, but he has been growing orchids, cacti, and bromeliads for over thirty SKILL SESSION years, and carnivorous plants for ten. He grows an assortment of cool growing species under lights at 5 -6 his home in South San Francisco and a few more at an unheated greenhouse at his parents' home in Weird & Wild Burlingame. His collection is beautifully grown, and often the plants featured in his talks are from his 7 own collection. He willingly shares his knowledge about plant habitats and suggestions for culture with all who are interested. Upcoming Events 8 Ron Parsons is a member of the San Francisco Orchid Society, The Peninsula Orchid Society, The Newsletter Deadline Orchid Society of California, and the Bay Area Pleurothallid Alliance. Ron is also a member of the Spring Show Notice San Francisco Succulent and Cactus Society, and the American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco.i 9 Officers/Committee Chairs Orchid Links Please join us for dinner 10 with RON PARSONS Event Posters 11 at 5:00 p.m. at SIMPLY VIETNAM January Checklist 12 966 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa Holiday Dinner Pics Directions Menu

RSVP to Lynne Murrell at [email protected] by Tuesday, 1/8 at 12:00 noon . 500 species

Page 1 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Dear Orchid Friends,

Happy New Year! Let’s roll into the NewYear with renewed enthusiasm to make our Sonoma County Orchid Society the best it can be! We have Ron Parsons and his beautiful, award winning photography to start off our January meeting. His orchid HAPPY NEW YEAR knowledge is truly amazing. Now that the busy holiday season is over, we can look forward to our fun spring show. Blooming in January Even though we have an extra 7 weeks to plan it, March29th will arrive rapidly. Let’s think of things that can help our Show Chair, Lynne Murrell, with planning and organizing. There are a lot of things to do to get this Show ready. Everyone needs to get involved in order to make this Show a success! It is due to YOUR efforts that make our SCOS a successful and fun organization!

Volunteer, volunteer and volunteer, again!

Congratulations to Kathie Hile, the SCOS Marie Waskow Award recipient for 2012! She really deserves it! She has volunteered countless hours and taken on a lot of jobs that make our Society run smoothly. Rlc. Calypso (Rhyncholaelia digbyana x See you in the New Year starting with our January 8th meeting! Cattleya bicolor) Susan

Blooming in January TREASURER'S REPORT

As most of you know, someone broke into our lockers, which are stored in our meeting room at the Vets Bldg. sometime between our July and August meetings. We have property insurance, but there is a $500 deductible and the property is subject to depreciation. To replace the stolen projector, spare bulb, laser pointer and extension cords cost us $1,029.61. We were reimbursed $606.34 from insurance so our net cost was $423.27.

Just a reminder that we are a non-profit and donations are tax deductible.

Beallara Smile Eri 'Prayoon' (Bllra. Tohama Glacier x Oda. Toroma x Oda. Ingera) CONGRATULATIONS Kathie Hile recipient of the 2012 Marie Wascow Award

Page 2 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter Highlights of 12-18-12 Board Meeting Refreshments

Ron Parsons will be our speaker at January meeting, and We are asking members to bring snacks to the monthly dinner will be at Simply Vietnam. Speakers for rest of meetings. Please check the following list to find out 2013 are not set yet. what month you are asked to participate.

Sales tax is going up to 8.75% as of 1/1/13. Members with last names beginning with the letters:

YTD we have a loss of $1,117.74, and that is $935.81 T–Z January, 2013 greater than last year at this time. We had to buy a new A–B February C – De March projector and bulb to replace ones that were stolen; we Di – Fo April have a new Marie Waskow plaque; and our rent is paid Fr – H May for all of calendar 2013 at the Vets Bldg. Normally our J – Le June rent is paid only thru fiscal year end 6/30, but the new Ice Cream Social July management company did a contract for the entire Li – M August calendar year. N–R September Bar-B-Q & Auction OctoberNo Meeting The holiday party was held at Legends and 32 people S November Holiday Dinner December In Lieu of Meeting attended. Net cost to Society was $27.90. Winner of the Marie Waskow award is Kathie Hile – congratulations! Thank you Lynne reported we have 11 vendors committed to do the show in March. We’d like to find a volunteer to handle publicity for the show. Another show meeting will be held sometime in January. MEMBERSHIP

The bus trip is scheduled for 4/20 thanks to Tony Our Society has 83 paid members. Mininno. Hope everyone had a Happy New Years. We need a volunteer to host the potting party, and Kathie is looking for members to host open greenhouses. It's not too late to get a membership gift certificate for the coming year.

Larry

Thank you to Kathie Hile and Billie MacCarthy for making our Annual Holiday Party a HUGE SUCCESS! They did a great job making all of the arrangements! The food at Legends at Bennett Valley Golf Course was delicious! The orchids for the table decorations were beautiful. The gift exchange was fun, too!

Thanks to Larry Mead for getting the new We would love to see how you grow. What month can you placque and the engraving done for the Marie host an open greenhouse? Please call Kathie at 585-1912 or 775-5560. Waskow Award

Susan

Page 3 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter ORCHID GENERA AND THEIR ABBREVIATIONS

Many of us are confused as to what genus an orchid abbreviation refers, ie., "Brchnd." (Brachionidium) a natural genus, or "Droa." (Derosaara) a hybrid genus consisting of Aspasia x Brassia x Miltonia x Odontoglossum. There are approximately 1725 recognized orchid genera.The following link to First Rays, LLC provides a full list of genus names and their abbreviations: http://www.firstrays.com/orchid_genera.htm

Brachionidium dodsoni Luer 1995 Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt. The plant photo is ensitu in Podocarpus National Park, Southern Ecuador.

Found in southern Ecuador in deep moss on wet, steep road embankments at elevations of 1650 to 1850 meters as a miniature, cool growing terrestrial. Blooms in the spring on an erect, slender, single flowered, 1" long inflor-escence with a bract at the base and another below the middle that carries the single flower above the leaves.

Derosaara Harvey 'Everglades' Photo courtesy of Everglades Orchids

A SKILL SESSION at the January meeting, beginning at 6:45, will be provided by Marni Turkel on "HOW TO READ AN ORCHID TAG". Learn what names are capitalized and what names are not. What does it it mean when a name is in single quotes? What does the abbreviation var. or ssp. mean? Or those all caps letters with the / inbetween. Just come to the short skill session and get all the answers.

Page 4 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter Weird & Wild: Spider, Butterfly Orchids on Behind-the-Scenes Tour

Posted by Christine Dell'Amore of National Geographic News on September 28, 2012

Yesterday I escaped the city to explore the orchid-rich tropics—just a half-an-hour outside D.C. I took a behind-the-scenes to about 8,000 orchids used in education, exhibitions, and scientific research.

Tom Mirenda shows a Dendrochilum magnum orchid. Photos by Christine Dell'Amore.

Tom Mirenda, a Smithsonian orchid expert, first told our group a bit about orchids. For instance, most of the plants—found everywhere but Antarctica—are epiphytes, which means they grow on other plants, usually trees. (Wild orchids usually hang upside down—the flowers you might have seen in gardens or people’s homes are actually staked upright.)

As we walked along the many aisles of plants, a light mist falling from above, Mirenda stopped to point out a few highlights, such as the pretty chocolate orchid, which had a sweet (but maybe not quite chocolatey) smell. I was surprised how different plants looked—some of them didn’t look like your, well, garden-variety orchid at all.

The chocolate orchid smells sweet, sort of like chocolate!

That’s because “that the way a flower looks has everything to do with its ecology”—ie. the flower evolved to suit its pollinator, Mirenda told us.

Take, for instance, the spider orchid, whose spiky leaves resemble a spider to attract spider-eating, parasitic wasps, which then end up pollinating the orchid. “They can’t help themselves—they’re looking for spiders to lay their eggs,” he said. Many orchids feature a “landing pad” and “handlebars” that allow an insect easier access to its pollen.

The spider orchid mimics a spider to attract pollinating wasps.

Page 5 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter Then there’s the mysterious butterfly orchids in the Psychopsis genus. No one knows how they’re pollinated, though it’s likely has one or two clever tricks: The butterfly-like flower might attract a parasitic insect on the lookout for butterflies, or it fools a male butterfly into thinking it’s a female. There’s even a fun word for it: pseudocopulation. Either way, the orchid succeeds in getting its seeds distributed to continue the life cycle. We got to see a hybrid butterfly orchid, Psychopsis mariposa, below.

Another oddity is the ghost orchid, Dendrophylax fawcetti, so named because it lacks leaves—it photosynthesizes through its roots—and because sometimes it has a pale white flower that “pops out of nowhere,” Mirenda said.

The bucket orchid has also evolved a creative strategy: Its pollinator, a type of tropical bee, falls into the flower’s lip, which is full of a liquid secreted by the flower.

“But he doesn’t die—instead, the frantic bee is funneled to an escape hatch where pollen is surreptitiously deposited on his back and then freed. The pollen-laden bee is happy because on his visit, he was able to collect a fragrance attractive to female bees, despite its harrowing, near-death experience,” Mirenda said.

Our last visit was a sweet surprise: A sprawling vanilla orchid, which was taller than a man and stretched over our heads. Their seedpods yield vanilla extract, and according to Mirenda, vanilla orchids can grow as quickly as philodendron.

The vanilla orchid (left) can grow to huge lengths!

But most orchids aren’t doing so well. About 65 percent of North America’s 208 orchid species are in trouble, mostly because they’re so closely tied to their environments—for instance, orchids rely on certain fungi to survive.

Until recently, there was no major enterprise to save North American orchids. But that’s changed with the newly launched North American Orchid Conservation Center, a national public-private partnership that includes the Smithsonian and the U.S. Botanical Garden, said Dennis Whigham, of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Among its goals, Whigham told us, is creating repositories for orchid seeds and the fungi with wich they live. The conservation center will also work with regional botanic gardens and private landowners to conserve orchids.

Page 6 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter UPCOMING EVENTS 2013

January

1/8 at 6:30p.m. SCOS Meeting: Ron Parsons Guest Speaker; Marni Turkel Skill Session on How to Read an Orchid Tag

1/18 Gold Coast Cymbidium Growers' Annual Collector's Auction. Preview: 6:30. Auction Starts at 7p.m. San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, CA. Information: www.GoldcoastCymbidiumGrowers.com

1/25-27 Peninsula Orchid Society Show & Sale, Community Activities Building, 1400 Roosevelt Ave., Redwood City. Contact Chaunie Langlund 510-494-8850 or [email protected]

February

2/12 at 6:30p.m. SCOS Meeting: Dean Hung of Paphiness Orchids will give his presentation on – what else, paphiopedilums.

2/21-24 Pacific Orchid Exposition: Friday 10 – 6, Saturday 9 – 6; Sunday 10 –5, Fort Mason Center's Festival Pavilion http://www.orchidsanfrancisco.org/poe.html

March

3/12 at 6:30 p.m. SCOS Meeting. Speaker to be announced

3/16-17 Open Greenhouse by Cynthia Battershall. Times to be announced.

Blooming in January Blooming in January

Den. Lipstick x Den. Northmead 'Dainty' Ctt. Orchidglade (Cattleya walkeriana x Guarianthe aurantiaca)

Page 7 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter FEB. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: DO YOU HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS? ARE YOU STILL RECEIVING THE February 22 NEWSLETTER IN YOUR (SNAIL) MAIL? If so, please contact Larry Mead at If you have an announcement, thank you, notice [email protected] or anything else for the next newsletter, please so that your subscription can be changed to be email Kathie Hile at [email protected] or mail to received via 4800 Pressley Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 email. The advantages are: 707-585-1912 or 707-775-9998 (1) You will receive the newsletter earlier (the newsletter posts on the website when it goes to the printer); (2) It comes in color; (3) You will be saving the Society the cost of printing, collating, and mailing; (4) You get hyperlinks like in a webpage. You know – the items in blue that you click to visit another web site, or easy access to email addresses.

Page 8 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN CONTACT ANY OFFICER OR COMMITTEE CHAIR WITH QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS:

2012/2013 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs Board Positions President Susan Anderson [email protected] Vice President Lynne Murrell [email protected] Secretary Becky Jackson [email protected] Treasurer Ann Possinger [email protected] Membership Larry Mead [email protected] Newsletter Kathie Hile [email protected] Ways & Means Jeanne Van Blarcom [email protected] Meetings Billie MacCarthy [email protected] Past President Kathie Hile [email protected] Committee Chairs Meeting Setup Bob Breckwoldt Phone 415-479-2329 Librarian Patty Connick [email protected] Opportunity Table Ann Conger [email protected] Kathy Thompson [email protected] Plant Sales Marilyn Barquero [email protected] Mariann Hopkins [email protected] Greeter Vacant AOS/Orchid Digest Patty Connick [email protected] Webmaster Richard Lindberg [email protected]

On this site: http://www.phals.net/index_e.html you will discover a small part of the great Orchid family: the Phalaenopsis. There are about 60 species in this genus with flowers of various shapes and colors. The goal of this site is to share a passion and to gather together as much information as possible about these plants.

The American Orchid Society Completely revamped! Faster, more info. available to everyone. But, to get the most out of the website, see Patty Connick for a membership application. The Orchid Digest Published quarterly by The Orchid Digest Corporation for the purpose of increasing the appreciation and improving the culture of orchids. See Patty Connick for a membership application. Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia Jay Pfahl's site is one of the best sites for checking out information on orchid species. PhragWeb A site dedicated to Phagmipedium, Mexipedium and Selenipedium. Info and pictures of species and hybrids with full breeding details of most of the phrag hybrids. The International Orchid Register Under the heading "Grex", enter the hybrid name, i.e. Cattleya Chocolate Drop 'Kodama' enter "Chocolate Drop". You will be given the parentage of that hybrid. A very useful website. Flowershots Orchid and flower photography and talks by Ron Parsons.

Backbulbs SCOS member, Richard Lindberg, discusses growing orchids from backbulbs as an inexpensive way to increase your orchid collection. this site's features include a blog and culture notes for many genera with photos.

Page 9 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter PLEASE Share Your Orchid Story… GOT NEWS? we'll have a Be Part Of The Newsletter! "Classifieds" free – just for members In order to keep the newsletter interesting, we hope you will share your stories and pictures with us. Years ago, our Have an announcement to make? Looking for a particular newsletters had articles from members and everyone loved it! plant? Want to share/sell plants? Have a greenhouse or We’ve all had our good, bad and mixed experiences with orchid items for sale? Then spread the word via this orchids… Now is the time to share yours with the newsletter! Send you announcement for the Classified's membership. All articles and pictures should be emailed to Column to [email protected]. [email protected]. Articles must be in typed form and pictures in jpg form.

Blooming in January Blooming in January

Den. Nora Torunaga Ctt. Portia (Den. atroviolaceum x Den. rhodostictum) (Cattleya walkeriana x Guarianthe aurantiaca)

Page 10 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter JANUARY CHECKLIST (Excerpted with permission from the AOS)

Cattleya. Grooming is also important here. This is a prime flowering season, so enjoy the results of your growing efforts by preparing the plants to show the blooms to their best advantage. Tie up pseudobulbs to conserve bench space and to make flower grooming easier. Watch for signs of scale in the sheathing on pseudobulbs; remove the sheathing carefully so as not to nick the soft tissue of the newest bulbs which could result in rot. Cymbidium. Some early varieties may still be in their prime with inflorescences in perfect condition. Keep the humidity conditions high in the root zone to prevent shriveling of the pseudobulbs and to prolong flowering. Later varieties are just beginning to push up their flowering stems. This is am important time for growers, especially for anyone aiming to exhibit in orchid shows. Stake the spikes so that the flowers will be at their best, remembering that as the spikes grow, you may have to retrace your steps and adjust the ties so that the spikes stay straight. Lycaste. Watering tapers off now as the spikes start growing. Start staking soon to better position the flower spikes so that the elegant flowers will not interfere with each other. The blooms can be enormous and should not look crowded. Bright filtered light will increase stem strength. Do not move the plants around or the flowers will readjust to the different direction the light is coming from and so ultimately will not face forward properly. Dendrobium. Continue to water sparingly, or not at all, those species that require a dormant period before flowering this spring (Den aggregatum, Den. chrysotoxum, Den. farmeri, Den. densiflorum and Den. nobile or its hybrids). As the buds begin to emerge, gradually increase the watering frequency and amount. Be cautions that the evergreen type hybrids are not exposed to temperatures below 60°F, or plants in flower may drop their leaves and buds. Paphiopedilum. Many have been flowering beautifully for months and others are just beginning to bloom. Do not allow the roots to dry out between waterings. If you are growing on a windowsill, use a pebble tray with water in the pebbles, to increase humidity. Keep water out of the sensitive pouches; accumulated moisture shortens flower life. Remember, Paphiopedilums can be potted almost any time, even now. If you see a plant or plants with decayed mix and declining vigor, go ahead and repot. Just watch the watering to assure that no water lodges in the center of the growths, as this can rot the growth or developing spike. Again, stake spikes to avoid weakness from dull days.The exception may be those with Paphiopedilum fairrieanum influence, as these do not like to be stakes until the bloom is ripe. If staked too soon, the flower will mature in a nodding fashion, with the dorsal nearly horizontal. Phalaenopsis. The flowering cycle is about to start under lights, on the windowsill and in the greenhouse. Groom racemes carefully to insure proper flower arrangement and best use of the bench/display area. Constant air circulation is essential to avoid Botrytis-spotted blooms. Water carefully to keep flowers dry and to minimize risks of soft rot in the fleshy leaves. Fertilize sparingly with a liquid or granular formula and only when the medium is moist. Begin careful monitoring for scale and mealybugs on the inflorescences and undersides of leaves. Vandaceous genera. Light, or the lack of it, becomes a challenge this month. Observe the growing area carefully to locate the brightest spots in the house where you can place your vandas and ascocendas. Do not make drastic transitions; instead, gradually move plants from the darkest lower levels to the brightest upper levels, to avoid leaf burn. Fertilize moist baskets or pots at least twice this month if light levels are sufficient. Many of the popular Thai hybrids and the African angraecoids begin their winter flowering now, so watch for signs of inflorescences; "help" them away from the main stem of the plant to insure proper display. Maintain high humidity in the root zone, particularly for those plants in slatted baskets. Mist the roots daily. Zygopetalum. Although zygopetalums started their bloom season a month ago, this will be the peak flowering period. Spikes emerge from the sides of new growths. Stake if necessary, although with sufficient light they often can stand on their own. Fertilize regularly to allow new growths to form into a mature pseudobulb.

Blooming in January Blooming in January

Vanda Chill Out Pleuro. palliotata (Vanda Golden Doubloon x Vanda javierae)

Page 11 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter THE HOLIDAY PARTY WAS A LOT OF FUN FOR ALL

Page 12 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter Page 13 SCOS January 2013 Newsletter