CULTURE Phragmipedium kovachii In 2001, the discovery of a slipper orchid in Peru captured the imaginations of orchid enthusiasts worldwide, including this New York State grower who made it his goal to successfully cultivate and hybridize this awesome orchid ABOVE The author with a specimen of SLIPPER ORCHIDS HAVE ALWAYS Phragmipedium kovachii in Peru. had their stars, notably Paphio- RIGHT The flowers of Phrag. kovachii can pedilum sanderianum and Paphio- reach 6 inches (15 cm) or more across. pedilum rothschildianum, and then, more recently, Paphiopedilum armen- OPPOSITE ABOVE LEFT On the trail to find iacum and Paphiopedilum vietnamense. Phrag. kovachii in Peru. But, in modern times, it has been all about OPPOSITE ABOVE CENTER AND RIGHT new species of Phragmipedium, starting Phragmipedium kovachii, its flower with the introduction of Phragmipedium (center) and bud (right). besseae, which is solely responsible for putting this genus in the forefront of hobbyists everywhere. In the early 1980s, who could have imagined that TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS this slipper orchid could have been BY GLEN DECKER sitting in the jungle with its brilliant red- 826 ORCHIDS NOVEMBER 2007 WWW.AOS.ORG WWW.AOS.ORG NOVEMBER 2007 ORCHIDS 827 orange flowers for so long without anyone noticing? However, in 2002, an even more astonishing discovery awaited us all — Phragmipedium kovachii. For me, it started in May 2003 when I was invited to go to Peru to see Phrag. kovachii in its habitat and endure a hike that Harold Koopowitz, PhD, editor of the Orchid Digest and a good friend, referred to as the “hike from hell.” It was a trip put together by a friend of ours, Isaías Rolando, MD, a well-known orchidist from Peru and, like me, an orchidaholic. At this point, I wasn’t aware of how involved I would become with the propagation, hybridization and preservation of this new species, but hoped that I would. During this adventure, I had the opportunity to speak in depth with a new friend, Alfredo Manrique, who owns and runs a small orchid nursery WALTER PINOCHET WALTER and lab in Lima, Peru. His company, Centro de Jardineria Manrique, was the first to be entrusted by the Peruvian government to collect five plants for the sole intention of preservation through propagation. And, it was during our adventure to the habitat, that Manrique collected those five plants. A year later we met again in Miami, Florida, and formed a partnership for the propagation and distribution of this new find. At this time, Fritz Schomburg, PhD, of Tropical Propagations, in Madison, Wisconsin, entered the partnership. Schomburg’s many years of work developing flasking techniques in the lab with phragmipediums proved vital for this project. Fortunately, Manrique also had a lab in Lima, since all the initial lab work and flasking had to be done there. The first couple of years required several trips to Lima for Schomburg and me to get the original breeding and flasking started. Miluzka Damian, Manrique’s lab technician, was there to give us a hand and was responsible for the care of the mother flasks that were eventually brought to the United States, where Schomburg brought them to his lab to complete the work that was initially started in Peru. Today, we have hundreds of seedlings of Phrag. kovachii and its hybrids in the lab and nursery, here and in Peru, hoping to permanently change the way we presently look at phragmipdiums. With the most exciting plant find in years, there is bound to be controversy and Phrag. kovachii was no exception. From the onset, Phrag. kovachii or, as 828 ORCHIDS NOVEMBER 2007 WWW.AOS.ORG many now refer to it as “PK,” was visited with the seven deadly sins. Lust … The rape and pillaging of several habitat sites, which fortunately has slowed down to a crawl recently. However, at the time of my visit in 2003, the first habitat site had already been wiped out of thousands of plants. The habitat site that we explored was also wiped clean a few weeks after our visit. Gluttony … The senseless des- truction of those habitats. How many plants needed to be collected? We have estimated that at least 5,000 plants or more have already been taken, but clearly that wasn’t enough, because this plant continued to be collected. I believe that, to date, the first habitat site is completely wiped out, the second pretty well picked through and a third site has experienced some damage, but still seems to be fairly intact. Greed … When I first heard of ISAÍAS ROLANDO, MD Phrag. kovachii, it was being offered for sale in the United States, illegally, of course, for $10,000 for two plants. Later, rumors surfaced of its being offered throughout Europe for $1,000 for one plant. Why not, when you consider lust and gluttony? Sloth … CITES is an international agreement that governs trade, perhaps with conservation side effects. Do we need regulations and control measures? Absolutely. However, the faster a new species can be introduced into cultivation, the sooner the pressures of having that plant ravaged from its habitat will be lessened. A good example is the mass propagation of Phrag. besseae. With thousands of plants now in cultivation, the desire to purchase a jungle-collected plant is almost nil. Now, look at Phrag. kovachii. It has been five years since its discovery and we are only starting ISAÍAS ROLANDO, MD to get plants into cultivation, but in the meanwhile, tens of thousands of plants Botanical Gardens, in Sarasota, Florida, OPPOSITE ABOVE Phragmipedium have been taken from the jungle and, where it was finally given its present kovachii ‘Memoria Grimanesa Manrique’, out of those plants, very few survived. name, Phragmipedium kovachii. CHM/AOS. Grower: Centro de Jardineria Wrath … I don’t know of any plant Envy … The overall desire to Manrique. in recent time, or at any time, that has possess this plant and be the first has OPPOSITE Phragmipedium kovachii in its been afflicted with so much con- brought on the overabundance of native habitat in Peru. troversy. From its discovery, the scandals, rumors, lies and more. From TOP and ABOVE Two clones of naming of the plant was the start of it the moment that I, Koopowitz and the all. When a group of Peruvian orchid rest of the group returned from Peru, Phragmipedium kovachii. Grower: Centro enthusiasts heard of the new plant, they we were accused of collecting the de Jardineria Manrique. contacted Eric Christensen, PhD, who plants from the habitat site we visited. promptly described it and, with the The rumors even went as far as saying people of Peru in mind, was going to that they had photographs of us in a name it Phragmipedium peruvianum. helicopter. Boy, if we had a helicopter, However, a specimen of this plant we would have never experienced the found its way to the Marie Selby hike from hell. WWW.AOS.ORG NOVEMBER 2007 ORCHIDS 829 the high content of the calcium carbonate found in its soil. Here is the potting mix I am presently using and we are pleased with its results: 6 parts seedling or fine grade bark, 1 part horticultural charcoal, 1 part sponge rock or large perlite and ½ part of calcium chips or cracked oyster shells. For larger plants, we would swap out two parts of fine-grade bark and replace it with two parts medium-grade bark. Once we moved all the plants into this, within six weeks we started seeing huge improvements with the root growth, which is what we wanted to see. Now, do not worry about finding calcium chips or cracked oyster shell. If you are fortunate enough to live in a farming community, that’s easy. Any store that sells animal feed will stock one or both of these. It’s inexpensive; I think it costs around $6 for a 50 pound (22 kg) bag. Share it with your friends. However, I use it for all my paphiopedilums and phragmipediums. Both of these products Pride … Last but not least, but the can be found growing on is cretacean are used as a poultry feed supplement to root of all sins. With pride sometimes limestone. The habitat soil is composed egg-producing chickens to help strengthen comes arrogance and with the absence of crushed limestone, mixed with their shells. I would assume that any large of common sense and humility you find organic matter. specialty bird store or pet store would carry yourself consumed with the other Measurements of the habitat soils it as well, for the same reason, to feed to deadly sins. Enough said. are as follows: nesting birds of all types. CULTIVATION There have been pH lightly alkaline: 7.9 Water Using higher-quality waters, many delays in the distribution of Electric conductivity: dS/m 0.41 such as RO (reverse-osmosis) water or Phrag. kovachii due to the lack of Calcium carbonate: 85.7 percent rainwater, will be an advantage; understanding of its cultural needs. Organic matter: 1.5 percent however, I think you should be able to After a couple of years, I feel that we Phosphorus: 1.9 ppm use other types of water, but watch the can finally give sound advice on how Potassium: 60 ppm salt levels. Do not use water softeners to grow it but first, let’s go back and Water quality of the habitat: pH because they use salts to accomplish look at its habitat. 6–6.5 E.C. 20 ppm this function. As with all types of Manrique and Pablo Bermudez, an Medium As a grower, I think the phragmipediums, we want to keep the orchid grower and member of Club first of the two most important things medium moist to almost wet at all times.