NEWSLETTER November 2017 Volume 12 Issue #11 CLUB NEWS November 7 Our Membership Veep Linda Stewart delivered free raffle SAOS Meeting tickets to the 3 people with birthdays in November. She by Janis Croftt and Sue Bottom also announced a plan to have a Mentee/ [email protected] Mentor program to start up in the spring if there is enough interest. There was a sign-up sheet to determine interest Welcome and Thanks. from the membership as well as a suggestion box. Bob Schimmel opened Sue Bottom presented the ballot of nominees for the the meeting at 7:00 pm Board as Bob Schimmel (President), Sue Bottom (Program sharp with 67 attendees. Chair), Bill Gourley (Treasurer), Janis Croft (Secretary), Carolyn Smith introduced Linda Stewart (Membership), Dianne Batchelder (Events), our two guests and Susan Smith, Suzanne Susko and Tom Sullivan (Directors two new members, Jan at Large). The membership voted unanimously in favor. Lesnikoski and Lucinda The only November show in Florida is the Ft. Pierce show Vern Bloch Winn. Bob then thanked on Nov. 11-12. Check SAOS website for details. Dottie Sullivan for the The Ace Repotting Clinic and Keiki Clubs are on winter peanut butter sweets and Jeanette Smith for organizing hiatus. the refreshments and reminded all to drop a dollar in the Three raffle tickets will now be given to members who basket while enjoying their treats. Bob next informed all exhibit a Show Table plant for their first time. that the Best of Show voting would occur between the The new hats ($15) and T-shirts ($20) were available Show Table discussion and the presentation as well as the at the sales table along with supplies. Email Sue (info@ end of the silent auction. He encouraged all to vote for their staugorchidsociety.org) if you need potting supplies and favorite orchid. she will bring them to the next meeting for purchase. Club Business. The January meeting date has Show Table Review. Courtney Hackney started the been changed to the second Wednesday (Jan. 10), to discussion by thanking Leslie Brickell for housing his orchids accommodate Ben Oliveros from Orchid Eros in Hawaii after Matthew destroyed his greenhouse. In addition to his who will be stateside for the Tamiami show. Mark your verbal thanks, he showed a registration form for a new calendar cause you do not want to miss this speaker! orchid which he created and named after Leslie. Then with Club librarian, Penny Halyburton brought in the current Sue’s Vanna-like assistance, he proceeded to go through Orchids magazine and a great reference book, Four the Show Table that had the most plants ever! He started Seasons of Orchids by Greg Allikas and Ned Nash. by discussing the old clones. The first was the large white Remember to email Penny (librian@staugorchidsociety. flowered Deesse cattleya that was first registered in 1946. org) with your book/DVD your request and she will bring When crossing this plant with another white flowered orchid, the item(s) to the next meeting. The library collection is one can get a big pink flower up to 8” wide. Another oldie, listed on our SAOS website. C. Lucille Small, is a smaller plant that is known for its giant Dianne Batchelder informed all of the date and location flowers also. Next, he showed Lc. Dinard ‘Blue Heaven’ of our Holiday Party which will start at 6:30 at the Memorial that is an early coerulean cross from the 1960’s. Sherrie Lutheran Church on 3375 US 1 South, Jenkins brought in a huge, spectacularly grown nodosa St. Aug 32086. She passed around hybrid potted in a large basket loaded with unusually large a sign-up sheet for side dishes flowers on an outstanding number of inflorescences. Many to accompany the turkey and ziti/ in the audience discussed the possible background of meatballs that the club will provide. this plant, with many suggesting Bl. Morning Glory. There There will be an orchid auction after were more flowers on each inflorescence than would be dinner. Several portable greenhouses expected, but with such a well-grown plant, who knows? will also be auctioned. An interesting plant, Lc. Eximia ‘Sea God’ was a coerulea Continued on page 3 November 2017 Page 1 CLUB NEWS 9-11 South Carolina Orchid Society Show Riverbanks Zoo&Botanical Garden West Columbia, SC 10-11 Boca Raton Orchid Society Show Safe Schools Institute 13 JOS Meeting, Encyclias, 7 pm Marv Ragan, JOS 17-18 Port Saint Lucie Orchid Society Show Upcoming Orchid Events Port St. Lucie Community Center 23-25 Naples Orchid Society Show November Moorings Presbyterian Church 25 Keiki Club Get-Together, 1 pm 11-12 Fort Pierce Orchid Society Show SAOS Exhibit at Jax OS, Janis Fort Pierce Shrine Club Janis Croft and Alan Winer’s Home 14 JOS Meeting, Prepping Orchids, 7 pm 8311 CR 208, St. Aug 32092 Eric Cavin, JOS December St. Augustine Orchid Society Organization President Bob Schimmel 5 SAOS Christmas Auction, 6:30 pm [email protected] We’re meeting on our normal Tuesday night but at a different location! Vice President Dianne Batchelder Memorial Lutheran Church Events [email protected] 3375 US 1 South, St. Aug 32086 10 JOS Christmas Auction, 5:30 pm Vice President Linda Stewart Orange Park Country Club Membership [email protected] 2525 Country Club Blvd, Orange Park Vice President Sue Bottom January 2018 Programs [email protected] 6-7 Sarasota Orchid Society Show Secretary Janis Croft Sarasota Municipal Auditorium [email protected] 9 JOS Meeting, Jax Zoo Research, 7 pm Houston Sneed Treasurer Bill Gourley 10 SAOS Meeting, 6:30 pm [email protected] Changed meeting date from the 1st Tuesday to the 2nd Wednesday to accommodate Ben Directors at Large Susan Smith Ben Oliveros, Orchid Eros [email protected] Hawaiian Grown Orchids Tom Sullivan 12-14 Tamiami International Orchid Festival [email protected] Dade County Fair Expo Center Suzanne Susko 19-21 Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society Show [email protected] War Memorial Auditorium Exhibit Committee Janis Croft February Chair [email protected] 3 SAOS at Ace Hardware, 9 am til 1 pm Librarian Penny Halyburton 3050 US 1 S in St. Augustine [email protected] Repotting and Plant Clinic 3-4 Venice Area Orchid Society Show Newsletter Editors Sue and Terry Bottom Venice Community Center Webmasters [email protected] 6 SAOS Meeting, 6:30 pm [email protected] Native Orchids of Northeast US Mark Rose, Orchid Hobbyist November 2017 Page 2 CLUB NEWS Continued from page 1 native to lowland rainforests. Vern advised not cutting the cattleya clone named by the actor, Raymond Burr (aka spikes on the latter after its very long lasting flowers die off Perry Mason), who grew a world-class collection of orchids because the plant will rebloom on the same spike. on an island in Fiji. Next, he discussed Encyclias currently including 365 Next Courtney moved to the intergeneric Oncidiums of species. Again, they grow from South Carolina to Central which there were quite a few. He said they are easy to grow America and tend to grow on trees or shrubs making them here and pointed out the Wild Cat, Jungle Monarch and excellent for mounting. They are, however, intolerant of poor Estralita ‘Sweet Senorita’. Running out of time, Courtney growing conditions and tend to attract scale. Their name is quickly pointed out other orchids and advised all to come derived from the Greek enkyklein that means, “lip encircles up and notice the media and mounting techniques on the the column.” Their fragrant and long lasting flowers are numerous plants. Check out the photos of our show table resupinate and can grow up to 4” in width. A commonly examples at the end of the newsletter and on the SAOS grown species is Encyclia cordigera that tolerates Florida’s website. hot days. Encyclias like to grow in bright light. He showed a slide of Encyclia tampensis that was first found in Tampa SAOS Program. Vern Bloch talked about the Encyclias, Bay area in 1846. Epidendrums and Prostheceas genera. Vern is a retired Finally, the Prosthechea class which was established early Navy pilot who first became interested in orchids after on and then lost. Vern said it has been recently reintroduced leaving the service in 1987. He and his wife Helen became in 1998 with the advancement of DNA evaluations. owners of the Palm Bay Orchid Range for 15 years and This class has inconsistent characteristics. Some more after selling the business, they continue growing and selling consistent ones are flattened pseudobulbs, inflorescences orchids on a small scale. He started his presentation by with a spathe at base, and the lip is attached halfway down citing Carl Von Linnaeus who in 1754 first named orchids as the column. The class is divided into two groups—non- Epidendrums descriptive of plants growing in trees. Not long resupinate and resupinate. The first group is also known as after, it became apparent that there were many classes of the cockleshell group with the upside down flowers looking orchids and Hooker eventually separated the Epidendrums like the actual shell. This group likes good drainage and (Epi.) and Encyclias (E.) into their own classification with a prefers moderate temperatures but will tolerate extremes. wide variety of appearances. Some have pseudobulbs and They enjoy moderate diffuse light but can tolerate higher some are cane types. In 1838, a third class was identified, levels. A common example is the Prosthechea cochleata Prosthechea (Psh.), which currently has 114 species. There that is hardy down to 40 degrees. This plant can stay in has been a lot of movement from one class to another in bloom for an extended period.