Volume 10 No.2 April 1998

CONTENTS

Porterara Blue Boy (Front cover)
What is a Porterara? It is one of the more recent man-made genera, created by Walter T. Upton and named in honour of the late A.B. Porter. I'm not going to tell you what it is - read the story by David Banks.

The Genus Lycaste
Julian Coker provides an insight into this beautiful genus and its history. Some beautiful photographs accompany the article.

The Flora of the Iguassu Falls, Brazil
Russell Job and Edda Viskic recount their visit to the Iguassu Falls area in Brazil, and tell of some of the flora, including orchids, they encountered there. Some great shots of the falls as well.

The Orchids of Alaska
Think of orchids and one immediately things of steamy jungles. True as this may be, orchids inhabit every continent except Antarctica (although they do get close). Alaska boasts 31 terrestrial species, nine of which grow above the Arctic Circle. Paul Martin Brown has provided an excellent selection of his photographs to show our readers. We are grateful to Paul and the North American Native Orchid Alliance for their ready collaboration and assistance.

Alaskans Feel Queensland's Summer Heat.
Hand in hand with the previous article is a tale of a visit to Queensland in mid-summer by a couple from Fairbanks, Alaska. Here we have their view of things we take for granted. Their frequent saunas at home to prepare them for the trip failed miserably!!

Australian Orchid Council Inc. - Personal Membership
With the implementation of the new AOC Constitution from 1st January 1998 come the introduction of Personal Membership category, via subscription to Orchids Australia. Read all about it here.

Selected Species - Masdevallia exquisita
Peter Taylor's regular segment this month details this beautiful species. Great photograph also.

The Cymbidium Page - Balanced Fertilizer
Julian Coker's regular column for the Cymbidium growers this month delves into the issue of "balanced" fertilizers. Non-cymbidium growers should read this informative article also. It isn't strictly for the Cyms.!

Official Tour to the World Orchid Conference, Vancouver
Don Gallagher details some of the attractions to be enjoyed in conjunction with the Conference in April 1999. Don is organizing the official tour. We announce details of the Registration fees and are arranging distribution of the brochures in Australia. Read about it first in Orchids Australia.

South African Indigenous Orchids
We feature a review of Karsten Wodrich's new book on these often flambouyant orchids. Karsten recently visited Australia and New Zealand, and we have a report on the visit as well as an interview with our Editor, Colin Hamilton.

Product Review - Orchid Organizer
Dr. Noel Grundon reviews this great new Aussie software database for the orchid grower. Home grown and reasonably priced too!

Cinnamon Bark as an Antimicrobial.
Eduardo Firpo's article in our December issue on "Slugs, Snails and Rent-a-Duck Service" was a big hit, so much so that it is now available on the internet (see our Connexions page). Now Eduardo has completed an unusual compilation on a discussion on the use of cinnamon to treat infections in orchids.

Orchid Flower Production in Malaysia
Colin Hamilton recounts his recent visit to the commercial orchid cut-flower producing area of Johor in Malaysia prior to the recent financial woes. Malaysia has a 2020 vision - major projects and goals to be achieved by the year 2020. Orchid cut-flower production is one of these.

Certificate of Botanical Merit
AOC Registrar General of Judging, Colin Jennings, continues his series of the different awards made by the AOC. The CBM is something quite different. Some unusual photographs from the AOC Awards files here.

Grammatophylum scriptum
Jim Cootes is back and this month writes on this Philippine species, and a relative which seems to have caused some confusion. Photographs include different varieties.

Plus…All the regular features of what's winning at Shows around the country, Cultural Notes for various parts of Australia, and our list of upcoming International orchid events through to 2002.

Revised October 1998

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