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December
2001 (Vol.13 No.6)
THIS
MONTH'S FEATURES:
Paphiopedilum
insigne
(Front
cover) Paphiopedilum
insigne is probably considered a beginner's orchid when it comes to
growing and flowering. However, it seems many growers do not have a lot of
success with it. Perhaps this is because they have been talked into buying
a piece, have been given a division by well meaning friends before they
have sufficient knowledge about it, or they are just simply told it is
easy to grow. Roger Rankin describes how to have success with this
remarkable and distinguished Paphiopedilum.
Death
of a 'giant' of the Australian orchid world
It
is with great sorrow we report the passing of Gordon Vallance of
Mullumbimby on October 25, 2001. Orchids were a long time hobby. Less than
10 years ago Gordon and his wife Coral made the decision that orchids
offered more than fruit trees for their future. Gordon quickly grew his
nursery to become a giant in the Australian orchid industry. While he grew
many orchids, he became renowned for his Cattleyas.
AOC Orchids of the Year 2000 - the Results
A
total of 210 awards were granted during the year 2000 and, from these,
judges have selected the Australian Orchid Council's Orchids of the Year.
Paph. Saint
Swithin 'Jacinta', owned by Bob Saunders of Casino, NSW was named AOC
Orchid Hybrid of the Year 2000 after earlier being awarded a First
Class Certificate in January 2000. The single inflorescence carried four
flowers and a bud on a strong 833mm stem. Each flower measured 225mm long
by 225mm wide.
Paph. hirsutissimum
var. esquirolei 'George Botley', in October 2000, earned an FCC
for its owners, Noel and June Heyden of Bogangar, NSW. It has now also
been named AOC Species of the Year 2000. Judges said rarely had
they seen a plant of this taxon so large and of such uniform shape.
Den. Avril's
Gold 'Kerry's Delight', owned by Malcolm and Kerry Martin of Toowoomba
was granted the AOC Award of Distinction of the Year 2000. The
judges said the striking feature of the plant was the bright colouration
and striking red spotting on a clear yellow background.
Selected
Species - Nanodes medusae
Our
regular contributor, Peter Taylor, this month describes one of those
"once seen, never forgotten" orchids that usually elicits a
"I must have one of them" response from orchid enthusiasts. In
his usual style, Peter takes readers from the discovery of this plant in
the Andes Mountains of Ecuador by the great 19th century
collector Gustave Wallis, through to the author's experience growing it.
Two superb David Banks photographs illustrate the "sinister beauty of
the species".
Soft
Spot for Coelogynes
When
bitten by the orchid bug in 1987, Norm Mitchell was interested only in
Australian native hybrids. A year later, however, his interest switched to
specimen plants and he wondered how long it would take to grow some of
them. Now, he has considerable success with coelogynes and describes some
of his favourite plants and the satisfaction growing them brings.
AOF
Award of Honour to David Lloyd Jones
Botanist
David Lloyd Jones is the recipient of the Australian Orchid Foundation's
Award of Honour for 2001. In their citation, the nominees said the
contribution made by Mr Jones to the knowledge of orchids in Australia
would not be matched by anyone. He has had a deep interest in Australian
flora since boyhood, is a prolific author of many books, and has
undertaken numerous field trips to study orchids first hand within
Australia and overseas.
Successful
Paphiopedilum Growing
Paphiopedilums
are a relatively trouble free orchid genus to grow, as long as an
environment they appreciate and management practices that suit their needs
are established. They also do not seem to suffer from the insect attacks
and diseases of many other genera, especially if grown well. How do you
grow them well? Gary Hart who has been growing paphiopedilums for more
than 25 years passes on his top 10 tips for success.
Success
with Masdevallias
Preston
and Vivian Ling live on a hill in Burnie, Tasmania, overlooking the
city and Bass Strait. Because of this, and the open construction of their
orchid houses, they maintain a very strong air movement among their
plants. They grow a varied collection but for about 12 years they have
been growing masdevallias with great success. The Lings share their
experiences with Rex Johnson
International
Orchid Conservation Conference, Perth
About
130 delegates from 21 countries attended the first International Orchid
Conservation Conference in Perth, Western Australian in late September. In
his article, Geoff Stocker says the outstanding feature of the conference
was the depth and quality of the scientific papers and poster
presentations, and the advances in orchid conservation in recent years. A
field trip during the conference enabled delegates to view some of the
very diverse orchid flora within easy reach of Perth which Gary Yong Gee
has captured in his superb photos which accompany this article.
Book
Review
Dennis
Simmons gives his review of The World of Orchids, A Practical Guide to
Cultivating Orchids in Soilless Culture. This book is a comprehensive
guide to growing orchids hydroponically.
Some
interesting species of the vandoid genus Cleisostoma
The
genus Cleisostoma contains about 90-10 species of small flowered,
epiphytic orchids, distributed throughout Asia and Indochina, down into
Indonesia, and across into Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands. The
plants are made up of short to medium length monopodial stems, forming
erect to pendulous clumps with either flat or terete leaves while the
inflorescences may flower only once a year or be active for up to 18
months. Rod Rice describes five species found within this genus.
Tissue
Culture — Recipes for Success, Part 2.
In
this issue, Kevin Western of Western Orchids/Laboratories, South Australia
continues his series on tissue culture of orchids. This articles covers
different media used in tissue culture, common
additives, the importance of pH and sterilising flasks and containers.
RHS
Orchid Hybrid Registrations
As
usual we have the very latest list of orchid hybrid registrations, hot off
the press. Orchids Australia continues to provide these to orchid
growers well in advance of many other orchid publications. In fact
we are the first to reproduce the list after publication by the Royal
Horticultural Society.
Plus…
- All the regular features of Computer Corner, 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 2005.
There is also a surprise for some lucky Australian subscriber - Orchids
Australia free for one year, provided it is claimed in 14 days.
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