Santa Clara Valley Orchid Society Established 1951 Helping You to Become a Better Grower March 2011 SCVOS Newsletter (please note that links in electronic copies are functional) Speaker Notes March will feature Tim Culbertson as our speaker. As Tim is one of the world's most knowledgeable growers of complex Paphiopedilums, this evening will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting and informative meetings of the year. Don't miss it. Many SCVOS members know Tim as past VP and show chairman, but don't know too much about his passions in the orchid world. This is a rare opportunity to learn from one of the best. In his own words... "Although I teach middle school kids for a living, one of my passions has always been plants. I began growing orchids as an offshoot from working at Longwood Gardens in Philadephia just after college. From the very beginning it was all about Paphs, particularly awarded and select clones of historic importance, of which my collection numbers nearly 1000. While I love finding old, rare stepping stones in paph breeding, I also do a little hybridizing of my own, and growing up my own babies is a blast. I am a probationary judge with the American Orchid Society, and have served in various capacities with the Santa Clara Valley Orchid Society. I love meeting other people who like paphs too, and doing so often finds me traveling to shows, vendors, and peoples greenhouses to see the latest and greatest in paph hybrids and to get the best paph gossip. I like to be involved in plants as much as possible: in addition to Longwood, I ve worked at the Smithsonian Institution tending to their orchids, and for years for the United States National Arboretum, collecting rare plants and documenting cultivated species and hybrids for their herbarium." C. gaskelliana Blue Dragon AM/AOS The plant table is being brought by Tim who promises it will be "a ridiculous table of mostly paph species including sanderianum and such things." This is a meeting and opportunity table that absolutely is not to be missed. If you have any doubt, look up what a seedling of Paph. sanderianum is going for these days. Tim Culbertson judging 1
Santa Clara Valley Orchid Society Established 1951 Helping You to Become a Better Grower March 2011 SCVOS Newsletter (please note that links in electronic copies are functional) Presidents Corner President Christina Bell would like to thank all who donated food for St. Julies Food Bank. Bring boxes, bags and old newspapers to the show. Anyone who does, will receive 2 raffle tickets at the next meeting. At the show, there will be a new trophy for the most popular orchid. Anyone attending can vote for their favorite orchid. The fine arts division at the show will be the same as last year. If you are able, we need help setting up the show on Thursday night February 17 th. February Meeting On Wednesday February 2 th, 2011 our meeting featured a panel of advanced growers answering questions about under performing plants brought by the members. The panel was great, giving everyone a lot of good information on problems we all incounter. The panel consisted of Ann Stuart, Ed Nazzel, Barry Zimmerman and Matt Bond. The panel was moderated by SCVOS Vice President Peter Brown. Thanks to them for an entertaining and informative evening C. gaskelliana Blue Dragon AM/AOS Membership New member for February is Cristin McDaniel. Welcome to our society! Starting in March 2011 we will have a membership drive. I an existing member brings someone who joins, they will receive 5 raffle tickets for the opportunity table.. SCVOS News I f you are not getting your newsletter via email, please be sure to give your currently correct address to Ed Nazzal, paphman@gmail.com. A ll plants brought for sale by members must be properly labeled, disease free, and priced in even dollar amounts. Ten percent of the sale price goes to the club treasurer, Marvin Bell, before you leave. We rely on the honor system. Thank you to those abiding by this rule. Refreshments Announcement: All members with last names starting with G-K please bring in refreshments for February 2011. And, you get a free raffle ticket for the Opportunity Table! Left to right; Ann, Matt, Barry and Ed. 2
Show and Tell February Opportunity Table Remember, for much more information about orchids, links, our future schedule, care sheets, contact information, previous newsletters, and lots of pictures of plants and people, visit the website: santaclaravalleyorchidsociety.org/links.htm The SCVOS: Helping You to Become a Better Grower SCVOS Online 3
S o much online check it out!! We have a Facebook page. Have a look at it on Facebook! Also see Matt Bond s Flickr page, and Eric Hunt s SCVOS Show page, and the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia, which the SCVOS helps fund. Member Susan Wiedman also has a new link at http://www.upclosewithmothernature.com/ Board Meeting T he March board meeting will occur on the 23 rd of March at 7:30 PM at Dave Smitt s house @ 3814 Ainsley Court, Campbell, CA. If you d like to make an announcement, please contact Kristina by phone at (408) 229-2747 or by email at kbellwolf1@sbcglobal.net. Participating on the board is a very rewarding and infinitely educational experience highly recommended! Please come out and support your society! Your 2011 Board SCVOS Board T he Santa Clara Valley Orchid Society is a non-profit organization that meets the first Wednesday of each month at the American Legion Hall, 1504 Minnesota Avenue, in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, California. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM. The skill session starts at about 7:00 PM. Officers for 2011 Kristina Bell, President (408) 229-2747 kbellwolf1@sbcglobal.net Peter Brown, Vice President (510) 755-3654 pjb@presol.com Sandi Fox (408) 683-0145 sfox@greybeard.com Marvin Bell, Treasurer (408) 229-2747 marvskis@sbcglobal.net Directors for 2011 Ed Nazzal (408) 268-3573 paphman@gmail.com Eanghak Quach (408) 629-3794 4 epigarden@yahoo.com Ann Stuart (408) 267-3397 annystuart@yahoo.com Marie Lofton (408) 629-0264 smlofton@pacbell.net Dave Smitt (408) 866-0956 davejsmitt@gmail.com 2011 Auction Chair Ed Nazzal (408) 268-3573 paphman@gmail.com Membership Peter Brown (510) 755-3654 pjb@presol.com Sandi Fox (408) 683-0145 sfox@greybeard.com Member Database Ed Nazzal (408) 268-3573 paphman@gmail.com! Newsletter Dave Smitt, Editor (408 ) 866-0956 davejsmitt@gmail.com Dave and Ofelia Woodfill, Mailing (408) 248-5983 ofiew@comcast.net Publicity Susan Wiedmann (408) 979-1726 Hmgbird@pacbell.net Library Marie Lofton (408) 629-0264 smlofton@pacbell.net Plant Opportunity Tickets Dave and Ofelia Woodfill (408) 248-5983 ofiew@comcast.com Kitchen Crew Conrad Kumata ckk1boater@aol.com Liz Gehrig (408) 363-6901 eagehrig@aol.com 2011 Greenhouse Tour Doug Pulley (408) 354-1412 dpulley1@comcast.net 2011 Show and Sale Tim Culbertson, Co-Chair, Secretary (301) 641-2556 timc@harker.org Eanghak Quach, Co-Chair, Judging (408) 629-3794 epigarden@yahoo.com Peter Brown, Co-Chair, Sales (510) 755-3654 pjb@presol.com2011 Holiday Party Kristina Bell (408) 229-2747 Question Corner Question of the month submitted by: Cecily Chang I have three questions. The first is, that I bought this orchid at Mappelthorpe's but it had no I.D. Can you tell me what it is and how to make it bloom again? The flowers lasted a long
time. There is new growth but no evidence of a stalk. It is in bark. Should I repot it in coconut? The other two questions are: How do I encourage a L. purpurcta Var carnea to bloom? It has not bloomed for over a year. I can never get Phaleonopsis to bloom. These are supposed to be easy, but they never bloom for me. Answer from Oliver Colmanar I don't think I'm in a good position to answer her second question. Regarding the first question, I need to eyeball her plant first to know what the genus is and what she can do about it to make it bloom. As for repotting, she needs to know whether the potting medium has disintegrated or not. For her third question, I have to know whether her plant was store bought, blooming out of season. If it was, forcing orchids to bloom disrupts their natural cycle following the changing of seasons, thus changes in temperature. It usually takes about two to three years for them to go back to their natural cycle. That's my experience. Just do what she normally does for her Phals to keep it alive and wait. Editors Note: Finding the correct I.D. for Mapplethorps s is probablt not possible. If it is blooming, ask Tim Culbertson at a meeting. I had no success with Phals until I moved them to warm, well lighted place. Upcoming Shows March, 2011 4-6 - San Francisco Orchid Society, 59th Annual Pacific Orchid Exposition, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco 11-13 - Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Read, Santa Barbara, CA. Contact: Lauris Rose, 1251 Orchid Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93111 March 18,19,20 SCVOS Orchid Show & Sale Westgate Mall Prospect & Saratoga Aves., San Jose, CA April, 2011 16-17 - Sacramento Orchid Society Show, Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 6151 H St., Sacramento, CA. Contact: Jon Weiss, 106 Norwalk Ct., Vacaville, CA. 95687; (707) 449-4711; weissroo@castles.com.!"#$%&'()*!&+%&). Dendrochilum (Ddc.) is a genus of epiphytic, lithophytic and, rarely, terrestrial orchids. The name comes from two Ancient Greek words: dendron (tree) and either cheilos (lip) or chilos (green food), which alludes to either the flower s characteristic large lip or the plant s epiphytic growth. The exact number of species varies from source to source, from as low as 100 to 390. The high number can be explained by the fact that some are synonyms or varieties of the same species. They occur at higher elevations in humid rainforests, from Southeast Asia to New Guinea and as far north as southern Taiwan. Acknowledged centers of diversity are Borneo and the Philippines. The genus was first described by Carl Ludwig Blume in 1825, using Dendrochilum aurantiacum. Johannes Jacobus Smith, an eminent Dutch botanist, named many of these orchids. Acoridium and Platyclinis, subgenera of Dendrochilum, used to be separate genera. The other two subgenera are Dendrochilum and Pseudacoridium. The subgenus Dendrochilum has its center of 5
diversity on Sumatra. Pseudacoridium is endemic to the Philippines. The Philippines is also the center of diversity for Acoridium. Platyclinis has it on Borneo. The Philippines, according to the website http://www.dendrochilum.com/, is the only country where all subgenera are found. The website also added that there are still new species waiting to be described. Members of this genus are characterized by sympodial growth, much like the way Cattleya and Oncidium grow. However, the species can be divided into two groups, the clump formers (e.g. Dendrochilum magnum) and the creepers (e.g. Dendrochilum aurantiacum, the type species). The following is Jay Pfahl s botanic description of the genus: ovoid to cylindrical pseudobulbs that are basally sheathed by brown to green thin bracts and carrying from 1 to 2 apical, tough, erect, lanceolate to elliptic leaves with a slender petiole. The Dendrochilum website states that some Borneo species of subgenus Platyclinis section Eurybrachium have orange, yellow, red and even red suffused with green colored pseudobulbs. Inflorescence is of three types: synanthous (the inflorescence grows with the growing leaf from the developing pseudobulb, e.g. Dendrochilum glumaceum); heteranthous (the inflorescence grows from the rhizome independent of pseudobulb, e.g. Dendrochilum tenellum); and hysteranthous - the inflorescence develops after the leaf is fully developed. Inflorescence can grow to a length of 50 cm in the case of Dendrochilum magnum. Flowers are small, star-like flowers with three petals and three sepals, arranged in two rows on erect or arching pendant racemes. The flowers are scented, which can be classified as either fragrant or smelly. One can only surmise what the pollinator is from the kind of scent a particular species emits. Dendrochilum.com lists the following growing tips for this genus: There should be plenty of air movement. The plants should be kept moist and never be allowed to dry out. Watering should be from the bottom and not from above the plant. Humidity must be high. There needs to be a difference between day and night temperature. Water should have low salinity. Ddc. yuccaefolium Ddc. bicallosum Kokomo 6
Ddc. pangasinense Ddc. latifolium var. macranthum Ddc. parvulum Ddc. Glumaceum 7
60 TH A NNUAL S ANTA C LARA V ALLEY O RCHID S OCIETY ORCHID SHOW AND S ALE P UBLIC I NVITED A DMISSION F REE MARCH 18-20 W ESTGATE M ALL 1600 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose www.shopsatwestgatemall.com Northeast of Prospect and Campbell at Saratoga Avenue O VER 1000 O RCHIDS F OR S ALE F OR I NFORMATION C ALL: (408) 229-2747 8