The OrchidistThe OrchidistThe Orchidist

April 2009 - Volume 5 - Number 15 Published by the South Florida Orchid Society

South Florida Orchid Society Orchid Auction

South Florida Orchid Society presents our Annual Orchid Auction.

We have orchids from all over the world

Wednesday, April 15, 2007Preview 7:30 PM

Auction begins at 8:00 PM

Visa & MasterCard accepted

Conducted by Sunset Auction Companyat the Fire Fighters’ Memorial Building

8000 NW 21 St., Miami, FL 33122

For more information call (305-255-3656)

**All members are requested to bring plants or orchid related items

to donate to the Annual Auction. **

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APRIL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

We finally made it to Spring! Weoptimisticallyremovedtherolldownplasticsides from the shade houses lastweek. Ofcourse we now are faced with the orchidsbegging to be repotted… and as you repotanddivideyourcollection,considerdonatingsomeplantstoourannualauctioncomingupApril 15. We alsowelcome orchid relateditems. If you can’t make the auction butwouldliketodonateplants,pleasecontactmeorCarolDeBiasetoarrangeforpickup.Foryounewmemberswhohavenotexperiencedourauction,youwillhaveagreattime!Wehaveaprofessionalauctioneerandyouwillhavetheopportunitytobidonsomebeautifuland often unusual orchids, many of whichhave been donated by vendors from ourshow. AtourMarchmeetingweweredelightedtowelcomeanumberofour92newmemberswho joined at our showandwehopemorenew members will come to our monthlymeetings. Newmembershippackets willbeavailableattheAprilmeeting. Redland Middle School is creating abutterfly garden and needs donations ofbutterfly-attractingplants. Inaddition, theyare looking for someone to give a talk onorchidsandbromeliads,soifyouwouldliketohelp,pleasecontactSFOSSecretary,EllenHanson,at305-255-3656. MarleneClarkwillagainbetakingordersforSFOSpoloshirtswithourgorgeouslogoembroidered on the front. She has manycolorsavailableinbothmen’sandwomen’ssizes for $20. Anddon’t forget tosignupforthebustriptotheSarasotaareaincludingSelbyBotanicalGardenonSaturday,May30–Marlene’sbustripsarethebest!HappySpring!

Sandy

APRIL PROGRAM

Join us for our Annual Auction April 15th.

AprilatSouthFloridaOrchidSociety isAUCTIONTIME! Instead of a regularmeeting,weofferyouawonderfulopportunitytopurchasefabulousplantsfromsupportingdonorsatunbelievableprices.Sincethisnighthappensonlyonceayear,thefirstthingtodois to remindyouof the changes from thenormalmeeting: Therewillbenoribbonormedaljudging.Anyplantthatyoubringinwillbeauctioned. TheSocietywillhaverefreshments.Wewillnotbreakforrefreshmentsasisusual,butyoumaygetupanytimeduringtheauctiontorefreshyourself. If this is your first timeat an auction,the first thingyouneed todo topickupanumberedplateasyouenter. Whenyoubidholdupyourplateintheair.Ifyouarethehighbidder,arunnerwillbringyouyourwinningplant. Beforeleavinggotothefrontoftheroomtogetyourbillandthenbringittothebackwhereyouenteredandpaythecashierwithcash,checkorvisa/mc. We’ve collectedwonderful donationsfromvarious showvendors andmore arecoming in. Ifyou’d like todonateplants,p lease contact me a t 786-385-2616. Once again professional auctioneer,Bryan Kinsley, of SunsetAuction Co,will conduct our auction. It promisesto be an entertaining evening of fun. Supportyoursocietyandbuildyourorchidcollectionbybringingyourfriends,neighborsandcheckbooks.Carol

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ORCHID GROWING TIPS #15

By Susan Taylor - BellaOnline

Ground cinnamon paste for wounds

Useapastemadeofgroundcinnamonandacommonhouseholdglue, suchasElmer’s,tocoverandprotectwoundsonplantssothattheywillnotbecomeinfectedwithfungi.Thisremedyisforbadlydamagedplantsthatyoutrulywanttosaveafterbeingdamaged.Thegluewillformaprotectivebarrierandthecinnamonactsasafungicide.

All purpose cinnamon spray

Cinnamoncanalsobeused in sprayformula.Madeamixtureof30mlofgroundcinnamonwith500mlofalcoholandmixitwell.Allowthealcoholmixtosteepovernightandthenfiltertoremovethesediment.Acoffeefilterwilldothisadmirably.Mix250mloftheresultingliquidwithaliterofwaterand10mlofliquiddetergent.Usethisasasprayforinsectsaswellasafungicide.

Always fo l low the instruct ions on insecticides

Protectyourselfandyourplantswhenapplyinganykindofproduct.Someoftheseproductsarepoisonoustohumansorpetsaswellastothepestsyou’retryingtokill.Beespeciallycarefuliftherearechildrenaroundandonlyapplywhentheyarenotgoingtobein thevicinity. It isagoodidea towearprotectiveglovessuchasthelatexglovesfordishwashingwhileapplyinginsecticidesevenifthedirectionsdon’tcallforthem.

Always throw away old potting materials

Whenrepotting,alwaysmaintainacleardistinctionbetweenoldandnewpottingmaterials.Throwawayanyoldpotting

mediumwhichmaycontainpestsoreggsofpests.Onegoodideaistospreadoutoldnewspaperandfoldupanddisposeofoldmediumafteritisremovedaswellasthetoplayersofpaper.Youwillthenhaveagoodsterileenvironmenttoputthenextplanton.Dipplantsininsecticideaswellasfungicidebeforerepottingincleanmediumandpots.

When you cannot spray plants

AninterestingideaIcameacrosstheotherdaywasinsteadofsprayingplants,takeaplantwithinsectproblemsandtieitupinaplasticbagwithanewdogorcatfleacollar.Leaveunsealedintheshadeforadaytokillinsects.

To get rid of fungus gnats

Togetridofthoseannoyinglittlefungusgnatsputoneofthosemosquitolarvaekillingwafersinwaterinabucket.Usethiswaterforyournormalwatering.Theinsecticideinthewaterwilltakecareofthelarvaeofthegnatswhich eat decayingmatter in themedium.

Rotate Vandas and sympodials

In o rder to ge t your Vandas andAscocendastogrowupwardratherthantooneside, rotate themahalf turnonceamonth.Thiswillencourageniceuprightgrowthaswellasgivetheinflorescenceanicepresentation.

Color Coded Spray Bottles

Usedifferentcoloredspraybottlesfordifferentkindsofsprays—oneforplainwater, one for fungicide, one for aninsecticide,etc.Usingdifferentcolorsmakesitmoredifficulttospraywiththewrongthing.Most garden centers todayofferdifferentshape,sizeandcolorbottles.

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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Ifyoumoveandhaveachangeofaddress,phone number or email, please let EllenknowattheSFOSoffice(305-255-3656).

Coming to ameeting! Bring friends andfamily,getthemtojoinandreceiveafreeorchidseedling.

Don’t forget The South Florida OrchidSocietyCulturebookwrittenforgrowingorchids in this part of the country. Thememberpriceis$15.00

Seeyouallatthenextmeeting,April15th.

ORCHIS

I s a genus in the o rch id fami ly(Orchidaceae).ThisgenusgetsitsnamefromtheGreekόρχιςorchis,meaning“testicle”,from the appearance of subterraneantuberoids.

ThisgenusoccursmainlyinEurope,NWAfrica,anditstretchesasfarTibet,Mongolia,ChinaandJapan.

These terrestrial orchids have tubersinsteadofpseudobulbs.Theyareextremelydiverseinappearance.Theyproduceanerectstem.The inflorescence isacylindrical toglobularspike5-15cmlongwithyellow,redtopurpleflowers.Theystartfloweringatthebase,slowlyprogressingupwards,excepttheMonkeyorchid(Orchissimia)thatflowersinreverseorder.

TheoriginalgenusOrchisusedtocontainmore than 1,300 names. Since it waspolyphyletic,ithasbeendividedbyPridgeonetal.,intoseveralnewgenera(seeReference):Ponerorchis,Schizodium,Steveniella

IwouldliketoextendmysincerestthankstoBillandCarolPetersofWhimsyOrchids,locatedinHomestead,Florida,forprolongingthebloomingperiodofthe“LynnGaine”Cattleyaorchids(x3),onbehalfofmyselfandmyfather,BrianGaine(deceased),presidentoftheSouthFloridaOrchidSocietyfrom1975-1976.Theweddingceremonyandcelebrationweremagicaltributestomyfather,withorchidsasthetheme,andadditional,variousspeciesandaccentsthroughoutthereception.TheGainefamilywasadditionallyhonoredbytheattendanceofmylatefather’sclosestfriend,GeorgeVazquez,ofZumaCanyonOrchids,locatedinCalifornia...Norma,Dick,Dick,Mark,WarrenKelly...weknowhemissesyouso.Wecertainlydo...

Shouldanyonehappenupona“Gaine”orchidinyourextensivetravels,pleasecontactme,Jennifer/JennieLynn/JenaGaine,and/orMichael(Scott)Gaine/Thomas(Toby)Gaine,aswewouldbethrilledtolocateoneoftheveryfewclueslinkedtoourpainfullyabsentfather.Themajorityofwhichweresweptawaybysevere,SouthFloridahurricanes.‘Thoughhiscreationsmaybegone,thosewhorememberwillneverforgethim.

Thankyouallinadvanceforyourtimeandeffort.YouhavenoideahowmuchthismeanstomybrothersandI...

WarmestRegards,

JenaGaineHale

Jenalitljbird@aol.com305.586.4497Tobydjtobiwan@gmail.com415-847-0887Michaelmichael.s.gaine@gmail.com,305-321-2434

WORLD’S WORSTSMELLING ORCHID

TheworstsmellingorchidisBulbophyllum phalaenopsis(besuretoclickonthe“plant”linktogetanideaofthesizeofthisorchid).WepickedthisparticularBulbophyllumduetothesheersizeoftheplantandflowerandtherefore theamountofscent itproduces.ManyotherBulbophyllumsproducethesamecarrionscentasthisone,butaremuchsmaller.NativetoNewGuinea,thepollinatorisaflywhich isattractedby theunpleasantodor.Lastyear,Ifoundalivewebcamofanopeningflower--thegrowercouldn’tstandthesmellbutwantedtoseetheflowersopening!

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MUSTARD! NEXT BIOFUMIGANT?

Reprinted from the FLOS Newsletter

TheUSDA’sAgriculturalResearchServicescientistsarestudying theeffectivenessofmustard,(Brassica)speciesasabiofumigantto control both weeds and other pests.Ingreenhouse studiedonpotted irises, afumigantmadeofmustardextractsreducedweedand reducednematode populationsby70-80%withoutharmingthetestplants.Scientistsattributethesuccessofthefumiganttoisothiocyanthes,achemicalproducedbymustardplants thatmakesurroundingsoiltoxictopestsandcompetingplants.

Orchids can handle temperatures from,freezingto100degrees. There are approximately 34,000 speciesoforchidsmaking this the largest familyofallbloomingplants.

DID YOU KNOW?

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS!

The winners are:

Portrait First-JudithFrederich Second-Duke-DeerfieldBeach Third-JudithFrederich In Situ First-MichaelLicea Second-SusanaCastillo Third-BetiDuke Fantasy First-TerryBottom Second-Duke-Deerfieldbeach Third-Duke-Deerfieldbeach

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Ada AY-da Ascocentrum as-koe-SEN-trumChiloschista k y e - l o w - S H I S - t a Dendrochilum den-droe-KYE-lumEria EAR-ee-ah Gomesa go-MEZ-ahLaelia LAY-lee-ah Oncidium on-SID-ee-um

ORCHID PRONUNCIATION

Put a greeting or an announcement in the newsletter. The cost is $20.00 for a business card size.

Rememberyouwereanewmembernotto longago. Asournewmembersarriveand come to ourmeetings, pleasemakethemwelcomewithafriendlyfaceandkindwords.

NEW MEMBERS MADE WELCOME

The nominating committee under thedirectionofSallyTaylorasChairman,CarolDeBiaseandMichaelO’DeaasparticipatingmembersproposethefollowingslateofnewOfficersandDirectorswhosetermwillexpirein2012.

President JudyMezey 1stVicePresident SallyTaylor 2ndVicePresident CarolDeBiase Secretary MariaWood Treasurer DorothyBennett

Director’sTermExpiring2012MarleneClark

RalphHernandezJavierMorejon

Respectfullysubmitted,SallyTaylor

NEW SLATE OF OFFICERS

WORLD’S TALLEST ORCHID

ThetallestfreestandingorchidisSobralia altissma fromthehighforestsofPeru.It isreportedtogrowupto44feetor13.5metershigh in optimum conditions.The brightreddish-purpleflowersareupto6inchesor15centimetersacrossandaredisplayed inspectaculargroupsofup to8 flowersperstem.

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RECIPIES

Mascarpone and Dark Chocolate Cream in White Chocolate Cups

8 ounces good-qualitywhite chocolate,chopped4ouncesbittersweetorsemisweetchocolate,chopped1cupwhippingcream3tablespoonssugar8ouncesmascarponecheese1teaspoongratedorangepeel1/4teaspoonvanillaextractWhitechocolatecurls,forgarnish

Line8muffincupswithpaper liners.Meltthewhitechocolate in topofdoubleboileroversimmeringwater,stirringuntilsmooth.Spoon1 tablespoonmeltedchocolate intoeachpaperliner.Usingapastrybrush,coatthechocolateevenlyoverthebottomandupthesidesoftheliners.Freezeuntilthechocolate

isfirm,about30minutes.Remeltthewhitechocolate in thebowl.Spoon1 tablespoonintoeachcupandbrushoverthebottomandupthesides,formingasecondcoat.Freezeuntil completely set, about1hour. Meltthebittersweetchocolate in topofacleandoubleboileroversimmeringwater,stirringuntilsmooth.Atthispoint,setasidetocoolcompletely. Usinganelectricmixer,beatthecreamandsugarinalargebowluntilsoftpeaksform.Setthewhippedcreamaside.Usinganelectricmixer,beatthemascarponecheese,meltedbittersweetchocolate,orangepeel,andvanilla ina largebowl justuntilsmoothandglossy, about30 seconds (donotovermix).Foldthewhippedcreamintothechocolatemixturein2batches.Transferthemoussetoapastrybagfittedwithastartip.Pipethemousseintothewhitechocolatecups.Sprinklethewhitechocolatecurlsoverthemousseandserveimmediately,orcoverandrefrigerateovernight,andthenletstandatroomtemperature1hourbeforeserving.

South Florida Orchid Society10801S.W.124StreetMiami,Florida33176

Dated Material - Do Not Delay

Theorchidfamilyisnotonlythelargestbutoneofthemostdiverseplantfloweringfamiliesintheworld.Theorchidwasoneofthefirstplantstoevolveonearth,itwasaroundinthetimeofthedinosaur,over120millionyearsago.Giventhelengthoftimetheyhavebeenarounditshouldn’tbe surprising that thereareover35,000specieswithhundredsof thousandsofhybrids.

Themostfamousorchidintheworldisthevanillaorchid(planifolia).CocaColaisthelargestcustomerofvanilla,theyusetheseedforflavoring.Madagascaristheworld’slargestproducer.Orchidsareverybeautifulplantsandthatiswhysomuchtimeandcareisputintogrowingthem.Vanillaontheotherhandisgrownforitscommercialvalueratherthanforitsappearancebutitislaborintensive.Thevanillacropisthemainsourceofincomeformanyindependentfarmersinlessdevelopedcountries.

A SHORT HISTORY OF ORCHIDS