MarilyninOttawa: Note that I am giving Part I tonight and will follow with Part II in May with an overview of the IOCC conference including the fieldtrip.

The III International Orchid Conservation Congress was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, March 19 - 24. This international event was organized by the Lankester Botanical Garden to provide a forum for knowledge exchange about the issues and status of orchid conservation worldwide. The Costa Rican National Orchid Show was held just before the congress and so many conference goers had the opportunity to see the wide range of orchid species and hybrids grown here. This was an AOS-judged event: there were about 10 awards including several specimens awarded Certificates of Cultural Merit.

Sigmatostalix macrobulbon CCM/AOS

Prosthechea abbreviata 'Jose Cascanteâ' CCM/AOS 88 points

The day I visited the show it was well attended. We took a leisurely walk through then took advantage of comfortable refreshment area to have a drink and some tasty food before re-visiting the show.

The first and one of the largest displays encountered was staged by the Asociacion Orquideologica de Cartago. It had won a trophy which we see to the left of the society plaque.

Here we saw many specimens of Guarianthe (syn. Cattleya skinneri), the National Flower of Costa Rica or the 'Guaria Morada'. There was also a beautifully flowered specimen of Den. polyanthum (syn. primulinum) which see cascading from a pedestal toward the back of the exhibit.

I was delighted to see the pink color form of Vanda coerulea forma rosea.

What I had once known as Hexisea from the Caribbean seems to have joined the ranks of orchids with changed names. Scaphyglottis bidentata is the currently accepted name according the World Checklist. I first saw it on the Island of St. Lucia where it had been collected from the mountainous forest. This beauty form a lovely mound because of its aerial branching habit but it would need all round lighting to grow to perfection. Several smaller specimens were seen also which suggests that this plant is in many local collections. I love the scarlet flowers.

Cattleya dowiana is one of the most beautiful Cattleya species whose influence is seen in many hybrids. Unfortunately, its beauty almost led to its demise through overcollection both in Costa Rica through Panama and in Columbia where another form can be found. I was truly delighted to see this species at the show and to have the opportunity to compare color, lip patterning and flower form. There were two color forms, one with clear light yellow petals.

The other plant had more golden yellow petals. Cattleya dowiana is a lower altitude unifoliate epiphyte which exhibits strongly seasonal growth and blooming. The fragrant blooms are relatively short-lived but I am happy to say that those exhibited were in perfect condition.

A lovely blue mauve form of Sopronitis (syn. Laelia) purpurata was impressive.

There also was a good white Cattleya mossiae. These are both exquisite species whose lineage can be traced in many of today's hybrids.

Of course there were Phalaenopsis as we see in this well-designed exhibit

What I found interesting was that someone, possibly a judge, had hand-corrected/updated the entry labels. We saw this with Specklinia brighamii which likely had been mislabelled Pleurothallis.

In the case of Cyrtopodium punctatum however, various show plants carried either the accepted C. punctatum or the synonym C macrobulbum which is no longer accepted. This is a magnificent species perfectly suited to a tropical garden.

I was attracted by the large striking blooms of Galeottia grandiflora (syn Mendoncella), a native of the cooler humid regions of Central America. There can be one to several fleshy blooms arising from new growths in spring.

Another first timer for me was Cuitlauzina convallarioides. This plant had many erect sprays of white flowers but was too distant to detect any perfume.

We saw many Maxillarias including Max. variabilis which truly variable in terms of plant form but also in flower color. I suggest that plant form varies with habitat where those having reduced leaves favor high light or drier places while more leafy forms live in less harsh environments.

Maxillaria endresii had larger blooms. Its growth habit favored basket culture.

The sales area beckoned as always, and plants/seedlings were inexpensive which made them all that more tempting but I did not have an import permit and so instead volunteered helpful hints to those who could purchase plants to take home. Featured were 'bottle babies', seedlings of a range of species suited to beginners and more advanced growers. There was Brassia, Trichocentrum, Guarianthe skinneri and even Cattleya dowiana. The latter species could prove quite challenging as it grows slowly and as I understand it, produces roots only once a year. If this is the case then de-flasking would have to coincide with beginning root growth of the seedling.

The show was a great beginning to the congress. We had seen flowers in abundance and many interesting species also.

MarilyninOttawa While visiting the show, we had an opportunity to chat informally with congress participants about one objective of orchid conservation, namely, horticultural application. Many scientists are primarily interested in their target species and how it grows in the wild, or in its pollination biology, taxonomy or even micropropagation techniques but few have seen an orchid show, have created hybrid orchids, or have been exposed to the enthusiasm of growers, the exultation of hobbyists whose specimen has won an award, or to the reality of orchid conservation as it applies to a very small portion of the some 30,000 orchid species.

Most of the many orchid species will never reach a collection yet they all warrant careful consideration as they are a part of a diverse and vibrant community of plants, animals, insects and fungi all of which may be needed to maintain ecosystem balance.

The Congress was to begin the next day (Monday) when we would learn how people the world over were working to conserve orchids irrespective of the horticultural interest, about their many successes and a few failures, all reaffirming the scientific community's commitment to orchid conservation. This will be the topic of Part II coming in May.

barbara_in_no._CA I can't get over each display have so few plants, all that spaces in between. They do not cover the pots? Here we must cover all the pots not to show any, other wise no chance at all.

MarilyninOttawa That is interesting. We have both situations in local shows and no one seems to discriminate. Some displays were more 'crowded' especially those with vandas-big sprawling plants. The space gives you a chance to see the plants. Also, the plants were mostly set far back from the visitors but in some cases, the flowers were literally in your face. I always find it fascinating to see what others grow in their part of the world. San Jose has a mild climate: it is not the hot humid lowland and therefore they can succeed with a range of orchids. Much of what was shown was from Central America including their national flower of course. In comparison to what I saw last time (in May), there are different seasons for species. March is just before the beginning of the rainy season whereas last time, it was May and different things were blooming.

Jade_in_GR It sounds like it was really interesting and very different from the shows we are usually graced with. I think it would be exciting to live in such a place. Some of the highlands of Java have a similar climate. Almost anything can grow there.

MarilyninOttawa Yes, these places are interesting and useful. They can raise strawberries in San Jose.

Jade_in_GR Definitely a good place if they can raise strawberries.

-end

Prechat Handout

IOCC San Jose, Costa Rica, March 2007 - Part I

© Marilyn H. S. Light April 2007

The III International Orchid Conservation Congress was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, March 19-24. This international event was organized by the Lankester Botanical Garden to provide a forum for knowledge exchange about the issues and status of orchid conservation worldwide. The Costa Rican National Orchid Show was held just before the congress and so many conference goers had the opportunity to see the wide range of orchid species and hybrids grown here. This was an AOS-judged event: there were about 10 awards including several specimens awarded Certificates of Cultural Merit. The day I visited was sunny, mild, and well attended. The sales area was packed with persons eager to buy artificially propagated orchids. We took a leisurely walk through then took advantage of comfortable refreshment area to have a drink and some tasty food before re-visiting the show.

The first and one of the largest displays encountered was staged by the Asociacion Orquideologica de Cartago. Here we saw many specimens of Guarianthe (syn. Cattleya skinneri), the National Flower of CR or the 'Guaria Morada'. There was also a beautifully flowered specimen of Den. polyanthum (syn. primulinum). I was delighted to see the pink color form of Vanda coerulea forma rosea and what I had once known as Hexisea from the Caribbean seemed to joined the ranks of orchids with changed names. Scaphyglottis bidentata is the currently accepted name according the World Checklist. I first saw it on the Island of St. Lucia where it had been collected from the mountainous forest. This beauty form a lovely mound because of its aerial branching habit but it would need all round lighting to grow to perfection. Several smaller specimens were seen also which suggests that this plant is in many local collections. I love the scarlet flowers.

Cattleya dowiana is one of the most beautiful Cattleya species whose influence is seen in many hybrids. Unfortunately, its beauty almost led to its demise through overcollection both in Costa Rica through Panama and in Columbia where another form can be found. There were two color forms seen at the show and I was truly delighted to see this species at the show and to have the opportunity to compare color, lip patterning and flower form. This is a lower altitude unifoliate epiphyte which exhibits strongly seasonal growth and blooming. The fragrant blooms are relatively short-lived but I am happy to say that those exhibited were in perfect condition.

A lovely blue mauve form of Sopronitis (syn. Laelia) purpurata was impressive as was a dreamy white Cattleya mossiae. These are both exquisite species whose lineage can be traced in many of today's hybrids.

What I found interesting was that someone, possibly a judge, had hand-corrected/updated the names of many entries. We saw this with Specklinia brighamii which likely had been mislabelled Pleurothallis. In the case of Cyrtopodium punctatum however, various show plants carried either the accepted C. punctatum or the synonym C macrobulbum which is no longer accepted. This is a magnificent species perfectly suited to a tropical garden.

I was attracted by the large striking blooms of Galeottia grandiflora (syn Mendoncella), a native of the cooler humid regions of Central America. There can be one to several fleshy blooms arising from new growths in spring. Another first timer for me was Cuitlauzina convallarioides. This plant had many erect sprays of white flowers but was too distant to detect any perfume.

We saw many Maxillarias including Max. variabilis which truly variable in terms of plant form but also in flower color. I suggest that plant form varies with habitat where those having reduced leaves favor high light or drier places while more leafy forms live in less harsh environments.

The sales area beckoned as always, and plants/seedlings were inexpensive which made them all that more tempting but I did not have an import permit and so instead volunteered helpful hints to those who could purchase plants to take home. Featured were 'bottle babies', seedlings of a range of species suited to beginners and more advanced growers. There was Brassia, Trichocentrum, Guarianthe skinneri and even Cattleya dowiana. The latter species could prove quite challenging as it grows slowly and as I understand it, produces roots only once a year. If this is the case then de-flasking would have to coincide with beginning root growth of the seedling.

The show was a great beginning to the congress. We had seen flowers in abundance. We had had an opportunity to chat informally with congress participants about one objective of orchid conservation, namely, horticultural application. Many scientists are primarily interested in their target species and how it grows in the wild, or in its pollination biology, taxonomy or even micropropagation techniques but few have seen an orchid show, have created hybrid orchids, or have been exposed to the enthusiasm of growers, the exultation of hobbyists whose specimen has won an award, or to the reality of orchid conservation as it applies to a very small portion of the some 30,000 orchid species. Most of these species will never reach a collection yet they all warrant careful consideration as they are a part of a diverse and vibrant community of plants, animals, insects and fungi all of which may be needed to maintain ecosystem balance. The Congress was to begin the next day when we would learn how people the world over were working to conserve orchids irrespective of the horticultural interest, about their many successes and a few failures, all reaffirming the scientific community's commitment to orchid conservation. This will be the topic of Part II of this series.