AboutOrchids

Celebrate today’s summer solstice with more photos from our recent visit to San Francisco Botanical Garden. I already blogged about three of the most amazing plants we saw, but of course, the rest of the gardens are stunning, too. There were California natives, like a gorgeous California Azalea, and giant Coast Redwood Trees. South African Protea and Leucospermum flowers resembled Dr. Seuss creations, as did the pointy, South American Monkey Puzzle Trees. A young leaf, which looks like an alien hand, emerged from an enormous Gunnera.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’re starting summer with a heat wave. Even on the coast, where fog and ocean breezes usually moderate the temperature, we were above 86°F (30°C) before noon this morning. Hello summer.

The Rainforest Trust and the Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA) are working hard to save endangered orchids. Both groups are trying to raise emergency funds to purchase properties next to Ecuador’s Dracula Reserve. New mining activities are destroying nearby rainforests and threatening the entire area, which is a biodiversity hotspot. This Valley of Orchids is home to hundreds of orchid species, and there are frequently more discoveries. Nearby property owners want to sell their land to these conservation groups, rather than the miners, but time is of the essence. Please donate to the Rainforest Trust and the OCA if you can. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. A large donation to the OCA allows the donor to pick a name for a newly-identified orchid.

San Francisco Botanical Garden, also known as Strybing Arboretum, is full of wonders. Whenever we go, Dave and I always expect to enjoy lush growth and plentiful blooms. But on a recent visit, it seems the gardens went above and beyond their usual magic. There weren’t any orchids, but we were astounded by some stunning plants. Three of them are highlighted here. The first row of photos above shows the amazing metallic-blue flowers of the Sapphire Tower, or Chilean Rock Bromeliad, Puya alpestris. The tall, colorful spikes held the flowers right in front of us, at perfect photographing height. I’ve seen Puya blooms before, such as this one from the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, but these were much more striking.

In the second row, there are bizarre blooms from a Monkey’s Hand Tree. The species is native to Guatemala and southern Mexico. This specimen grows arched over a pathway in Strybing’s Succulent Garden. I’d never seen the tree in bloom before. The large, red flowers are certainly fascinating and weird.

The third row of photos can’t compare in color to the first two, but it shows quite an oddity: a very rare albino redwood. Few of these mutants are known to exist, but there’s one in Strybing’s Redwood Grove. The white leaves can’t photosynthesize, so they must grow attached to a parent tree with green needles. These were growing as small suckers at the base of a large tree. Unfortunately, I suspect that some visitors were plucking them. It’s possible that these ghostly plants help their parent plant to filter toxic heavy metals. They’re just a few of San Francisco Botanical Garden’s marvels.

Orchid thieves have been busy in the UK, destroying native species in the process. Burnt-tip Orchids and Late Spider Orchids are both rare and endangered in England. Dozens of them have gone missing. Orchid experts believe that the plants may have been “stolen to order” by foolish and selfish orchid collectors, who don’t care about the damage they’re causing. The stolen species will likely die after being dug up and replanted.

Other orchids are already extinct or highly endangered in the UK because of habitat destruction and illegal poaching. True orchid lovers don’t steal plants from the wild and threaten rare species. Never take flowers or plants from the wild, or buy plants which have been removed from the wild. Use caution when photographing plants, and remove location data when posting photos on social media.

As more in-person orchid events return, it’s also nice to see online events continuing. For example, this year’s Orchid Digest Speakers Day allows for both in-person and virtual attendance, so people can attend from anywhere in the world. Stay safe at in-person events by wearing masks and getting vaccinated.

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The recent Peninsula Orchid Society Show had plenty of great flowers. In addition to my earlier post, here are more photos to enjoy. This small event featured displays of extraordinary species and the latest hybrids. The species included the always-impressive, brilliant orange Masdevallia veitchiana, two tables full of purple and white Cattleya intermedia, and sunny yellow Promeneas. Among the hybrids, there were Moth Orchids with an innovative yellow and white pattern, and a large, stunning Phragmipedium kovachii hybrid with twisty petals. The diversity of the vast orchid family was well represented.

Orchids’ scientific names have often been chosen by people of European descent, even when those species are native to tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, or the Americas. However, many scientists are now paying overdue homage to these orchids’ native lands. Increasingly, they’re picking names to honor indigenous peoples, who may have had knowledge of these species for eons before they were scientifically discovered. For example, new names for orchids from the Andes have included Quechua words. Quechua is an indigenous American language spoken by the ancient Incas, and still spoken today by millions of people in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Argentina. There are five Quechua-inspired examples below, reflecting an increasing respect given to the language, its culture, and its people.

Masdevallia chuspipatae – named for the town of Chuspipata, Bolivia, chuspipata means “the top of a fly”

Telipogon antisuyuensis – antisuyu means “region of the sunrise”

Telipogon phuyupatamarcensis – named for Phuyupatamarca, an archaeological site in Peru, phuyupatamarca means “town above the clouds”

Telipogon kosñipatensis – qusñipash means “smoky” or “through the smoke”

Quechua glabrescens – The name of the Quechua language has been given to this genus of orchids.

Last Sunday, the Peninsula Orchid Society Show returned to San Mateo, California, south of San Francisco. After being cancelled for two years because of the pandemic, this year’s original January date was also postponed. The show’s successful return featured plenty of gorgeous orchids, good vendors, and friendly faces. The impressive displays spotlighted Bay Area cool-growing favorites like Masdevallias and Cymbidiums, including traditionally-grown East Asian Cymbidiums. It was very obviously an optimal blooming time for Sarcochilus hybrids, and there were dozens of fascinating colors and patterns to compare. The last row of photos below highlights three of them.

It’s a pleasure to see events like this returning. It’s also great to be reminded that small shows can present excellent displays. Last winter’s enormous Pacific Orchid Expo was on a grander scale, and truly spectacular, but smaller events are definitely worth your time, too. Check back soon for more pictures.

Thanks to AboutOrchids reader Margaret Barnett for these fascinating photos of a wild, native orchid growing in Austin, Texas. This may look like bright yellow asparagus, but it’s an orchid. Corallorhiza orchids are commonly called Coralroots due their thick, coral-shaped rhizomes. This specimen lives beneath an oak tree, hidden underground, until its strange flowers spring from the soil.

Coralroots are leafless, and don’t photosynthesize. Instead, they take nutrients from fungi in the ground, a relationship called myco-heterotrophy. This plant is an unusual yellow color variety. Its springtime bloom may belong to Corallorhiza wisteriana, the Spring Coralroot, or Corallorhiza striata, the Striped Coralroot. There are two other Coralroots native to Texas, but Corallorhiza maculata, the Spotted Coralroot, blooms in summer, and Corallorhiza odontorhiza, the Autumn Coralroot, in autumn. Whichever it is, it’s a marvelous reminder that the weird and wonderful orchid world is full of surprises. Photos courtesy of Margaret Barnett.

From Australia to Brazil to France to the USA, many orchid events are happily returning after a two-year pause. Enjoy these shows and expos safely. Protect yourself and protect others by getting vaccinated and wearing masks.

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