AboutOrchids

The Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation works to save plant and animal biodiversity. Ceiba was founded in 1997 to preserve and restore ecosystems in Central and South America. With offices in Madison, Wisconsin, and Quito, Ecuador, the non-profit group supports community-based projects, sponsors scientific research, and provides public education.  Ceiba works with local communities to sustainably manage land and protect tropical forests. Current projects include the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve and the Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve. Both areas welcome visitors and volunteers. Ceiba also offers semester-length and summer courses which allow students to explore Ecuador’s dramatic natural beauty. Photos from their reserves include great shots of orchids, birds, and waterfalls. Lend your support to Ceiba’s essential work by learning more, donating, or volunteering.

I prefer to look at the proverbial glass as half full: it may be the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but starting tomorrow, the days grow longer. Even in the mild climate of the California coast, the season’s chill has arrived. Orchids excel at inspiring warm thoughts, and these tropical beauties are burning up the warm end of the color spectrum. Bask in their warmth as a remedy for the long nights, and take solace — spring is only 3 months away.

As the world’s largest and most diverse plant family, orchids provide a great way to personalize your gift choice. There’s an orchid that’s right for just about everyone.

If you’re buying a gift for an over-waterer, try a Cymbidium, Masdevallia, Miltonia, Paph, or Vanda. These types need daily watering.

For an under-waterer, try a Cattleya, Dendrobium, Epidendrum, or Oncidium. These like to dry out well between waterings.

If your gift recipient lives in a warm climate, try a Phal, Paph, Cattleya, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Vanda, or other warm grower.

For those who live in a cool climate, try a Cymbidium, Masdevallia, Miltonia, Odontoglossum or other cool grower.

Along with the orchid, it will help to give the link for basic care here at AboutOrchids. That will wrap up your holiday gift nicely.

Orchid names may include initials which represent awards. Many organizations around the globe honor outstanding plants and growers. Initials following an orchid name are marks of excellence conferred by expert judges. Abbreviations show the award and the organization separated by a slash (/). These 3 cultivars have received prizes:

• Dendrobium victoria-reginae ‘Blues Brothers’ HCC/AOS (HCC/AOS = Highly Commended Certificate/American Orchid Society)
• Cirrhopetalum rothschildianum ‘Red Chimney’ FCC/AOS (FCC/AOS = First Class Certificate/American Orchid Society)
• Paphiopedilum rothschildianum ‘Golden Gate’ BM/CSA
  (BM/CSA = Bronze Medal/Cymbidium Society of America)

A sample of award abbreviations on orchid name tags includes:

• FCC = First Class Certificate
• AM = Award of Merit
• HCC = Highly Commended Certificate
• AQ = Award of Quality
• AD = Award of Distinction
• CCE = Certificate of Cultural Excellence
• CCM = Certificate of Cultural Merit
• CHM = Certificate of Horticultural Merit
• GM = Gold Medal
• SM = Silver Medal
• BM = Bronze Medal

Groups which bestow orchid awards include:

• AOS = American Orchid Society
• RHS = Royal Horticultural Society (UK)
• AOC = Australian Orchid Council
• CAOB = Coordenadoria das Associacoes Orquidofilas do Brasil
• CSA = Cymbidium Society of America
• DOG = Deutsche Orchideen Gesellschaft (Germany)
• JOS = Japan Orchid Society
• OCNZ = Orchid Council of New Zealand
• SAOC = South African Orchid Council
• TOGA = Taiwan Orchid Growers Association
• TOS = Thailand Orchid Society
• WOC = World Orchid Conference (preceded by the conference number, i.e. 20WOC)

The AOS keeps photos of all winning plants, and publishes a complete list in Awards Quarterly. The RHS has kept paintings of every winner since 1897. Expert botanical artists detail the prize flowers in watercolor. The Orchid: From the Archives of the Royal Horticultural Society reproduces hundreds of these remarkable illustrations.

Giving an orchid gift can be tough at a time of year when that gift might freeze its blooms off. Instead, consider this gorgeous orchid book that’s getting lots of buzz — Deceptive Beauties: The World of Wild Orchids. Veteran National Geographic photographer and biologist Christian Ziegler explores orchid adaptions, diversity, and how orchids deceive their pollinators. Amazing photography reveals orchids in their native habitats, as well as butterflies, hummingbirds, and orchid bees. This stunning book also highlights how these captivating flowers survive in a variety of harsh environments. It makes a great holiday gift, and it’s much easier to wrap than a Dendrobium.

A vanilla farmer in Malaysia recounts the challenges of cultivating the world’s second most expensive spice. The Vanilla orchid grows as a vine whose flowers open for just a single day. After pollination by hand, the vanilla beans take months to mature, and then months more to dry and cure. That hasn’t deterred farmer K.K. Yong, who invested a small fortune, and began farming vanilla in 2009. He has yet to see a single bloom, let alone a precious pod. In the tropics of Southeast Asia, the climate is right, but the vines take at least 3 years to mature. For now, he has a farm of tropical vines to tend, and plenty of mosquitoes for company. According to Yong, “a big mosquito population means you’re doing something right – the environment is damp enough.” Despite the challenges, Yong is optimistic. “The market and price for vanilla is excellent. With so many people quitting the business, there’s a chance that I can be a major player if my plants start bearing pods!”

Dendrobiums are one of the largest and most diverse orchid families. They include more than 1200 species and thousands more hybrids, with a vast range of colors, shapes, sizes, and growing conditions. The first 2 pictures below show the most common variety, the somewhat confusingly named Phalaenopsis-type Dendrobiums. No, they’re not Phals — they’re Dendrobiums whose blooms resemble Phals in shades of pink, purple, and white. These are popular as cut flowers and great in leis, but usually not fragrant.

Australian Dendrobiums, like the next 3 photos, are also popular. Many have rich fragrances. With their incredible diversity, Dendrobiums exemplify the deficiency of one-size-fits-all orchid care instructions. Some grow in hot, steamy jungles, while others grow on cold, windy mountains. As natives to a huge area, from India east to Japan, Australia, and the South Pacific, no single recipe can cover their care. However, they do share commonalities. Most want bright light with morning sun, good humidity, and winter dormancy.

Dendrobium plants come in many forms, but they most commonly have tall, thick plant stems called pseudobulbs or canes. In the next photo, lovely white and purple flowers bloom atop the canes of a Nobile type Dendrobium. Nobile types may drop all their leaves over winter, causing inexperienced growers to think a plant is dead and discard it. Ironically, some kinds flower after they drop their leaves, and their brilliant colors stand out on the bare canes. Other varieties have twisted petals or masses of brilliantly hued blooms.

There’s certainly no shortage of astonishing shapes and colors in the Dendrobium family. They’re true tropical beauties.

Given that December is the slowest month for orchid shows, this cosmopolitan list still has plenty to offer. You can also check with your local orchid society for seasonal sales and auctions to find that perfect holiday gift.

Orchid care changes with the seasons. Growers need to adjust for winter’s approach in the Northern Hemisphere.

• Orchids with pseudobulbs are entering dormancy. If they sport swollen stems like those in the first photo below, they may only need water once or twice per month over winter. Too much water can cause rot, or mess up the plant’s flowering schedule. Cut back on fertilizer, too.
• Orchids without pseudobulbs, like Phals, Paphs, and Masdevallias, don’t go dormant. However, with seasonally lower light levels and cooler temps, it’s best to reduce their water and fertilizer slightly.
• All orchids need good humidity, but home and office heating can dry the air like an arid desert. Low humidity can cause blooms to wilt, and invite pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale. Find helpful tips to raise humidity here.
• Consider adding extra light to compensate for the weak winter sun.
• Members of the Cattleya family, like the red and yellow hybrid in the second photo below, may be affected by too many hours of artificial light. They require long, dark nights to trigger flowering. Keep them away from any artificial light at night.
• Remove dead leaves or flowers. This helps limit hiding places for unwelcome pests or disease.
• Don’t panic if a few older leaves wither and drop. Some varieties of Dendrobiums, like the cool grower in the final photo below, lose all their leaves. Other types, like Cycnoches, Epipactis, and Thunia, are also deciduous. Continue to give them bright light and good humidity. Water when their pseudobulbs start to shrivel, only once or twice per month.

Scientists have discovered the first orchid that blooms in the dark. British and Dutch botanists found the new species, which they’ve named Bulbophyllum nocturnum, native to a single island off New Guinea. After saving the unknown orchid from a logging area, they brought it back to Europe. They were perplexed when its flower buds seemed to die, but then realized that it blooms only for a single night from 10 p.m. until sunrise. While some orchid varieties are pollinated at night, including many types with fragrant, white flowers like Angraecums and Jumelleas, those flowers stay open during the day. No other orchid is known to flower exclusively at night. The new species fits right into the large Bulbophyllum family, which is full of bizarre blooms. Kew Gardens orchid specialist Andre Schuiteman, one of the scientists who investigated the strange new plant, said: “This is another reminder that surprising discoveries can still be made. But it is a race against time to find species like this that only occur in primeval tropical forests. As we all know, such forests are disappearing fast. It is therefore increasingly important to obtain funding for the fieldwork required to make such discoveries.”