March 2007
Meeting Dates
- March 25, 2007 – Atrium, Olbrich Gardens
- April 22, 2007 – Meeting Room, Olbrich Gardens
- May 20, 2007 – Atrium, Olbrich Gardens
- June Picnic – TBA
Up-coming Events
- March 23-25, 2007 - 32nd Illowa Orchid Society Spring Show
- April 27-29, 2007 - Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show in conjunction with Spring Mid-America Orchid Congress
- January 23-27, 2008 - 19th World Orchid Conference
Judy Stevenson (2008)
judy_stevenson@/SBCGlobal.net
Vice President:
Sarah Lundey (2007)
sarahlundey@/charter.net
Secretary:
Meg McLaughlin (2007)
lodi4ever@/charter.net
Treasurer:
Don Fago (2008)
dfago@/localnet.com
Board:
Liz Barlow (2008)
eabarlow@/wisc.edu
Svetlana Kot (2009)
grigkot@/gmail.com
Jill Hynum (2007)
jhynum@/sbcglobal.net
Away Shows:
Sandy Delamater (2007)
sldjn@/aol.com
Hospitality:
Dawn Weckler (2007)
Jeri Gjertson (2007)
Librarian:
Liz Wood (2007)
ewood@/biochem.wisc.edu
Membership:
Board of Directors
Newsletter:
Denise Baylis
jrbaylis@/tds.net
Orchid Quest:
Board of Directors
Programs:
Elaine Malter (2007)
Ribbon Judging:
Wayne King
Web Master:
Svetlana Kot
grigkot@/gmail.com
Liaisons:
Alliant: Elaine Malter (2007)
AOS: Jill Hynum (2007)
MAOC: Don Fago (2007)
Orchid Digest: Jill Hynum (2007)
Submit your photos to be included in the newsletter. Every month we want to include a gallery of photos to enjoy. Email your photos to Svetlana (grigkot@/gmail.com) and Denise (jrbaylis@/tds.net)
The Orchid Growers' Guild, Inc. (OGG) is a non-profit organization, affiliated with the American Orchid Society. It is dedicated to the education of both OGG members and the public about orchids and their culture. OGG also promotes the conservation and appreciation of orchids. Meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. See our website at orchidguild.org for more information.
The Orchid Grower
Madison Orchid Growers’ Guild
NEXT MEETING MARCH 25TH: JOHN CLAUSEN WILL SPEAK ON CATTLEYAS
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John Clausen has been a hobby grower for thirty years, the last ten of those in a greenhouse. Hailing from Milwaukee he is an active member in the Wisconsin Orchid Society, currently serving as judging chair. His collection includes oncidiums, angraecums, dendrobiums, a few vandas and a couple of paphs, but primarily cattleya alliance hybrids and species with a special interest in the latter. His awards include many ribbons and "Best of Classes" at area shows; he is a 3-time winner of the Acker’s Best Cattleya award at OGG Orchid Quests, and has 14 AOS awards including 4 CCMs and a CCE. He will talk about his cultural practices in general and cattleya species in particular. |
 Cattleya jemanii 'Robert Clausen' AM/AOS Photograph by John Clausen
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Orchid Quest 2007 has come and gone. How fortunate OGG was not to
have encountered the snow emergency of the recent weekend in Dane
County and the Madison area February 3rd-4th.
I want to let you know what a privilege it was to have worked with
you that first weekend in February. I did not
know what to expect because I was abroad the past two years of Orchid
Quest. It was very gratifying to see the guild working as a TEAM to
make this enormous event a success. Many people spent Friday,
Saturday and Sunday working at the Exhibition Hall at various stations.
Many of those same persons went to their paid jobs on Monday
morning. I give all of you a pat on your back for your dedication and
hard work. Attendance at Orchid Quest was down approximately 600
people compared to last year because it was so cold. Nonetheless, I
consider that it was a successful show. The vendors were generally
satisfied with their sales. Treasurer Don Fago tells us that we will be
close to $1,000 in the black after all the bills are paid.
This is the last month to renew your membership to OGG. This
application can be down loaded from our website and mailed to Box
5432, Madison, WI. 53705. I look forward to seeing you at Olbrich as
we learn the secrets of growing cattleya orchids in March.
Judy Stevenson
NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN
A nominating committee has been selected. It is comprised of Judy
Stevenson, Lorraine Snyder and Sarah Lundey. Positions that will be
open are vice-president, secretary, and one board member.
CULTURE SHEETS FOR MARCH AND APRIL AVAILABLE FROM AOS
The coming change of seasons cannot arrive too soon. With this
change, our orchids need our attention. The AOS website contains a
monthly checklist for selected genera including cymbidiums, pleuro,
Milton, paph, lycaste, dendrobium, phal and cattleyas. See
http://orchidweb.org/aos/orchids/page22.aspx.
ILLINOIS ORCHID SOCIETY AND MID-AMERICA ORCHID CONGRESS
This April there is a rare opportunity to attend the IOS and MAOC at
their Spring joint meeting at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The OGG is offering to
charter a bus on Saturday, April 28 if there is enough interest. Consider the
convenience of avoiding a long drive by riding with fellow members in
comfort and with room to transport back your finds! There will be at
least 30 vendors and perhaps two from Peru and Ecuador that have
tentatively agreed to attend as well. Those of you who prefer to attend
on your own check out their website at www.iosoc.com. Registration
is required to attend events, including lectures, scheduled at
the Renaissance Hotel.
 Sandy Delamater, Arlene King, Amy Ripp and Joan Smalley  John King  Steve Thimling, Liz Wood, Jeff Baylis and Sarah Lundey  Cleo Kiergaard |
 Joan Smalley and Lorraine Snyder  Russ and Anita Vernon of New Vision Orchids with Wayne King  Scott Weber, our AOS photographer  Liz Wood, Nancy Acker and Liz Barlow |
 Phal. bellina |
 Vanda Sansai blue from Acher's |
 Den. Silver Bells |
 Photograph by Rich Narf |
 Phrag. St Ouen Photograph by Svetlana Kot |
 Masdevallia Geneva Spots Photograph by Svetlana Kot |
| Display: |
Second Place |
|
| Special Awards, Best of Class; First Place and OGG Vice-President’s Award – Best Cymbidium: |
Sandy Delamater |
Cym. Earli Sue 'Paddy' |
| First Place and Best of Class: | Sandy Delamater | Paph. Hanes Green Honda |
| First Place: | Sandy Delamater Judy Stevenson |
Phrag. Sorcerers Apprentice Paph. Pinocchio (P. glaucophyllum var. moquettianum x P. primulinum) |
| Second Place: | Joanne Bernardi Sue Reed Meg McLaughlin Wayne King Liz Wood Steve Thimling Elaine Malter |
Phrag. lindleyanum x Grande 4N Dendrobium atroviolaceum type pygmy Brassavola cordata x sibling 'HR' Brsdm. Fly Away ‘Miami' Hawkinsara Kat Golden Eve (Spotglen 'Doodlebug' x Winston Churchill 'Redoubtable’) Epicattleya Rene Marquea 'Flame Thrower' HCC/AOS; Paph. Voodoo Magic 'Wide Petals' x Laser 'Red Fire' Brassia Spider's Feast ‘Highland’ (Brs. Chieftain x Brs. verrucosa); Paph. liemianum |
| Third Place: | Sandy Delamater Svetlana Kot Len Huebner Elaine Malter |
Phal. Chain Xen Queen 'ORCHIS'; Asconopsis Irene Dobkin Phal. Cool Breeze (Phal. Christian Wichmann x Phal. Dutch Frost) Phal. Little Emperor Vandofinetia Blaupunkt (Neo Falcate x Vanda coerulescens) |
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You know you are addicted to orchids when… ... you apologize profusely, out loud, to your orchids when you do anything that is not optimal for them. … looking through new orchid catalogues is less thrilling than it used to be because you already have most of them. |
Results of 2007 Batavia Orchid Society Show
February 16-18
February 16-18
| Display: |
First Place |
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| Best of Class: | Orchids by the Ackers | Phal. schilleriana; Miltoniopsis Laurie Kathleen ‘Karen’ |
| First Place: | Orchids by the Ackers Sandy Delamater Joan Smalley |
Phal. schilleriana; Miltoniopsis Laurie Kathleen ‘Karen’; Dialaelia Snowflake ‘Northland’; Phrag. Magdalene Rose x Barbara LeAnn Phrag. Barbara LeAnn Wils. Tigersette ‘Wild Court’ |
| Second Place: | Orchids by the Ackers Sandy Delamater Sarah Lundey |
Calanthe Grouville Cym. Earli Sue ‘Paddy’; Paph. Constance; Paph. Hanes Green Honda; Phal. Chain Xen Queen ‘Orchis’ Epi. stanfordianum x self; Vandofinctia Blaupunkt |
| Third Place: | Sandy Delamater Wayne King |
Paph. Henrietta Fujiwara; Phal. Everspring King x Musachino Cattleya intermedia |
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 OGG Batavia Exhibit on left; Acker’s prize winning Miltoniopsis Laurie Kathleen ‘Karen’ Milton, photograph by Steve Thimling |
LYCASTE, THE BEAUTIFUL SISTER OF HELEN OF TROY
By Leo Schordje, LSchordje@dataflo.net, www.schordje.com
Lycaste have been a popular orchid since the Victorian era. Lycaste (now Ida) ciliata was the first species discovered in 1798. Lycaste skinneri was described in 1843 and remains the most popular species. There are 35 species in five sections. For horticultural purposes, these can be sorted into two groups based on their growing requirements, evergreen and deciduous. Lycaste breeding and cultivation is in a state that parallels the 1970’s phase of Cattleya hybridization. Hybrids are now into as many as 12 generations, the majority of hybrids are repeated backcrosses of L. skinneri back on to the complex hybrid.
General Cultural requirements
• Light: Very bright shade to partial sun, about the same light as Cattleya, approx. 2000 to 4000 ftc. Growers can compensate for lower light intensities under artificial light by using 18 hour day and 6 hour nights.
• Air movement: This is essential, especially if leaves receive direct sun because air movement keeps the thin leaves from sun burn.
• Temperature: Most species are intermediate growers and most will tolerate cool temperatures. Although cool is not required, most species will tolerate summer heat with good air movement.
• Potting mix: Any water retentive mix with good air voids will work. Fir bark with Perlite is preferred by many. Use a fine seedling mix for pots less than five inches.
• Repot in spring when new growth is one to two inches tall. Repotting out of season can cause problems, but if it is necessary, do repot. Do not allow the mix to get stale.
• Water: Keep moist all year round; do not allow it to dry out between waterings. If you keep the plant moist, water quality is not an issue. Never let the mix become bone dry between waterings. This is the way to keep evergreen species like L. skinneri and all Ida species happy. Deciduous species will need a dry rest in LATE winter, usually January and February. Do not start the dry rest too early. Deciduous species need time to mature in fall.
• Fertilizer: Lycaste are moderate feeders therefore dilute high nitrogen fertilizer all year round. My personal recommendation is MSU formula at ¼ to ½ teaspoon per gallon, every week.
Lycaste, BOC, grown by Natt's Orchid,photograph by Steve Thimling |
Lycaste are easy to grow, they
develop into wonderful display
specimen plants. All have very large
thin leaves. As a general rule, the thin
leaves do not last much more than one
year, even on the evergreen species. If
you have an evergreen species, such as L. skinneri or its hybrids, and it loses all its leaves, do
not dry it out. Check to see if there are problems you can identify. Insect infestations can cause
leaf drop. Drying the plant out during the time of year that it should be actively growing will
cause leaf drop. Take care of any obvious problems and then keep the plant moist with good air
movement. New growth and new leaves should appear within a few months. Many text books
will tell you that Lycaste require cool temperatures. I have personally had several plants of L.
skinneri survive more than 15 years of Chicago area summers, without air conditioning. I
believe if you provide good air movement Lycaste will survive the summers experienced in the
Midwest without any problems. The following is a list of all the evergreen Lycastes. These species and the hybrids from them will appreciate the culture recommendations above. |
Lycaste dowiana (Endres & Reichenbach) 1874 - Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, South America
Lycaste leucantha (Klotzsch) 1850 - Costa Rica, Panama
Lycaste skinneri (Lindley) 1843 - Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador
------Lycaste skinneri alba
------Lycaste skinneri armeniaca
------Lycaste skinneri Ipala
------Lycaste skinneri rosea
Lycaste powellii (Schlechter) 1922 – Panama
Lycaste schilleriana (Reichb. f.) 1855 – Panama, Peru, Colombia, Surinam
Lycaste virginalis (Scheidweiler) Linden 1888 (correct name is skinneri)
Lycaste virginalis alba (Scheidweiler) 1842 (correct name is skinneri alba)
Lycaste xytriophora (Linden & Reichenbach) 1872 – Ecuador, Colombia
Lycaste macrophylla represents a “super species”, a single widespread species with many geographic variants or a swarm of closely related species. It is a geographically wide spread species, each of the subspecies listed below may be found listed in some references as a species in its own right, or by other authors variously sunk back to variety level or simply geographic races. All variants have big wide leaves, many flowers with wonderful fruity fragrances.
Lycaste macrophylla (Poepp. & Endl.) Lindley 1843 Central/South America, Peru
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. Desboisiana (Cogniaux) Fowlie 1964 - Costa Rica, Panama
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. desboisiana f. alba (Cogniaux) Fowlie 1964 - NC Costa Rica
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. filomenoi (Schlechter) Fowlie 1964 - Peru
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. macrophylla (Lindley) Fowlie 1964 – Peru
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. measuresiana (Williams) Fowlie 1887 - Amazonas
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. neglecta (Schlechter) Fowlie - Bolivia
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. orinocoensis (Fowlie) 1964 - Colombia
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. panamanensis (Fowlie) 1964 - Panama
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. plana (Lindley) Fowlie 1964 - Costa Rica, Panama
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. puntarenasensis (Fowlie) 1964 - Costa Rica, Panama
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. viridescens (Oakeley) 1991 origin?
Lycaste macrophylla subsp. xanthocheila (Fowlie) 1964 - Costa Rica
The Deciduous Lycaste
These species come from areas of Central and South America that experience seasonal wet and dry periods. As a “vague but true” generalization along the Caribbean-Atlantic coast from Florida to Colombia there is a dryer season starting in January, lasting through February, usually ending late March. There is often some rain, but nowhere near as much as there usually is the rest of the year. The Central American Pacific Coast dry season timing is similar. For both areas some local regional exceptions exist that are beyond the scope of this article. The following species are considered deciduous:
Lycaste aromatica (Graham ex Hooker) Lindley 1843 - Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala
Lycaste bradeorum (Schlechter) 1923 - Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua (prefers warmer temperatures)
Lycaste campbellii (C. Schweinf.) 1949 - Panama, Colombia (I-W temps)
Lycaste cochleata (Lindley) 1850-51 - Mexico, Guatemala (I-W temps)
Lycaste consobrina (Reichb. f.) 1852 - Mexico
Lycaste crinita (Lindley) 1844 - Mexico
Lycaste cruenta (Lindley) Lindley 1843 - Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador (really prefers intermediate to cool, not very warm tolerant)
Lycaste deppei (Lodd.) Lindley 1843 - Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala
Lycaste deppei var. praestans (L. Linden) 1898
Lycaste deppei var. punctatissima (Reichb. f.) 1881 (possible natural hybrid)
Lycaste lasioglossa (Reichb. f.) 1872 - Guatemala
Lycaste luminosa (Oakeley) 1991 - Costa Rica (?)
Lycaste macrobulbon (Hooker) Lindley 1846 – Colombia (I-W temps)
Lycaste brevispatha (Klotzsch) 1851 - Costa Rica, Nicaragua
Lycaste candida (Lindley) 1851 - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama
Lycaste micheliana (Cogniaux) 1900 = natural hybrid
Lycaste saccata (A. Richard) 1848 - Mexico, Guatemala
Lycaste suaveolens (Summerhayes) 1931 - El Salvador
Lycaste tricolor (Klotzsch) 1852 - Costa Rica, Panama
As a general rule the deciduous Lycaste tolerate warm temperatures better than L. skinneri. This means that in all but the hottest areas of the country these species should do fine. For ten months of the year grow these Lycaste as you would the Evergreen species as described above. For one to two months in the late winter give them a dry rest. The best time to start this rest is when all the leaves start turning brown. Stop watering, the mix will dry and the leaves will brown and fall off. This normally will happen late December to the beginning of January. Large specimens in pots 4-inch or larger can simply be left bone dry until new growth is up out of the mix ½ inch or more in Spring. Small plants with small pseudobulbs might benefit being watered once a month or so to prevent excessive shriveling. Some plants may go dormant as early as late November, but it is important to not force dormancy too soon. I have killed a few L. aromatica by forcing dormancy too early, once as early as September. The new pseudobulbs had not matured and the seedlings did not survive.
You may encounter the occasional plant that does not seem to want to go dormant. I have an L. cochlearis that still has its leaves in late January and an L. deppei that seldom drops its leaves. If they seem to keep growing, keep watering them. Let the plant tell you what it wants to do. If for some reason a deciduous Lycaste drops its leaves in mid-summer, likely it got too dry between watering or it has root trouble. Check the plant out, spray for pests if needed and keep the plant moist. It should start another growth right away. Again as above, the best time to repot is when new growth is one to two inches tall.
The Ida
Ida is the third group of Lycaste that are fairly widely grown. They were referred to as the Fimbriata section of Lycaste. Botanically, these are somewhat different from L. skinneri. Eric Christiansen moved the entire Fimbriata group into Ida, out of Lycaste a couple years ago. Most vendors still list them as Lycaste. Taxonomy is in flux so names are certain to change in the future.
Ida have a heavier leaf that seems to last four or five years instead of just one or two. They seem to want deeper shade than the others, about the same light level as required for Phalaenopsis is adequate to bloom the Ida group as well. (Around 900 to 2000 ftc.) The Ida generally prefer intermediate temperatures. A few are cool growers and a few are warm growers. All have green and white flowers, many with strong night time fragrances. Some of them have, to be kind, “industrial fragrances,” some are pleasant spice fragrances.
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Ida (Lycaste) andreettae (Dodson) 1982 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador, Colombia Ida (Lycaste) barbifrons (Lindley) 1845 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) barringtoniae (J.E. Smith) Lindley 1793 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Jamaica Ida (Lycaste) barringtoniae var. grandiflora (Hooker) 1868 Ida (Lycaste) ciliata (Ruiz & Pavon) Lindley 1798 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru Ida (Lycaste) ciliata rossyi (Hoehne) Fowlie 1937 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Brazil Ida (Lycaste) cobbiana (Hort. ex Williams/Reichb. f.) 1885 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru Ida (Lycaste) costata (Hooker) 1868 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru & N. Colombia Ida (Lycaste) denningiana (Reichb. f.) 1876 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru, Ecuador Ida (Lycaste) dyeriana (Sander ex Rolfe) 1895 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) fimbriata (Poepp.& Endl.) Cogniaux 1898 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador, Peru Ida (Lycaste) fimbriata var. peruviana (Rolfe) C. Schweinf. 1944 ------= Ida (Lycaste) peruviana Ida (Lycaste) fowliei (Oakeley) 1994 (portilliae may be a later synonym) ------Section: Fimbriatae, Latin America Ida (Lycaste) fragrans (Oakeley) 1994 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador Ida (Lycaste) fulvescens (Hooker) 1845 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Colombia Ida (Lycaste) gigantea (Lindley) 1843 ------Peru, Ecuador, Colombia Ida (Lycaste) grande (Fowlie ex Oakeley) 1970 ------Section: Fimbriatae Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia Ida (Lycaste) hirtzii (Dodson) 1982 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador, Colombia Ida (Lycaste) jarae (Bennett & Christenson) 1996 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) lata (non Rolfe) Dodson & Bennett 1989 ------Section: Fimbriatae Ida (Lycaste) linguella (Reichb. f.) 1871 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador Ida (Lycaste) locusta (Reichb. f.) 1879 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) longiscapa (Masters) 1928 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Ecuador, Peru Ida (Lycaste) mathiasae (Kennedy) 1978 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) mezae (Bennett & Oakeley) ? ------Section: ? new specie Ida (Lycaste) nana (Oakeley) 1994 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Latin America Ida (Lycaste) peruviana (Rolfe) 1910 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) reichenbachia (Gireoud ex Reichb. f.) 1856 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru Ida (Lycaste) trifoliata (Lehmann ex Masters) 1895 ------Section: Fimbriatae, Peru |
 Paph Shanti Gardens, BOC at OQ 2007 Photograph by Steve Thimling  Masd. Copper Angel Photograph by Svetlana Kot |
Copyright January 15, 2007 by Leo Schordje, this article may be reprinted by not-for-profit orchid clubs in their newsletters and for their membership if the authors email address and website address are retained on the reproductions. No part may be used by any for profit organization without written permission from the author.
UP-COMING EVENTS
• March 23-25, 2007, 32nd Illowa Orchid Society Spring Show
• April 27-29, 2007, Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show in conjunction with Spring Mid-America Orchid Congress, Glencoe, IL
• January 23-27, 2008, 19th World Orchid Conference will be held in Miami Beach, FL