FEBRUARY@ MARCH ustralian Bet r . : 7 ME 82-No.1 | co] www.australianorchidreview.com.au VOLU HILLS DISTRICT ORCHIDS Autumn Open Day Sunday 26 February 2017 — @183 Windsor Road Northmead 2152 NSW 9am til 4pm (please park j in Mary Street or Windermere Avenue) Heaps of flowering orchids, rare species and unusual plants for sale, as well as a full range of orchid related supplies and new and exclusive Clivia miniata seedlings in a full range of colours. | ‘Including regular vendors: : -Tinonee Orchid Nursery and Macquarie Native Orchids Phone: David Banks on 0412 123 036 E-mail: david@hillsdistrictorchids. com — - HDO Open Days are held 4 times a year: Autumn: Last Sunday in February (26 February 2017) Winter: Last Sunday in July (30 July 2017) : Spring: Last Sunday in September (24 September 2017) Summer: First Sunday in December (3 December 2017) www-.hillsdistrictorchids.com Pom the Editors Dose B: Dobson has quickly developed into one of Australia’s finest orchid photographers. He is also an experienced | master grower of various types of orchids, being able to quickly grow choice plants : into specimen size. He has a vast and varied quality collection of his favourite native orchid, Dendrobium speciosum, but as summer approaches, his collection of the Brazilian Laelia purpurata takes centre stage. In this issue, Bill shares his vast knowledge on how he gets the best out of these spectacular, variable and large flowered orchids. Bill was also heavily involved in a project at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where larger than life orchid murals have been put on display. This is a great initiative as it certainly brightens up an otherwise sterile environment. Perhaps at some stage, a small plaque may be added, including the orchid names, photographer and also the ongoing contribution made by the strong North Shore Orchid Society. Again we have a strong and varied coverage on a range ’ of Australian native orchids, from a number of authors. John Roberts talks about his recent encounters with the rarely seen and poorly understood Giant Climbing Orchid — Pseudovanilla foliata. Sadly this impressive species is not amenable to traditional cultivation techniques, and if encountered in the wild, should be left alone. It is closely related to the genus Vanilla. Regular AOR contributor, David Jones describes an extremely rare and distinctive terrestrial orchid species from the Sydney region of New South Wales. It has not | been seen in the wild since 1995 and the area where it occurred has been totally cleared for housing. Hopefully it is not extinct. Alan Stephenson also discusses a rare New Zealand terrestrial species that has recently been found in at least two locations in Australia. I also discuss and show examples of the new colours that have suddenly appeared within the Japanese sacred species Neofinetia falcata. This monopodial miniature orchid has always been well-known for its traditionally pure white glistening distinctive blooms. Yet now we have pinks, purples, yellows, oranges — even greens. One has to wonder are these indeed rare natural colour variations or essentially hybrids deliberately bred to look similar to Neofinetia — but in a range of new shades. Much has been whispered about them, but it seems many are cautious about causing any controversy. We also present the three winning entries in the Australian Orchid Foundation’s “orchid essays” for 2016. The essay topic for 2017 is “Orchid Ailments and their Management”, see page 63 for further details. Remember you can subscribe, renew or extend your subscriptions to the Australian Orchid Review online on our secure website at www.australianorchidreview.com.au You can also visit our page on Facebook. | i David Banks Australian Orchid Review david@hillsdistrictorchids.com The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2017 Volume 82 — No.1 Contents Features: Growing Laelia purpurata my way . Variation within Seedlings «nn. Pseudovanilla foliata — the Giant Climbing Orchid Neofinetia falcata - and the new colour “forms” Orchid Murals at Royal North Shore Hospital Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi (Orchidaceae; Pterostylidinae), anew but possibly extinct species from the Central Coast of New South WaleS .......000m» David L. Jones 2016 AOF Essay 15* Prize Winner - Hybridising Orchids — an Australian story: The breeding of the perfect "ted" Dendrobium KingiaNUM nem K. Yin Chan and Sau-wan Chan 2016 AOF Essay 24 Prize Winner - Master, Teacher, Hybridiser Daniel Coulton 2016 AOF Essay 3'4 Prize Winner - Orchid Hybridising - for Love not Money Terri Bade Dubbo and Orana Region Orchid Society David Banks 47 Plumatichilos heberlei (Orchidaceae: Pterostylidinae), anew species of Bearded Greenhood from Western Australia ........... David L. Jones and Christopher J. French 50 To the Falls and Beyond - in search of Danhatchia australis ... 2017 AOF Essay Prize ...... sececechatet EY Regular Features: From the Editor's Desk Mail Order Bookshop .... Advertiser's INdeX «nn... SS Editorial copy: Articles for publication and consideration should be sent to: AOR Editor, David P. Banks, 39 Carole Street, Seven Hills, NSW 2147 Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com All other correspondence to: AOR Publisher, Hills Orchid Publishing Pty Ltd, PO Box 4812, North Rocks, NSW 2151 B® 0433 422 792 Advertisers: Deadline for advertising copy for the April - May 2017 issue is Monday, 27 February, 2017 All advertising bookings and enquiries should be directed to: Caitlin Hoolahan @ 0433 422 792 Fax: (02) 9221 4242 or Email: sales@australianorchidreview.com.au or David Banks ‘@ 0412 123036 Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com fil: Subscriptions: See page 61 for Subscription information ww Bill Dobson .. Allan Eggins .. John Roberts David Banks wun Bill Dobson Cover Shot Group of various forms | of the Brazilian species Laelia purpurata grown, flowered = az. , and photographed by experienced master grower, Bill Dobson. J aelia purpurata is the National Flower of Brazil, it grows 4#_snear the coast from around Rio de Janeiro down to the State of Rio Grande do Sul in the South. The equivalent latitude on the East Coast of Australia would be from around Townsville, Qld to Coffs Harbour in NSW. It’s a robust orchid that requires bright light to grow and bloom well, liking similar conditions to our own native Dendrobium speciosum. Laelia purpurata a magnificent plant and an easy grower if given the right conditions. mE I a ~~ “ } ww Text and photos by Bill Dobson How I grow my Laelia purpurata: My wife and I live on the North Shore of Sydney, NSW Australia where the temperature varies from zero in winter to 40°C+ in summer. I usually start seedlings in my bush house which is north facing with 50% green knitted shade cloth. They stay here until they are in 100-125 mm pots and then they move outside usually in April or early May to gradually get used to stronger sunlight so they will be Laelia purpurata forma alba. ‘Louanne’ - 2016 ACM/AOC-NSW (82 points) flowering with Bill Dobson www.australianorchidreview.com.au acclimatised to it when the next summer comes. When they are outside they are in full sun all year round, I believe that this increases flower count and actually promotes multiple new growths which means you can get to a specimen plant within 4-5 years. I repot the following year or as needed. The potting mix I use, and have been for over 20 years is purchased from Orchid Care Services. This is a mix of treated and untreated bark Pinus radiata 6-15mm in size, sel-grit (limestone 2-5mm), canunda shells and gravel developed especially by Orchid Care Services for the de-flasking of seedlings, and the mix is ready to use direct from the bag. I add small stones to the top of the mix for decoration and water retention and help insulate the roots. I use Osmocote Pro Low Phosporous 8-9 month 16 + 3.9 + 9.1 + 1.8 Mg + TE slow release prills at the start of each growing season, October, and water and fertilise weekly with Peters Excel Cal Mag Hi-K (FINISHER) 12 + 2.2 + 16.6 at the rate of 1.5g/litre water. As the summer heat increases they get watered 2-3 times a week and if really hot an extra light watering after the sun has gone down to allow the plant to retain some water overnight. Laelia purpurata forma alba : ‘Louanne’ The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Pests: Slugs, are probably the only pest to worry them, and only when in flower. So kill them off with slug and snail pellets while the buds are still in the sheaths. Flowering: Watch the sheaths in November for new flowers, and add stakes as required. The sheaths will be there for months but when the flowers come that will emerge in a rush. I usually check each day then sprinkle the plant with slug and snail bait and bring in under cover. A word of warning, do not touch fresh growths and emerging flowers in the morning, allow to harden during the day and stake up just after the heat of the day has gone. Too soon and they will be in your hand. Laelia purpurata forma alba ‘Louanne’ I purchased this plant as a back-cut from David Banks in early 2004 and repotted into a 125 mm pot in April 2004. Itis an albino form, pure white with only yellow in the throat. It was the pick of a batch of unflowered seedlings that David had imported from Cal Orchid in the USA some years beforehand, and named after his wife. In the first three years I broke up the plant after successfully flowering and gave a couple of pieces to two of my good mates - Mick Korzenowski and Cary Polis whom I have been bush walking with in Queensland for the last 17 years. In 2008 after splitting it a couple of times it had 6 pseudobulbs and 6 flowers. I then decided to ‘grow it on’ as where I grow my Laelia purpurata they get multiple growths and can grow into a specimen quite quickly. In January 2011 it was in a 200 mm squat Port Pot (www.orchidpotco.com) and in late December 2011, after flowering with 40 flowers, it was repotted into a 250 mm Port Pot. This remained in that pot with flowerings of around 60 each year until 2014 when I took it to Ku-Ring-Gai Orchid Society’s Christmas Party as it had 94 flowers and received a cultural award (82 points) ACM/AOC-NSW. After this it was re-potted in January 2015 when I cut off approximately 4 the roots in height and potted the plant into a 400 mm Nylex garden sieve, (basically a shallow pot only 90mm deep which I have had great success with my Group of various forms of Laelia purpurata Dendrobium speciosum). I was tempted to see if I could get 100 flowers, a tall order. To say it thrived would be an understatement but no 100 flowers that year, however there is always an upside as the plant was preparing for 2016 as with good rains and a ‘relative’ warm winter I had new growths appearing everywhere. Then in October the sheaths started to appear and every week my hopes were raised until the buds emerged and I started to count. WOW! 130 flowers on 30 inflorescences! The downside to all this was that I now could not get the plant out of the house and probably not into the car as it was now well over a metre in diameter and also weighs 23 kg. No wonder I have had to visit the chiropractor lately as I have two plants of similar size of Laelia purpurata ‘Lorraine’ AM/ AOC-NSW, named after my wife. Maybe these are the biggest plants of Laelia purpurata in cultivation, at least in Australia. | Bill Dobson Cromer, NSW Email: bdobson@optusnet.com.au Orchid |Species Specialising in species orchids and selected hybrids Mail Order specialists Open by appointment only Props: Bill and Jan Miles 405 Main Street Kingston, Victoria 3364 03 5345 6387 orchidspeciesplus@bigpond.com www. orchidspeciesplus.com.au World Wide SPECIES ORCHIDS Mail Order Flasks, Seedlings, Flowering size. Burleigh Park Orchid Nursery 54 Hammond Way, Thuringowa, 4815. Ph 0747 740 008 Lists by mail or email: ian @speciesorchids.com wwwsspeciesorchids.com Propagators of the Rare, Beautiful and Unusual Orchid Species of the World. Accredited CITES & Phyto Export The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Grow With Us American Orchid Society Beginner or expert, share your passion for orchids by becoming a member of the American Orchid Society today! For American Orchid Society membership information and benefits, please go to www.aos.org, e-mail TheAOS@aos.org or call 305-740-2010. Plants and photos by Allan Eggins Jhen buying mericlones of hybrid orchids, essentially you know what to expect. It would be a plant you have seen before or often at least a picture. It’s then up to you, to grow it to its full potential. The beauty of growing seedlings is that there is the potential for every single plant to be different. True, some will be better than others, but you are essentially growing a plant that no one else has. Some will be an improvement of the parents, some will be disappointing, and you can enjoy seeing a range of colours and combinations in the progeny. Here are two seedlings from Rosella Orchids breeding, registered in 2014 as Rhyncattleanthe Rosella’s Golden Emperor. It’s a cross between Rhyncholaeliocattleya Tainan Rhyncattleanthe Rosella’s Golden Emperor ‘Janelle’ Gold and Rhyncattleanthe Dal’s Emperor. You will note the very similar shape in these two impressive seedlings, presented in vastly different colours. Another choice Australian-bred “Cattleya” hybrid is Rhyncholaeliocattleya Rosella’s Little Angel (Rhyncholaeliocattleya Dal’s Ambition x Cattleya Angel Flare). So maybe think about a few new seedlings to try when you next visit your favourite orchid nursery or upcoming Orchid Fair. Rosella Orchids 95 Woolwich Road South Grafton NSW 2460 www.rosellaorchids.com www.australianorchidreview.com.au -Rhyncattleanthe ; | Rosella’s Golden Emperor - ‘Allan’ ye i] CONT UT IUIN Please ensure 's, photographs and electronic files are clearly marked with the author's name and address Address editorial to: David P. Banks (Editor) Australian Orchid Review 39 Carole Street, Seven Hills NSW 2147 AUSTRALIA Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Rhyncholaeliocattleya Rosella’s Little Angel AOR 020 - THEN WE CAN HELP YOU - Small Runs of printed tags - Great prices - Quick Turn-a-round Get) aussie plant tags ™y Contact David or Pauline Brewster at Email: apt@tags.net.au Web: www.tags.net.au P.O. Box 1074 Cowes Vic...3922 Tel: 0401 765 604 Fax: (03) 9720 8125 Ph: 02 6643 3544 Mobile: 0409 632 212 * Web: www.rosellaorchids.com.au Email: allan@rosellaorchids.com.au Ebay: www.stores.ebay.com/rosellaorchids www.australianorchidreview.com.au Text and photos by John Roberts or many years this seldom seen and poorly understood climbing terrestrial orchid species was known as Galeola foliata. It was reclassified as Pseudovanilla foliata by Leslie Garay (1924-2016) in 1986. It is known as the Giant Climbing Orchid. It occurs in coastal dry rainforests and sclerophyll forests sporadically from just south of Port Macquarie in northern New South Wales along the coast northwards to at least the Mcllwraith Range in North Queensland. It has also been recorded from New Guinea having been found in the Torricelli Range. It is a semi-saprophytic species that can apparently climb up to 15 metres tall. It lacks true leaves, but it produces yellowish- green leaf-like bracts and stems that obviouslyassisttheplantto photosynthesise. The vigour of the orchids depends on the decay of fallen timber. So often there is an increase in numbers after cyclones or in disturbed sites. The golden yellow flowers are most attractive, around 35mm across, with a distinctive sweet honey fragrance. On large plants, substantial numbers of flowers are produced over a period of several weeks in summer, yet only last for one to three days. Despite being involved with native orchids for over four decades, it is a species that I had never encountered personally. Early in December 2016, David Banks phoned me to tell me that Ray and Lorraine Clement had found a plant of this species at Noosa National Park whilst holidaying in Queensland. Lorraine spotted it high in a young hoop pine and wasn’t sure if it was just a flowering vine or a mistletoe. Ray thought it was an orchid (yet he had not seen this species before either) and phoned David and sent an image through his mobile to get some pointers. It was ironic that all three of us had never seen this orchid before. I then phoned Ray to get more details and arranged to drive the few hours to Noosa the next day. We eventually found the plant, which was at least 8 metres tall. I was able to get a photo of an individual bloom that had fallen, to confirm its identification. We searched the immediate area for other plants, yet could only find one (sadly dead) example that had grown up a live bangalow palm. Other orchids seen in this dry rainforest included Cymbidium madidum (plus lots of seedlings), Dendrobium tetragonum, Dockrillia linguiformis, Peristeranthus hillii, Plectorrhiza brevilabris and Sarcochilus parviflorus, plus the widespread terrestrial Calanthe triplicata in flower. A week later, at my local Tweed District Orchid Society meeting, one of our members brought along a sprig of flowers that he thought was an orchid. I couldn’t believe it, another Pseudovanilla foliata! Gone from not seeing one in over 40 years to a couple within a week! Pseudovaniliarorata NoosaiNational Fark: =TOWErGEtall Pseudovanilla foliata Noosa National Park - flowering plant in situ te I made arrangements to see these plants the next day in situ (there were two different plants) at the member’s property at Currumbin Valley in the Gold Coast hinterland of South East Queensland. They were growing over dead and decaying stumps of exotic pine trees, that had blown over (and subsequently cut down) some years ago. _ One was a smallish plant scrambling over the cut trunk of the dead tree, whilst the other plant was highly vigorous and extremely floriferous with countless flowers in full bloom. There was quite some variation, especially in the colour and markings on the labellum between the two different plants. Sadly, due to its highly specialised requirements, this orchidis notamenable to cultivation using traditional methods. Even wild populations are constantly changing, with individual plants dying out once conditions are no longer suitable, however fresh seed invariably finds new suitable habitats to continue flourishing and maintain this unique and beautiful native species. o John Roberts “Tangara” Advancetown, Qld. Email: john.mandy2@hotmail.com Peristefinthits hillil Noosa NationalPark | re: pie ee Se 3 Sussex Street, Woodburn, NSW 2472 PH: 02 6682 2635 www.easyorchids.com or sales@easyorchids.com The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 *~ Calanthe: tripl de “Not Osa Bulb a Y ‘Retinitis ifm: (RP) | is ‘the major cause of youth blindness! If you have RP, or know someone who has, please contact the charity/support group RETINA AUSTRALIA FIGHTING BLINDNESS For information and assistance phone 1800 999 870 www.retinaAustralia.com.au Siens ers Raverieerents Brochures — Catalogues » Magazines Business Stationery, etc. » 0424 141 637 — rdd@netspace.net.au Calanthe triplicata Noosa National Park - flower detail Pseudovanilla foliata Currumbin Valley - flower detail ORCHID S NORTH Gordonvale 20km South of Cairns On The Bruce Highway Vandas, Dens, Cats, Phallies, & more. No Catalogue Available email:orchidsnth@bigpond.com Phone (07) 4056 2357 Mob 0405 453 171 AOR 051 ORCHIDACEOUS BOOKS Suppliers of Fine Orchid Literature Large selection of new and pre-owned orchid books Browse and shop at our secure website www. orchidaceousbooks.com.au _ We attend orchid fairs in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne Grahame & Margaret Muller P.O. Box 4192, Tinana, Qld. 4650 Ph: 07 4122 1251 Fax: 07 4122 4539 Email: books@orchidaceousbooks.com.au Pseudovanilla foliata _ Currumbin Valley _-labellum detail tudovanilla foliata Currumbin Valley _ - two different cl ~The Australian — Orchid Foundation P.O. Box 96, ee aa Drouin, Vic. 3818 _ Pseudovanilla foliata’ (lm Phone/Fax (03) 5627 6303 Currumbin Valley _ Neste Se ears un Pease wes oe = mainplant fgg WWW. australianorchidfoundation.org.au Pseudovanilla foliata ~ Currumbin Valli Pseudovanilla foliata Currumbin Valley — labellum detail ” Pseudovanilla foliaté Currumbin Valley - main plant in full bloom Pseudovanilla toliata Curfumbin Valley — note long thih'curved developing séed capsule Western Orchids / Laboratories We use and recommend Substitute produced by PEATS SOILS. AUSTRALIA WIDE DELIVERY. 20 & 45 LITRE packs, 1 cubic metre bales and Bulk. Trialed on Cymbidium, Cattleya, Sarcochilus, Dendrobium etc. We produce and supply J to sow, clone and replate a very wide tanue of orchids including both southern and northern hemisphere terrestrial species as well as the common genera, Cattleya alliance, Cymbidiums, Oncidium alliance, Vanda alliance, Sarcochilus, Zygopetalum, Dendrobium, etc, etc. I {EI I E— ml tubes + accurate instructions for use. (D- covering green pod sowing and media preparation. — 21 page document about practical tissue eee T.F.E. VEN )TS for-flasks — Autoclavable & reusable. 5 species and hybrids of modern breeding. including Australian species, miniature pendulous species and hybrids between them and other cymbidium Cultivars and species. F S of: iyi and some species, I species and hybrids, At ium species and hybrids, Australi ri species and hybrids, v LABO RY § — for sowing, cloning, replating and Oryzalin treatment. TISSUE CULTURI — for beginners or to upskill your current proficiency. Kevin and Helen Western P.0. Box 276, Blackwood SA 5051 Australia +61 8 8270 4599 / 08 8270 4599 westernorchids@bigpond.com www.westernorchids.com.au [for catalogues and media information] Pseudovanilla foliata Currumbin Valley www.australianorchidreview.com.au Text and photos by David Banks Jeofinetia is a small growing, monopodial genus from Japan and Korea that was established in 1925. Neofinetia falcata is the Type species. They are distant relatives of Angraecum, yet some authorities have taken the controversial move to include them with Vanda. This has not received widespread acceptance however. Neofinetia has one, possibly three species, as the recently described Neofinetia richardsiana (1996), and Neofinetia xichangensis (2004) may be interpreted as being within the range of Neofinetia falcata. These “new” species are poorly known and understood. Neofinetia falcata is considered a sacred plant in Japan. Numerous specialist orchid collections in Japan are highly devoted to this species. There are specialist societies in Japan that only discuss this orchid, with membership only by invitation. This is a highly variable species, in both foliage and flower shape. The variegated leafed forms are highly prized, as are those “daruma” types with short, broad and thick leaves. Typical examples of the species produce small clusters of up to ten fragrant white flowers with conspicuous long spurs, which are produced on compact, clumping fan- like plants. Plants that constantly produce peloric or mutated blooms are also seriously valued. The pureness of the crystalline white flowers is one of the main features of this species. Only in recent times, some forms appeared that have a pale pink flush throughout the spur of the flower. Yet, incredibly, a whole new range of colours have emerged, allegedly derived from this pure white species. We now have an amazing range of creams, pinks, purples, yellows, oranges and greens. I will also point out at this time that such plants are highly revered and_ generally hideously expensive. Neofinetia falcata ‘Daruma’ The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 I had first seen the pink-spurred forms of Neofinetia falcata in New Zealand orchid shows around the year 2000. Tinonee Orchids imported flasks and grew on seedlings from some of these plants. Some did replicate the pale pink colour in the spur, but most bloomed as typical Neofinetia falcata. The Japanese also gave their special plants fancy cultivar names. These names are appropriate when divisions are traded, as vegetative reproduction ensures replicas of the original plant. Few (if any) of these cultivars reproduce faithfully from seed, with the cultivar names no longer of any horticultural value to any seedlings produced. Remember they are individual cultivars, not botanically recognised forms or varieties. In July 2012 ona visit to California, I was able to see a large group of “Neofinetias” in bloom at the Orchid Digest’s Speakers Day held at the Huntington Botanical Gardens at San Marino, outside of Los Angeles. The exhibitors of these orchids included James Rose, Jason Fischer, Don Brown and Peter Lin. Let me say from the start, these were very well grown and beautiful specimens in full bloom. But I couldn’t help but thinking, is this really the species Neofinetia falcata or indeed (dare I say it) were they hybrids! After discussions on the day, with a couple of experts in this field, I learnt a lot from what was said, and more importantly, what wasn’t said. Both agreed that it was “highly likely” that genetics from foreign species had been added to the mix, to account for these new colours. They were also acutely aware that any mention of the word “hybrid” would potentially upset their Japanese associates. lam unaware of any coloured examples of Neofinetia being found in the wild. Ihave always been more interested in the orchids themselves rather than the politics that some individuals seem to thrive on. But these “Neofinetias” just didn’t look right! Neofinetia hybrids are fairly scarce in Australia. The most common being Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom (Neofinetia falcata x Ascocentrum ampullaceum). This Ascofinetia also has purple root tips when active. Cal Orchid has done quite a lot of line breeding with Neofinetia falcata — especially the larger, robust form from Amami Island. Plants of this strain were introduced into Australia through Royale Orchids about two decades ago. They have also made quite a number of hybrids with a range of other vandaceous species. The first thing you notice with Neofinetia falcata (typical form) 20 the hybrids, is how dominant Neofinetia is for flower shape, size and. even vegetatively. So where has the colour come from? Well it was suggested to me that most likely the created primary hybrids were crossed back onto Neofinetia, with intense selection for plants with the desired characteristics. (That looked like Neofinetia, apart from the flower colour). Seedlings that didn’t fit these strict criteria were culled. The pink/purples having Ascocentrum ampullaceum in their background, the yellow/oranges Ascocentrum garayi and the greens Christensonia vietnamica. It wouldn’t be the first time that we have orchids marketed as species, that have foreign genetics (evenintiny percentages) in their pedigree. Famous examples include Cattleya walkeriana, Dendrobium bigibbum, Laelia pumila, Phalaenopsis amabilis (with many “line-bred” plants actually Phaleanopsis aphrodite), Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii, Sophronitis coccinea and Vanda coerulea. I include photos of a range of these plants, plus a few named primary hybrids and backcrosses, to have such plants recorded and trust this may lead to further informed discussion. | David Banks Hills District Orchids Seven Hills, NSW Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com Neofinetia falcata (typical form, note long white spur) www.australianorchidreview.com.au Neofinetia falcata (variegated form) lac Neofinetiafalcata Display at : Orchid Digest 2012 poe Neofinetiafa “Unkai’ (a peloric eulivad Specialist breeders of Australian Native Orchid Species and Hybrids 2016 CATALOGUE NOW AVAILABLE See Website for Listing/ Or Send SAE Visit us at upcoming shows (see website for venue details) Ross & Rhonda Harvey 16 Heather-Anne Drive, DRAPER QLD 4520 Telephone: (07) 3289 1953 email: cedarvaleorchids@cedarvaleorchids.com aor 171 website: www.cedarvaleorchids.com The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Neofinetia falcata ‘Akabana’ Neofinetia falcata _ Neofinetia falcata ‘Shutenno’ ae ~ ‘Akabana’ - note purple spur - note pink spur Neofinetia falcata Display at - Orchid Digest 2012 : Display at Orchid Digest 2012 www.australianorchidreview.com.au Neofinetia falcata (“var. hisui’) ‘Green Galaxy’ ’ AM/AOS 2012 Neofinetia falcata (gold-green form) Neofinetia falcata ‘Raikouma’ : (deep pink) The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 2 : Ascofinetia Twinkle . : ; (Neofinetia falcata x 7 : Ascocentrum miniatum) Ascofinetia Twinkle seis 5 (Neofinetiafalcatax | ° ~, Ascocentrum minidtum) s Vandofinetia White Crane (Vanda sanderiana x Neofinetia falcata) ‘Ascofinetia fi oonlight Firefly / (AscOfinetia Twinkle x PReotinetia falcata) Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom (Neofinetia falcata x Ascocentrum ampullaceu oe 24 www.australianorchidreview.com.au Orchid Murals at Royal North Shore Hospital Text and images by Bill Dobson L May 2011 I received an email from Marily Cintra in her position as Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator for the Royal North Shore Hospital (Sydney, NSW), which was going through a major refurbishment. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Marily approached the North Shore Orchid Society Inc., through our involvement with RNSH (donations to the~ children’s ward), and also as a member of the St Ives Orchid Fair as local Orchid Societies. Marily had an idea to use 25 pictures of vibrant and colourful orchids to adorn some of the walls of the refurbished hospital. Isent her some of my photos, initially 5-6, to see if that was what she was after. They were exactly what she required and she then put me in contact with artist Malcolm Cooke, to see what he could use. So we met and discussed photos, particularly high resolution TIFF images about 60-70MB in size. Malcolm gave me an indication of what he proposed to do and so I gave him approximately 40 images of various orchids particularly in the yellow, orange, pink and red tones to work with and select to use as he saw fit. I had intermittent emails from Marily and Malcolm until I heard that at long last, over two years later, the photos were ready and just waiting to be placed in position in the hospital. So finally I went over and saw them. It’s hard to visualise when you are viewing these on your computer screen, but the impact when I saw them on the walls... ‘bigger than life size’ is the appropriate phrase. I was most impressed! Dendrobium Pearl Vera ‘White Pointer’ For the technical minded the photos were taken in RAW with a NIKON D700 camera processed with Nikon CNX2 software and saved as TIFF files. Later they were opened in Photoshop, the background erased and replaced with colour as walls of the hospital. They were then upsized with a software programme called Perfect Resize to the size they would be printed at, and printed by a large format Epson printer. The finished prints 2500 x 1250mm (8-9ft wide x 4ft high approx.) were sent to Melbourne and moulded into clear acrylic to form a Laminex. There are 5 in total, and these were then mounted on a backboard and hung on the walls of the 8th and 9th floors of Royal North Shore Hospital near the nurse’s stations. Photos included Dendrobium Jayden, Dendrobium Pearl Vera ‘White Pointer’, Dendrobium Avril’s Gold ‘Oscar’ AM/OSNSW, Dendrobium bigibbum ‘Pam’ HCC/ANOS & Laelia purpurata ‘Lorraine’ AM/OSNSW. a Bill Dobson Cromer, NSW Email: bdobson@optusnet.com.au www.australianorchidreview.com.au Dendrobium Avril's Gold ‘Oscar’ AM/OSNSW Dendrobium bigibbum *Pam’ Mail Order Specialists Nursery Open: 1st Saturday of Month Other times by appointment Phone / Mail Orders: (07) 3888 3637 (ph) (07) 3888 5271 (fax) aranbeem@higpond.net.au Priests Road (PO Box 96) Deception Bay Brisbane Qld 4508 THE PERFECT See HOUSE Plant Stands Benches Cu tom made > (ASU BSUS AER SHADE .& HOT HOUSES Manufacturers of quality shade & hot houses in varying sizes to suit your requirements. Our modular range offers built-in shelving, long life warranty and easy assembly. Perfect for improving flowering. Contact your local agent 1300 881143 www.aussieshadehouses.com.au AT LAST — NO ROT NO RUST NO MAINTENANCE AOR 010 www.australianorchidreview.com.au Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi Orchidaceae: Pterostylidinae), a new but possibly extinct species from the Central Coast of New South Wales by David L. Jones Abstract : ; ; ; : Oligochaetochilus Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi, a species last 1 brinsleyi collected from the wild in 1995, is - (front view) described as new. It is compared with Oligochaetochilus saxicola, probably its closest congener. Notes are included on its habitat and conservation status. Key Words Orchidaceae, Pterostylidinae, Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi, Oligochaetochilus saxicola, new species, critically endangered, extinct, New South Wales, Australian flora. Introduction An extremely rare and distinctive species of Oligochaetochilus from the Sydney region of the Central Coast of New South Wales has been brought to my attention. It has not been seen in the wild since 1995 and the area where it occurred has been totally cleared. Suitable habitat for its existence may still occur in the Holsworthy Military Reserve but that is a difficult area to survey. Fortunately William Brinsley, a local enthusiast realised the importance of the species before its destruction and photographed and collected a specimen of the species, now in the herbarium at CANB, and prepared a drawing before its single known site of occurrence was destroyed. That species is here described as new. I have no doubt that the vast changes that have occurred in Australia since white settlement have resulted in the extinction of dozens, if not hundreds of species of native orchid and I believe it is vital that the plight of such orchids is highlighted. Taxonomy 1. Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi D.L.Jones sp. nov. With affinity to Oligochaetochilus saxicola (D.LJones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. but differing by its smaller rosette leaves (to 20 x 10 mm ¢f. to 45 x 15 mm in O. saxicola), short habit (to 16 cm tall cf. to 35 cm tall in O. saxicola), fewer flowers (1-4, cf up to 10 in O. saxicola), which are smaller with large basal flanges on the petals (small in O. saxicola) and a narrowly ovate-tapered labellum with a small forward-sloping basal lobe (large backward-sloping basal lobe in O. saxicola). Type: New South Wales. Central Coast; Between Pleasure Point Road and railway over Georges River, 28 November 1995, B.Dalyell (holo CANB 668166). Description: Terrestrial tuberous herb, solitary. Leaves sessile, about 8 in a radical rosette, imbricate, green or withered at anthesis; lamina elliptical, 8-20 mm long, 5-10 mm wide; margins entire; apex subacute. Scape 10-16 cm tall, 1.5-2 mm diam., 1-4-flowered. Sterile bracts 2-4, closely sheathing, lanceolate, 8-23 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, acute to acuminate. Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, 10-15 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, acute. Pedicels 4-6 mm long, slender, straight. Ovary narrowly obovoid, 5-6 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide. Flowers porrect, c. 20 mm long, c. 7 mm wide; galea translucent white with red-brown stripes and markings; lateral sepals translucent white with lines and chequered patterns; petals translucent white with a short proximal line. Galea bulbous, glabrous, gibbous at the base then straight, sharply decurved to the apex; petal flanges well-developed but not touching internally; petal margins straight or slightly curved. Dorsal sepal c. 20 mm long including the apical point, cucullate; apical point c. 5 mm long, porrect to upcurved, acuminate. Lateral sepals decurved, not reflexed back towards the ovary; conjoined part slightly wider than the galea, shallowly concave, ovate when flattened, c. 7 mm long, c. 7 mm wide; upper margins shallowly curved; outer margins slightly incurved, glabrous; sinus broad; free points tapered, curved forwards, 7-8 mm long, divergent. Petals asymmetrical, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi = (side view) © c. 12 mm long, c. 3 mm wide; anterior margin straight or slightly curved, glabrous; proximal flange large; apex acuminate. Labellum nestling on the synsepalum, on a visible claw c. 1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide. Lamina narrowly ovate-tapered, c. 5 mm long, c. 2 mm wide, brown, covered with beaded siliceous cells, upper surface broadly grooved, constricted in the proximal 30 % quarter; basal lobe small, sloping forwards, separated from the main lamina by a slight constriction, about as wide as the lamina, margins with beaded siliceous cells, base with 6 white setae c. 2 mm long; abaxial surface with a central cleft extending nearly to the apex, flanked by thick ridges; apex obtuse. Labellum marginal setae curved forwards, c. 3 per side, the longest to 2.5 mm long. Column, anther and stigma details unknown. www.australianorchidreview.com.au Distribution and ecology: Known only from a single locality (now cleared), the area currently known as ‘Pleasure Point’, occurring between the Heathcote to Liverpool Road and the Georges River. The orchid grew in sparse shrubby vegetation on a slope near a temporary creek flowing down to the river in rich, soft, black, humus-rich loam. Altitude: c. 1-5 m. Flowering: November and December. Recognition: Characterised by small rosette leaves, short habit, small porrect, glabrous, translucent white and red- brown flowers with short tapered points on the sepals, petals with large proximal flanges and an ovate-tapered, red- brown, broadly channelled labellum with a small forward-sloping basal lobe and about six forward-curving marginal setae to 2.5 mm long. Mt Beenak Orchids No. 1 for Masdevallias Check out our complete range of cool growing orchids on our website: www.mtbeenakorchids.com.au Cool growing orchids and Mail Order our speciality 27 Hacketts Creek Rd, Three Bridges, Vic. 3797 Ph/Fax (03) 5966 7253 Email: clivehalls@bigpond.com www.therocklilyman.com Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi : = Georges River, NSW The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Similar species: Oligochaetochilus saxicola, which grew close to where the new species occurred, is probably its closest congener. It is more robust (to 35 cm tall), with larger rosette leaves (to 45 x 15 mm), up to 10 larger flowers (12-13 x 9-11 mm) which are dark red-brown, petals with poorly developed proximal flanges and an obovate labellum with up to 10 marginal bristles to 3.5 mm long. Notes: About 30 plants were seen at the type locality in 1995, about 20 plants in one site with others scattered on the slope. The area where the orchid grew has been developed and the collection site bulldozed with all the vegetation removed and a large residence erected on the property. The new species, which is part of the Oligochaetochilus gibbosa complex, is placed in Oligochaetochilus section Gibbosa D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. (Jones & Clements 2002). Conservation Status: At least Critically Endangered, possibly Extinct; certainly extinct at its only known source although it may still occur further up the Georges River in the Holsworthy Military Reserve where suitable habitat still exists (John Riley pers. comm.). Australian hid re Review Etymology: Named after William (Bill) Brinsley (1930-), keen botanical collector with many orchid discoveries to his credit and who was the first to recognise the distinctiveness of this species. Acknowledgements Special thanks to Bill Brinsley and Bruce Dalyell for bringing this species to my attention, John Riley and the late Ron Tunstall for discussions about Oligochaetochilus in the Sydney area, Judy Brinsley for scanning the drawing, Sandie Jones for scanning the slides, Mark Clements for access to photos of type specimens, Barbara Jones for commenting on the paper, Brendan Lepschi for allowing access to specimens at CANB and Emma Toms for technical help. References ¢ Jones, D.L. & Clements, M.A. (2002). A Review of Pterostylis (Orchidaceae), Austral. Orch. Res. 4: 3-168. | David L. Jones Kalaru, NSW, 2550 Email: dabajones@bigpond.com | Phals, paphs, phrags, catts, oncids, dends and many others | cS id a ta hed een ea a WELCOMES EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS Please ensure that all slides, photographs and electronic files are clearly marked with the author's name and address Address editorial to: David P. Banks (Editor) Australian Orchid Review 39 Carole Street, Seven Hills NSW 2147 AUSTRALIA Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com Townsville Stadium $15,000.00 32 51 Murray Lyons Crescent Townsville QLD 4817 in prize money Townsville Orchid Society Inc. a presents The Townsville Orchid Ypectacular 52™ Tropical Queensland Orchid Council Conference and Show Registration open: Fees $120 till end March... $150 there after, which includes:- + 8meals + Entry of orchids and foliage into the show judging * Unlimited entry into the lectures, show and market place 9-11 June, 2017 24 Vendors and 14 lecturers townsvilleorchidsociety@gmail.com www.tqoc.org.au www.australianorchidreview.com.au Prudeon Voyager Dy. a n CE LC Pound (fear aos kave v ODT A Sr Oligochaetochilus brinsleyi - Georges River, NSW 281195 (drawing by Bill Brinsley) The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 33 THE AUSTRALIAN ORCHID FOUNDATION Essay Competition 2016 1st Prize Winner SN Pas OG FETE Ng OF Ul drooi um by K. Yin Chan and Sau-wan Chan Introduction Hybridisation of native orchids in Australia commenced much later than in other parts of the world. The first Australian native Dendrobium hybrid made in Australia is Dendrobium Ellen registered in 1928. With an increase of interest in native orchids and the availability of laboratory facilities for orchid seed culture, there have been increasing activities in hybridisation in Australia since the 1960s. Many of us are familiar with the work of Ira Butler whose contributions to native orchid hybridisation have been commemorated by the Ira Butler Trophy awarded annually to the best Australian native hybrid judged. However, much less is known in the orchid world about the contributions made in the breeding of the “red” Dendrobium kingianum by the late Alwyn Flanagan and his friends of the Hastings Kingianum Growers Group (HKGG) in rural New South Wales, Australia. 1 The orchid Dendrobium kingianum (The Pink Rock Orchid) is uniquely Australian, found only in distinct populations along eastern Australia between the Hunter Valley, New South Wales and Central Queensland Highlands. Dendrobium kingianum asalithophytein =” its natural habitat: “=> 34 It is commonly found growing on the east and northfacing cliff faces and rocks in open forests or along forest creeks. Naturally, it is a very variable species, not only in floral form and colour but also in vegetative form such as the height of the pseudobulbs and even leaf colour. The species varies a lot from area to area. Colour of the flowers varies tremendously from white to red, with pink being the most common, and hence the common name of “the Pink Rock Orchid”. However, full red is not found in the natural populations. As a matter of fact, what the orchid growers refer to as “red” kingianum has a deep purple violet coloration, very attractive, vibrant and mesmerising. How did it all start? The Hastings Kingianum Growers Group, was made up of a small group of native orchid enthusiasts and was active in breeding Dendrobium kingianum for over twenty years between the 1970s and the 1990s, was based at the township of Wauchope in mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Geographically it was conveniently situated in relation to the natural habitats of this orchid. Alwyn Flanagan was a local farmer, born in Comboyne and later on moved to the family property at Tom’s Creek, near Wauchope to breed Hereford cattle. (2) Growing up in rural Australia, he developed a love for the Australian native orchids ata relatively young age. Alwyn shared his love of native orchids with a few members of the local Hastings River Orchid Society. Like many other orchid societies of that time, members were mainly growing and showing exotic species and hybrids. Native orchids were not popular amongst the members. The first orchid Alwyn owned was a raspy root orchid (Rhinerrhiza divitiflora) which initiated his lifelong interest in native orchids. For many years in the 1960s and the 1970s, he and his mates spent many hours roaming the bush of the region looking for good specimens of native orchids. Those were the “frontier” days when virtually all the native species on sale in nurseries were www.australianorchidreview.com.au collected from the wild. Being close to the natural habitats of many native orchids, Alwyn and his native orchid friends believed the best plants were still in the bush and it was only natural for them to go helping themselves. According to the old timers, it was not unusual for people to go bush in the morning to collect orchids and then to bench them in the evening orchid meetings. However, unlike the professional collectors of the time which were responsible for the vast depletion of many native orchids in Australia, Alwyn and his friends, like many other native orchid hobbyists would only collect a few canes off the side of a plant and would leave the rest of the clump there to carry on as nature intended. Alwyn always had a soft spot for Dendrobium kingianum and with time, he had a good collection of this orchid in his orchid house. At the same time, he gradually came to realise that there was another way to get his dream orchids. Formation of HKGG and the breeding work As an orchid grower, Alwyn Flanagan frequented the local Wayside Nursery at Port Macquarie and soon became friends with the owners, Bill and Jean Cannons who were pioneers in hybridising Australian orchids. For his twentieth birthday present, he was given a Dendrobium kingianum by the Cannons. Encouraged by the Cannons and witnessing the big improvements in floral quality shown in the exotic Cattleya and soft cane Dendrobium species achieved by breeding, he gradually realised the potential of improving native orchids via breeding. To Alwyn, this could be a better way to obtain his “perfect” kingianum than trying to stumble onto it roaming the bushland. Alwynshared his ideas of hybridising Dendrobium kingianum with other native orchid enthusiasts and soon got a group of friends involved; first Harry Klose and subsequently they were joined by Alan Garrett, Rod Graham and others. The Group, often referred to as the Hastings Kingianum Growers Group was never an official organisation, but merely a group of local native orchid enthusiasts sharing the same passion of creating the perfect “red” kingianum. They had a set of criteria in terms of their “perfect” kingianum’??) : 1. sixteen well- shaped flowers per inflorescence; 2. deep plum or beetroot colour all over (including the labellum); 3. flower size of 40 mm across and 4. raceme capable of holding flowers erect. Therefore, they attempted to improve many aspects of the Dendrobium kingianum plant, not just the flower colour but also flower size, floriferousness as well as the habit of inflorescence. Throughout their breeding efforts, they used this set of criteria for the selection of parents and the assessment of progenies of the different crosses. Members of the Group used plants selected from their collections for this breeding project, all of which were collected from the natural habitats and met up from time to time to review their successes or setbacks and to plan their next course of actions. They all contributed by sharing and growing up seedlings from the different crosses they made and hence, as a team, were able to evaluate the results of their breeding efforts over a large number of offspring. Not knowing much about the genetics of the orchid Dendrobium kingianum, they could only start by trial and error. However, the experience of Alwyn as a cattle breeder and the genetics that Harry learnt from his university days must have proven useful in formulating their approaches. The Group realised the importance of selecting good parents for their breeding project. They started their breeding project using the best bush-collected plants in their possession, all from the Gloucester Bucketts area of New South Wales. As a first attempt, Alwyn and Harry tried to “self” the clone ‘Ha Ha’, which was at the time regarded as the best “red” kingianum collected from the wild but they had difficulty in obtaining any fertile seed. “Selfing” refers to the method of seed generation in which a flower is pollinated manually using its own pollen or pollen from another flower of the same plant and is a commonly used technique in orchid breeding. However, to their surprise and disappointment, after many attempts they ended up with only one fertile capsule which later on they suspected might have been produced by cross pollination by insects rather than true selfing. The next approach which led to some success was to cross pollinate different plants with desirable features in their possession. The first breakthrough cross was made sometime in the mid-1970s between two natural clones ‘AF18’ and ‘AF23’. Both plants were collected by Alwyn from the Gloucester Bucketts area in 1972. Both plants produced large flowers with ‘AF23’ being red, but ‘AF18’ was mauve. The progeny from this historical cross had a range of colours and other characteristics but there were a few outstanding “red”. It is interesting that they named these “red” offspring of the cross after prominent communists of that time, namely Karl Marx, Lenin, Castro and even Jack Mundey (Figure 2). Jokingly, they told people that they were also starting their own “red revolution” (in the world of native orchids) in Australia. (4) Figure 2: The first two crosses carried out by HKGG in the breeding of the perfect “red” Dendrobium kingianum AF23 x AFI8 Rod Trotsky Max Una G. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Beetroot Others Lenin Lip Jack Pommy Mundey Lenin Shop Others Steward x AF21 Little Big Vladimir Others 35 Amongst these offspring, the clone ‘Karl Marx’ was the best and it has since been used in many “red” kingianum hybridisation crosses by the HKGG and other breeding programs. When the siblings from this historic cross were crossed with each other, they were either infertile or gave very poor germination. However, when ‘Karl Marx’ and ‘Lenin’ were crossed with natural clones, like “Ha Ha’, ‘AF48’ and ‘AF66’, many vigorous offspring with much improved qualities were obtained. One of the most successful cross was a third generation cross, viz. (‘Lenin’ x ‘Ha Ha’) x (‘AF48’ x ‘Karl Marx’) producing the famous clone ‘Blacky No. 2’, regarded by some experts as probably the best “red” that came out of the breeding program of HKGG. Alwyn wrote of the occasion on the first flowering of ‘Blacky No. 2’: “Rodney’s chest swelled at least four inches when the buds opened”. Reading this, one can vividly visualise the excitement amongst the members on the occasion and the amount of fun they were having. Over the twenty year period they made overa hundred crosses chasing their perfect “red” Kingianum. Successes and achievements Members of the HKGG were proud of their work and were willing to share their results with the orchid fraternity. A friend still remembers at one stage the Group made up a T-shirt with HKGG lettering and featuring a defecating bull and how they were seen wearing it in orchid shows exhibiting their plants and talking enthusiastically to anyone who was interested in their project. Alwyn was always very keen to pass on his vast knowledge of orchids to any person who was interested and was ready with praise for anyone who succeeded in producing something special. He was also willing to talk to people about the different crosses made by HKGG and was ready to offer a division or keiki of his plants to the new and not so new growers. As a group, they also welcomed the involvement of other growers and scientists who showed interest in their project. As a result of the chromosome analyses of their plants by Peter Adams of The University of Melbourne, they realised that all the breeding plants collected from the Gloucester/ Bucketts area and used in their breeding project were triploid in their chromosomal make up. This information helped to explain the failure of selfing ‘Ha Ha’ and the infertility problems of some of their crosses. Triploid plants are usually very infertile because of the odd number of chromosome set and selfing of triploid plants are very often unsuccessful. Results of further chromosome analyses from orchid plants collected from other areas by Peter Adams concluded that Hans Schaible www.darkstarorchids.com.au 36 | Star Orenicls Bulbophyllums, Dendrochilums, Lycastes, Stanhopeas, Paphs, Africans and lots more RARE AND UNUSUAL SPECIES AND SOME SELECTED HYBRIDS Please check our newly updated website for our latest releases PO Box 114 Bowraville NSW 2449 Telephone/Fax (02) 6564 4088 darkstarorchids@bordernet.com.au “red” coloration of the flowers is not linked to triploidy and “red” kingianum from other areas are often diploid. This information has been useful to HKGG and other breeders in planning future breeding programs of “red” kingianum. In addition to their own efforts and successes, members of HKGG further contributed by making their plants available to other breeders particularly those from the commercial nurseries, namely Merrellen Orchids, Orchid Glenn Nursery, Down Under Native Orchids and Tinonee Orchids, all of which were able to further improve the “red” kingianum by combining the HKGG plants with other breeding lines. Under these commercial operations, large quantity of “red” kingianum plants were produced to satisfy the growing market and this in turn helped to promote the orchid to the general public.(5) These days, “red” kingianum is readily available in orchid nurseries and is often present in orchid shows in Australia. Some outstanding clones of “red” Dendrobium kingianum from HKGG and their descendants. (a) ‘Black Adder’ (b) ‘Red Bud’ (c) ‘Alison; (d) ‘Karl Marx’ and (e) ‘Grand Con’ Many of the modern “red” kingianum clones have parentages which can be traced back to the original HKGG plants, like ‘Karl Marx’ and ‘Alison’. Dendrobium kingianum ‘Grand Con’ was awarded an AM (Award of Merit) by the Australian Orchid Council (AOC) in 2015 and both of its grandparents ‘Alison’ and ‘Gypsy Red’ were direct descendants of the HKGG breeding program. The awarded plant had an average of 11 deep purple flowers per spike with very good habit and an average flower width of 37mm. While there is still room forimprovement when compared to the HKGG criteria, it definitely has far superior qualities than those found naturally (Table 1). AOR 126 www.australianorchidreview.com.au naan Table 1. Floral characteristics of different clones of Dendrobium kingianum compared to HKGG criteria Flowers per spike 16 5 1] Flower size (mm) 40 mm 30 37 19-30 Colour Deep purple Deep purple Variable, pure white Deep purple to solid purple g| Gloucester- Manning areas‘!); § the criteria set by HKGG for the “perfect” kingianum The improved qualities of “red” kingianum have helped to promote this unique Australian orchid to the rest of the world. With more than 1,700 species of Dendrobium in total globally, it is interesting to note that Dendrobium kingianum is currently the third most awarded species orchid, after Dendrobium cuthbertsonii and Dendrobium speciosum.\©) Examination of the award list revealed that many of the awarded plants in Australia and overseas were “red” with familiar names like ‘Karl Marx’, ‘Black Adder’, and ‘Alan Garrett’, all descendants of HKGG breeding program. Dendrobium kingianum ‘Karl Marx’ was awarded an AM (Award of Merit) by the American Orchid Society (AOS) in 2005. Today, the orchid nursery that has the largest collection of “red” kingianum is in USA, namely the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate in California, which has 27 clones of Dendrobium kingianum, with names like ‘Karl Marx’, ‘Red Ink’, ‘Red Bud’ and ‘Red King’ in its catalogue.(7) Clones with familiar names like ‘Karl Marx’ and ‘Red Ink’ were definitely originated from the HKGG breeding program. Therefore, nowadays, Dendrobium kingianum is a popular orchid in Australia as well as worldwide. It is a far cry from the bad old days when this orchid was commonly used as embellishment in exotic orchid shows. Many of these achievements have to be attributed to the pioneering breeding work of the HKGG. Last but not least, today in Australia, one can pick up an advanced “red” kingianum seedling (in fact of any other colour) from nurseries for less than $10 with floral qualities guaranteed to be superior to the majority growing in the bush. The increased availability and much improved quality of the orchid have helped to reduce its illegal collection from the wild and this has indirectly helped to conserve this unique orchid in its remaining natural habitats. A Model of worthwhile orchid hybridisation These days, with laboratory culture facilities becoming so readily available and affordable, orchid hybridisation can be carried out by any person so inclined. However, there is really no point to hybridise orchids just for the sake of creating something “new” especially if the progeny is of inferior quality to the parents. The story of breeding for “red” kingianum by the members of the HKGG is a good example of worthwhile orchid hybridisation. They started with a very clear goal: to try to improve on what is available in nature - to create a Dendrobium kingianum capable of producing flowers with improved colour, higher flower count, larger flower size and better flowering habit. All the initial plants used in the breeding program came from Gloucester Bucketts, an area commonly regarded as having the best natural Dendrobium kingianum forms. Hence, they started with the best parent plants for their crosses. Their eventual successes were also enhanced by their sharing of resources and wisdom as well as their enthusiasm in promoting their results and generosity in making their plants available to other growers and breeders. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Conclusions Alwyn Flanagan and his HKGG friends at the end may not have as yet produced the “perfect” red kingianum but they have certainly produced many clones of “red” kingianum of superior quality which have laid a solid foundation for further improvement. As a result of their pioneering work, the much improved Dendrobium kingianum and its increased availability have helped to promote this uniquely Australian orchid locally in Australia as well as all over the world. Indirectly they have also made tremendous contributions to the conservation and preservation of the Dendrobium kingianum in its natural habitats. While achieving all these, we are sure they have had a lot of fun and enjoyment along this journey of orchid hybridisation. Dendrobium kingianum ©» © David P Banks ‘Total Eclipse’ ‘Lava’ orchids@tinoneeorchids.com www.tinoneeorchids.com 37 3 Ss = ie) © = Q =— o) = 3 ret S) —_ fe) r= co «6 — 5 Ww 3 Me S s s Bibliography (1) Adams, P.and Lawson, S.D. (1995). Dendrobium kingianum: A unique Australian orchid. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton, Queensland. (2) Sinclair, D. (2014). Alwyn Flanagan. Heron’s Creek Latest News, 05-06-2014. http://www.heronscreek.com.au/ index.php/news/item/194-alwyn-flanagan (3) Flanagan, A. (1992). Dendrobium kingianum — origin of the “red” breeding programme and search for the ultimate red. Orchadian 10(9): 304-307. (4) Klose, H. (1981). The Red Revolution. Proc. 6# NSW Regional Orchid Conference. Hastings River Orchid Society. (5) Gregory, T. (1999). Dendrobium kingianum and me. Orchadian 12(11): 492-496. (6) Orchidwiz (2016). Orchidwiz Encyclopedia. Version 12. Louisville, USA. (7) Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (2016). website http://www.sborchid.com/sboe_orchid_search.php The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 Acknowledgements As keen native orchid growers ourselves, we have long heard about the story of the “red” Dendrobium kingianum and this essay is the outcome of our decision to find out more about this unique piece of Australian orchid history. In doing so, we have contacted surviving members of the HKGG and many other people close to the Group and their breeding work. In particular, we thank Dennis Sinclair, Tony Blewitt, Ted Gregory, Ray Clement, Lloyd Edwards, Michael Harrison, Tony Clarke and Ken Russell for their assistance and the information they have provided. | K. Yin and Sau-Wan Chan Beecroft NSW 2119 Email: kyswchan@bigpond.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN ORCHID FOUNDATION Essay Competition 2016 2d Prize Winner Master, Teacher, Hybridiser by Daniel Coulton hen I first met Neville Roper at a Sutherland Shire W orcnia Society meeting I was 13. I had only started high school the year before and knew very little about orchid growing. At the second meeting I attended he came up to me, presented me with a box containing some 20 or so orchid seedlings said ‘give those a try’ and walked off. I stood there stunned, both at this character, of me at that point in the mysterious orchid world and the amazing generosity that I had just experienced. Fast forward some years and that one encounter had resulted in a treasured mentor who taught me an amazing amount about orchids, seedlings, flasks and hybridising. He encouraged my passion, resulting in a large chunk of my parent’s backyard being turned over to orchid propagation. Sadly Neville passed away in November 2015 after a long fight with cancer and I miss one of my most treasured mentors greatly. However I learnt a lot from Neville, many lessons that I will never forget and many that have shaped and will shape my orchid growing and hybridising into the future. I therefore feel that as he can no longer pass on this knowledge to pass it on for him. To write it out and disperse it so that as many as possible might learn from one of the great masters of orchid hybridising in Australia. His Legacy To attempt to capture the full contribution that Neville made to orchid hybridising would be an effort in itself and I doubt that I could do it justice; nevertheless I will highlight some of those achievements worthy of acknowledgement. Receiving the third highest number of awards in Australia so far with a number of FCCs and AMs amongst that list, and largely from plants hybridised by Neville. Being part of an exclusive list of people who have received multiple Award of Special Recognition (ASR) for their hybridising efforts and one of only a few to do it who are not professional orchid growers. Having achieved recognition in the hybridisation of Sarcochilus throughout Australia and the world having contributed significantly to the development of new and improved colours in this genus. Having also been recognised and achieved awards in a number of other and varied genera including Promenaea, Dockrillia, Oncidium, Restrepia and Australian Dendrobium. These achievements reflect the breadth and ability of Neville and his experience and knowledge of orchid breeding. These tips below therefore come from a true master and will be helpful to you whether you are aspiring to breed your own orchids or just be better informed when buying seedlings at your local show. 40 Know the basics of inheritance One of the first lessons that Neville taught me was to understand the very basics of genetic inheritance. By that, he meant understand the basic Mendelian inheritance model of dominant and recessive characteristics. These simple concepts he taught were not supposed to be the beginning and end of your study into orchid hybridising but simply a solid basis from which to start your thinking or a first tool of your forensic look at a particular cross and why ~ it turned out the way it did. The problem is that orchids have complex genomes that do not have simple characteristics like peas do. In addition as we often cross between distantly related species the genes or ‘factors’ that Mendel talked about often do not have exact matches between different species. What it can do though is tell you what shapes and colours are dominant or recessive in certain species. For example the albinistic genes that lead to many of the yellow Sarcochilus for which Neville became known have a definite inheritance pattern which reflects the Mendelian dominant recessive model. In fact this knowledge allowed him to make several second generation based crosses in order to improve shape and size in these hybrids while ultimately retaining the desired albinistic yellow tones. That said there are also examples where exactly the same theories of albinistic inheritance are not applicable, many know that some of the albinistic clones of Dendrobium speciosum when crossed produce coloured progeny owing likely (though we don’t exactly know) with the albinism being caused by different genes in each clone and therefore essentially cancelling out when they are crossed. What this teaches the average grower is to give a little more thought to the seedlings they see for sale on the bench, to be aware of certain first generation crosses as they may not give the colour or shape you expect and to do a little research and knowledge gathering from experienced growers and hybridists to find out how certain orchid inheritance patterns work. Certain species have particular traits they pass on This is literally a topic in itself and I don’t intend to go into this in depth except to say that this is the real experience part of hybridising. This is the sort of thing you will rarely find in books and the knowledge you can only really learn from looking at countless crosses and in some cases only learn if you do your own hybridising. This is a good part of what you pay for when you buy the Neville Roper hybrids or indeed any other breeders hybrids. It’s the experience and knowledge to say that Paphiopedilum sukhakulii always passes on its spots while Dendrobium speciosum will bleach the purples and pinks out of all but the strongest Dendrobium kingianum. Sometimes, as many hybridisers will tell you, these are hard learned www.australianorchidreview.com.au lessons but they are certainly something you should note when these little snippets of information are let loose as they will over time improve your seedling selection. Keep a genetic mix up I was once standing at a nursery stall at a major show and overheard a customer asking the nurseryperson why they were using another nursery’s plants in their breeding program. The answer was something along the line of we need new genetics to enliven our breeding program and open new possibilities. At the time I didn’t really understand it until Neville, one day explained it to me. You see Neville used to do the same thing, despite having multiple awards and people beating down his door in those days to get a few prized plants he still bought the odd seedling from other hybridisers. What he said is that if you keep using only your own plants to hybridise with everything gets a little inbred. Plants become less reliable growers, the chances for new combinations diminishes, mutation rates go up and the improvement you get out of each successive cross becomes less and less. So even if you have the best of the best he explained (and he politely reminded me that was not him anyway) you still need new genetics or your breeding program will simply run out of steam. Take for example the line-breeding of Oncidium sotoanum, although not a hybrid, it illustrates the point none the less. After around three generations of improvement Neville noted to me that the plants where not improving in colour and form and were becoming weak growers. I personally experienced this with a flask I received which had some exceptionally temperamental growers in it. He noted to me he had sourced several stock plants from various other growers from around the country to try and reinvigorate this line which he thought still had a lot to give but which as I say had begun to run out of steam. Essentially though this is a lesson in judgement to look at the cross and see why perhaps that awarded plant has been crossed with something from another collection. Is it just a new cross or is it an attempt to bring in some new blood into what are quality but tired genetics. Try the odd novelty There is an old school line of thought to hybridising and that is, stick to what you know and bit by bit you will improve your breeding lines to get that grand champion or FCC (First Class Certificate). I respect that line of thinking and certainly after over 150 years of hybridising orchids it has certainly worked to provide us with stunning classical Cattleyas, standard Cymbidiums and complex Paphiopedilums. Sometimes just sometimes it pays to go the speculative bet and grab the strange seedling on the bench or to make that weird sounding hybrid. Often Neville would throw me a flask or point out something on the bench and say ‘I know it sounds weird but grab it!’ Now to be fair he wasn’t always right and sometimes his suggestions turned out to be duds, other hybridising attempts such as the use of Sarcochilus spathulatus created some miniature but nevertheless short lived plants. However these novelties or weirdos as I like to call them can also produce surprising gems. Many of the yellow Sarcochilus you see today which have become very sought after were the result of crosses that at the time were considered speculative and plants that would not lead anywhere. So take a punt and try that thing that sounds a little interesting, of course still look at it critically and what potential may result as there are certainly novelty crosses that are clearly going nowhere but give a few novelties a go. Hybridising is a numbers game Have you ever seen a successful hybridist with only a few plants? No, neither have I. Owing to the genetic diversity and the variation in offspring that occurs when two plants are crossed the chances of getting ‘a good one’ let along a great or award worthy one even when the cross is top notch can still be pot luck. Essentially it’s a numbers game, sometimes you're lucky and that one seedling you bought turns out to be a stunner but often you're best to get a few plants of any cross you like. My personal average is three. That way you at least have something to compare to and can easily tell which of your plants you should keep and which might be better destined for the sales table. Of course if you really like a cross why not buy a flask? This is a cheap way to get lots of potential and you can even sell a few off to fund the price of the next one. Just remember play the odds and while it might take a little while you will find your diamond in the rough. Grow your plants well One thing any successful orchid grower knows is that you can have the best hybrids with the best pedigrees in the world but if you don’t grow them well, then you won’t have much success. One thing Neville used to tell me when I went around to his setup was that the best plants had pride of place and really its common sense. If you want to do well with your hybrids, to grow them properly and to get the full potential out of the plants you have bred or bought you need to grow them well. I know several growers who are exploring some interesting hybrids but their plants after deflasking linger in the back ‘experiment’ corner of their shade house a little — neglected and worse for wear. These plants even the experimental and novelty crosses should be given the same care and attention of those prized divisions. } | Neville Roper / Sarcochilus Display + October 2009 | ! « « y ' L dh 40. 4 CRs. Good growing though is about the whole process as in those seeds you potentially have the opportunity for show champions and awards but you have to get it right from flasking to first flowering and beyond. One of the reasons for this, aside from the obvious that healthy plants produce more and larger flowers, is lead time. If you grow plants poorly, the flasks you have don’t grow properly and your plants are not cared for, you will be overtaken. Whether you are a hybridiser or just a hobbyist, if it takes you twice as long to flower a plant with half as many flowers you are less likely to win. Your generation time for new crosses will mean improvement happens slower and without growing them well you cannot see the true potential. Trust me only those hybridists who can grow their plants to their potential stick around in the long run. If it’s a dog, it’s a dog With the results of hybridising there’s the good the bad and the ugly. The problem is sometimes it’s difficult to tell the good from the bad. There is a saying that you can’t judge an orchid’s potential by its first flowering. While this is true another lesson I was taught is that if it is good as a seedling it might be great at a later flowering when the plant is larger and fully established. Those flowers that where a little small or which could be a little more filled in as a seedling might eventuate in your mature plant. However, if the flowers were tiny, spidery and the colour was all smudged in the seedling, The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 - a new intergeneric hybrid made & registered by Neville Roper in 2009 no amount of maturity and wishful thinking will make up for that. In a world where the generation time for hybrids is shrinking and quality is always increasing Neville would have said ‘it’s a dog, sell it’. These dogs are not worth keeping in the hope that they will get better, especially when you can sell that plant and buy another seedling, another chance for next year. One point of caution I would leave you with in this instance is to be wary of deformity. In some cases it might be the weather or the pesticide you sprayed and in other cases it is a genetic malady. When I say get rid of your seedlings that are dogs perhaps there is some caution when deformity is the cause. If you suspect some odd weather or a misapplication: of fungicide has caused that double labellum or fused petal then perhaps hold off on disposal. If it’s a seedling with a lot of potential keep it for another year of two to see if you can’t get to the root of the problem. In this particular case the genus Paphiopedilum, particularly complex and intervarietal crosses are renowned for such things. Flowers aren’t everything When shopping for your latest seedlings or making babies with your toothpick it is easy to get lost in the perfect flower, those new colour variations or what the possibility is when two plants are crossed for the first time. The problem that hybridisers sometimes fail to appreciate is that someone has to grow these plants on. This is a problem in two areas, highly 43 arcoschistotylus Twiggy (photo: Jody Cutajar) “Ny icky’s Slippers” One of the world’s leading Paph. breeders. Exciting new Paphs. and Phrags. now available. Contact us for a copy of our colour catalogue — send 3 x 60c stamps NICKY ZURCHER Box 326, Virginia, South Australia 5120 | Phone/Fax (08) 8380 9360 Website www.nickysslippers.com.au AOR 039 44 inbred plants and crossings of very distantly related plants; however it can occur in any cross. Essentially it is where the genetics of a plant just don’t add up to the environment. Sometimes it is plants that are weak, do not readily multiply or die without warning. Other times they are plants that grow fine if not in some cases excellently, but which never flower owing to some genetic problem inhibiting flowering. In this case the yellow or yellow and red marked native Dendrobium hybrids are the perfect example. When crossed multiple times, resulting in complex hybrids these plants are often known for being far more difficult than their species ancestors to grow. Exhibiting no ‘hybrid -vigour’ they can often take many years to flower and sometimes require odd conditions such as sunlight to the point of horrific burning simply to get a few flowers. The problem is that outside a few specific and well known examples of ‘difficult’ hybridising genre or individual plants it is often hard for the average orchid grower buying a few seedlings to tell if they will suffer from this problem. One tip is to of course buy multiple seedlings of the same cross to avoid being stuck with a dud one and of course look at the health and vigour of the seedlings you are buying. Ultimately it is a matter of luck and experience but - certainly something you should consider when buying and then later observing the seedlings that you make or buy. Conclusion Neville was a teacher by profession and at heart and what he taught me about hybridising will stay with me forever. I just hope that I can pass on those lessons so others can continue the proud tradition of exemplary hybridising we have in this country. As you can see there are no hard and fast rules with hybridising merely wisdom and a few bendable rules. I hope you get something out of this. I hope next time you pick up a seedling or flick through a catalogue just one of these ideas flicks through your head and helps you in understanding the wonderful world of orchid hybridisation. | Daniel Coulton Engadine NSW 2233 Email: djc388@uoowmail.edu.au www.australianorchidreview.com.au THE AUSTRALIAN ORCHID FOUNDATION 3'd Prize Winner Essay Competition 2016 Orchid Hybridising — for Love not Money by Terri Bade others-in-law sometimes get a bad rap! The stereotype Meoien portrayed in fiction and comedy is of an interfering and annoying influence. My mother-in-law did not fit that stereotype, far from it in fact. She was a gentle and caring soul who would never give advice unless it was asked for. There should be more people in the world like that. What does all this have to do with orchid hybridising I hear you say! Well that will become evident as we go along. I started growing orchids about 35 years ago, never really intending to, but as happens with so many growers, it just happened. When I was a child we had an ‘orchid house’ in our back yard. It was made of timber slats and a variety of plants grew there including some orchids. Two that I remember clearly were a very dark mauve Cattleya that always bloomed with three huge flowers, and a very pretty pink Vanda that always seemed to be in flower. My brothers would also sometimes rescue orchids from the bush after storms had brought down the trees, and many were relocated to the huge mango trees in our yard. I was considerably younger than my brothers and none of this interested me very much, but I did admire the strange and colourful flowers from time to time. I do remember that my eldest brother had joined an Orchid Club for a time, and had won a first prize with the Vanda, which flowered for many years in the orchid house until it grew too large and was relocated outside, where it grew even better. Fast forward about twenty years or so and my new bride and I moved to Townsville. It was here that the ‘orchid bug’ bit me. Walking through the gardening area of a major retail store I noticed a few orchid plants that were in fairly distressed condition and nearly falling out of their pots. I offered the assistant $10 for them and I had purchased my first orchids! I took the orchids home, repotted them, and was surprised at how well they recovered. Within a year a couple of them had flowered. Well this was easy! I started to buy a few more and before long I had sought out a local orchid nursery. Each week or two I would carefully sift through the trays of seedlings on offer, selecting those that were double planted. I figured, why pay for one seedling if you could get two, or sometimes a bonus three, for the same price. After a year or so of orchid growing I joined the local orchid society and made a lot of friends with a similar interest in growing these plants, and over time and with a bit of guidance I started to get some good quality plants, often growing them from back-cuts that some of the older growers had given to me. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 At about this time a couple of the Society members set up a commercial orchid flasking lab and I was intrigued by the process. All those little plants growing in a bottle! I bought a few flasks and realised that here was a solution to my limited budget. Seedlings were a lot cheaper by the flask and who cares if it takes a year or two longer to flower them. I was still young and time was irrelevant. A career change brought me to Hervey Bay and I immediately joined the local Orchid Society, which had only recently formed. At a workshop a grower from Brisbane spoke about orchid flasking at home, and I was hooked. His basic equipment was a polystyrene box without the lid, holes cut in the front for the hands to go in, and a sheet of glass for a lid. The flasks were just glass honey bottles and the media _ was a recipe of a few ingredients which could be made up in the kitchen. I decided to try it and after a bit of trial and error I had some success. At first only a few flasks without contamination, then a few more, and eventually nearly 100% success as the technique was refined. I have now produced thousands of plants and I still use the same basic equipment and the same recipe today. So what does this all have to do with my dear old mother- in-law? Well she passed away a few years ago, and I thought about what I could do to keep her memory alive? It was obvious; I could name an orchid hybrid that I had made in her honour. Not many people get to do that! Hobby orchid hybridisers have a special role in orchid growing. We can take more risks, attempt unlikely crosses, and nurture just a handful of seedlings that may have germinated. This is especially so with Paphiopedilums. Commercial growers can’t really justify those odds. For them the hybrids have to sell and a handful of seedlings of a particular cross are not a viable option in a catalogue. In the. history of orchid growing there have been many instances where hobby hybridisers have produced exceptional orchids, often more by good luck than good management, but advancement never the less. Making an orchid hybrid is not difficult. It is just a matter of introducing the pollen of one flower onto the stigma of another. Many hobby hybridisers then send the mature seed pod to a lab and in a year or so get some flasks sent back to them. This is like missing out on the first year of a newborn baby’s life! Imagine your wife giving birth, and then going back a year later to pick up the baby from the hospital (not a_ bad idea I hear some say!). To take an orchid hybrid from pollination to flowering the progeny at home is a journey requiring some patience and a little extra effort. 45 I have made dozens of hybrids, all produced out of a polystyrene box with minimal expense. Some have been awarded and some have been pretty ordinary, but a few have been consistently good, in my opinion. An example is Paphiopedilum Memoria Doris Behrendorff, which I named in honour of my mother-in-law. Three cultivars are shown in the photos below. Paphiopedilum Memoria Doris Behrendorff (3 different seedlings) This was an unlikely combination of P Black Stallion, a tall dark “Maudiae type”, and P. Sally Berndt, a white flower with fine dark speckling, but with a fairly short inflorescence. The aim was to get a taller flower spike and the hope was to get some white coloured flowers. There was no study of the genetics behind this cross when I did it, but I knew P Sally Berndt was made up of the three species sukhakulii, godefroyae and niveum. The cross just seemed like a good idea at the time! The result was indeed taller flower spikes than P Sally Berndt, but to my surprise the dozen or so that have flowered so far have all had a white background with various degrees of pink flush and with large dark spots, presumably from the P. sukhakulii and P. godefroyae in the background. Of course, I had already been able to name another Paphiopedilum hybrid in honour of my own mum a few years earlier (P. Memoria Madge Bade). P. Memoria Madge Bade Based on the first flowering of another new hybrid of mine, I will almost certainly name it after my dad if the quality is consistently good in the grex. How exciting it is to see that first flower of your own hybrid open! Hybridising is just another aspect of orchid growing but it adds an exciting dimension to this wonderful hobby. Not done for monetary gain, but for love. Not done because I have to, but because I can! | Terri Bade Hervey Bay QLD 4644 Email: thade@aapt.net.au KIWI ORCHID BARK & RCRA ORCHID CHAR ADI YRCHID BARK & RCRA ORCHID CHAR KIWI ORCHID BARK— HARD, CHUNKY & FREE OF FINES Kiwi Orchid Bark is made from renewable Pinus radiata bark and is a very clean orchid growing media. RCRA Orchid Char is the best quality char from Charleville in Qld. KIWI ORCHID BARK available in 10 & 50 litre bags in the following sizes No2...3-8mm No3...8-20mm No 4... 20-25mm No 5... 25-50mm (50 litre bag only) RCRA ORCHID CHAR available in 10 litre and 20kg bags in 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, and 20mm uniformly graded sizes. Stock is available for immediate delivery For supplies in NSW contact Kiwi Orchid Bark NSW — Bob Bishop NSW Di For supplies in QLD contact Orchidaceous Supplies _ www.australianorchidreview.com.au ch » Ghagaaiss | iNWictonia Park: by David Banks ubbo and Orana Region Orchid Society (DOROS) formed in 1995, in a region where orchid growing is challenging, due to low humidity, hot dry summers contrasting with cool to cold winters. Dubbo City Council facilitated and made available the use of their large glasshouse in Victoria Park for members to house their orchids, and for the public viewing on weekends. Part of the benefits of membership to the orchid society is some allocated bench space for special plants with more tropical needs. I visited the glasshouse whilst on a family weekend away in June 2016, and was shown around by very welcoming and enthusiastic members Christine Jones and Debbie Hayes. They both spend a lot of time at the greenhouse maintaining and watering the various orchid collections — as some members spend more active time there than others. I was very impressed with the spacious Victoria Park for starters, with the kids enjoying the extensive and interactive play area next door. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 The glasshouse has a nice tall roof allowing for a greater volume of air, and providing a range of microclimates within the growing area. The City Council pays for all the heating, cooling, electricity, water etc. What a win:win situation, as the Society are constantly: promoting this as a tourist attraction. Members have tried a wide range of available orchids to grow in these controlled conditions. Remembering that ALL the orchids here get basically the same level of heating and cooling, which obviously suits some genera better than others. I found that those robust orchids with high water holding capacity in their pseudobulbs (like Cattleyas and “hardcane” Dendrobiums), fared better than smaller, softer orchids with small or no pseudobulbs (like Bulbophyllums, Masdevallias and slipper orchids - Paphiopedilum). Similarly, orchids with a defined winter rest period also grew better than those that preferred to be in constant growth. There were exceptions to this as well, as Phalaenopsis and Vandas grew very well in these conditions. 47 Dubbo Orchid Glasshouse, note Variety Of orchids — I encouraged Christine and Debbie to experiment by moving around plants that were clearly not thriving, and similarly grouping similar plants together in areas where they are thriving. Thankfully, Cattleyas and Dendrobiums are very showy orchids and a mix of different species and hybrids will ensure flowers throughout all the months of the year. The Dubbo and Orana Region Orchid Society meets on the last Wednesday of the month starting at 7:30 pm at the Meeting Rooms ‘Orchid House in Park’ Victoria Park, Dubbo. More details phone (02) 6887 3221, Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4488, East Dubbo NSW 2830. Inaugural member Michael Murphy wrote and published the book 21 years with DOROS : the history of Dubbo and Orana Region Orchid Society : 1995 to 2016 last year. It provides a 121 page history of the Society as ofits 21‘t birthday. Documenting the highs and lows, plus the trials and tribulations of the members and individuals involved, plus Society personalities, activities, bus trips, milestones and initiatives. Some excerpts make interesting and controversial reading! The book was launched on 30th April 2016 by Ray Clement and Rob Wells of Tinonee Orchid Nursery, during one of their popular Orchid Workshops. Book enquiries may be directed to Michael Murphy, P.O. Box 4085, Dubbo East NSW 2830 or email: murphm1@bigpond.com.au or phone 0428 820514. Mention the AOR for the discounted price plus free postage within Australia. | David Banks Seven Hills, NSW 21 years with DOROS Email: david@hillsdistrictorchids.com The Australian Orchid Review, February - March 2017 49 by David L. Jones and Christopher J. French Abstract Plumatichilos heberlei, a new species with affinities to P barbatus (LindI.) D.L.Szlachetko is described as new from Western Australia. Key Words Orchidaceae, Plumatichilos heberlei, Plumatichilos barbatus, new species, Western Australia, Australian flora. Introduction Plumatichilos is a distinctive genus the members of which can be readily distinguished by a number of morphological features, especially the plumose filiform labellum that protrudes prominently from the flower (Jones & Clements 2002, Jones 2015, 2016). A new species from Western Australia is here described as new. Taxonomy 1. Plumatichilos heberlei D.L.Jones & C.J.French, sp. nov. With affinity to Plumatichilos barbatus (Lindley) Szlachetko but differing by its very slender habit, longer, narrower flowers (90-120 x 8-10 mm in P heberlei cf. 70-80 x 13-15 mm in P. barbatus), much longer, thinner apical point on the dorsal sepal (25-35 mm long in P heberlei cf. 12-15 mm in P barbatus), longer, thinner widely divergent free points on the lateral sepals (48-55 mm long in P. heberlei cf. 30 mm in P. barbatus), strongly falcate petals with a vestigial basal lobe and longer labellum (30 mm long in P. heberlei cf. 25 mm in P. barbatus). TYPE: Western Australia. Eyre District: Torbay, 16 Sep. 1990, R.Heberle (ORG 1900) (holo CANB 648043). Illustration: Page 398, Brown, Dixon, French & Brockman (2013), as Pterostylis sp. ‘Gull Rock’. 50 Plumatichilos heberlei, (flower from front) Gull Rock Road, WA (photo: Chris French) Plumatichilos heberlei, (flower from side) Gull Rock Road, WA (photo: Chris French) Description: Sterile rosette with 5-10 leaves, obliquely erect to spreading; petiole 0-4 mm long; lamina elliptic, 6-20 mm long, 4-8 mm wide, green with translucent interveinal areas, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate. Fertile plants 20-40 cm tall. Cauline leaves obliquely erect to erect, 12-18, basal ones reduced, bract-like, larger leaves loosely clustered in an extended rosette; lamina lanceolate to elliptical, 10-40 mm long, 6-15 mm wide, dark green with translucent or yellowish interveinal areas; base sheathing the stem; margins crisped to undulate; apex long-acuminate to aristate. Scape smooth. Ovary 7-10 mm long, green, smooth. Flower solitary, erect or leaning forwards, 90-120 mm long, 8-10 mm across, transparent to translucent with bright green veins and brown to black in the petals. Galea 25-35 mm long, widest at the base when viewed from the front and narrowed upwards, from the side curved forwards in distal third and ending in a long erect curved apical point. Dorsal sepal 35-40 mm long, 20-25 mm wide when flattened, laterally inflated at the base then gradually tapered, ending in a filiform point 25-35 mm long, translucent with prominent bright green longitudinal veins and finer transverse and reticulate veins. Lateral sepals deflexed, 60-65 mm long; conjoined part 9-12 mm long, 4.5-5.5 mm wide, central part raised and mounded, brown, papillate, margins green, incurved; free points usually divergent, sometimes parallel, 48-55 mm long, narrowly linear to filiform, yellowish green, distal margins infolded, apex filiform. Petals 40-45 mm long, broadest at the base then sharply recurved and rapidly narrowed in the proximal third to a flagelliform apex; basal part 12-16 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, brown with translucent interveinal areas; basal flange c. 1 mm across, almost vestigial; distal part 30-35 mm long, flagelliform. Labellum porrect, 25-30 mm long, shallowly curved and projecting forwards through the basal frontal opening. Labellum hinge c. 2.5 mm long, white. Labellum lamina reddish brown; basal beak ovate, c. 4 mm long, c. 2 mm across, narrowed distally and merging into the lamina; filiform part c. 18-24 mm long, c. 0.2 mm wide; apical knob beak-like, c. 2.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, dark reddish brown. Labellum hairs of three types; white hairs on basal beak very few, c. 0.6 mm long; fine yellow twisted hairs restricted to the proximal fifth of the lamina, sparse, held more or less erect in two rows on the dorsal side of the lamina, c. 1.5 mm long; coarse pale yellow moniliform hairs scattered sparsely over most of the lamina (8-12 pairs, 5-12 mm long), arising from the labellum margins and projected outwards and downwards. Column 18-22 mm long, erect, light greenish-white. Column wings projected forwards, 7-8 mm long, 4.5-5 mm wide, more or less rectangular, translucent white; basal lobe downcurved, c. 3.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, obtuse, inner margins incurved, adorned with white, tangled cilia; mid-section c. 4 mm long, translucent green; apical lobe linear, c. 2.5 mm long, somewhat irregular, acute. Anther c. 2.8 mm long, without a rostrum. Pollinia linear-oblong, c. 2.3 mm long, yellow, mealy. Stigma central, elliptical-oblong, 12-15 mm x 2.5 mm, raised. Capsule not seen. Fig. 1. Distribution and ecology: Restricted to a small area around Albany, Western Australia between Gull Rock and Denmark growing in Banksia shrubland and Jarrah- Peppermint woodland in grey sand. Alt. 5-80 m. Flowering period: Late August and September (- early November). Recognition: Characterised by long narrow bright green flowers with a network of darker green veins in the galea and light brown veins and markings in the petals, long thin curved point on the dorsal sepal, long thin free points on the lateral sepals (widely divergent) and a hairy labellum with long pale yellow hairs (8-12 pairs, 5-12 mm long) and short narrow apical knob. 52 Similar species: This species is somewhat similar to P. barbatus but that species has shorter, broader flowers, shorter, thicker apical point on the dorsal sepal, shorter, thicker free points on the lateral sepals and shallowly curved petals with a well-developed basal lobe and a shorter labellum with fewer yellow moniliform hairs. Conservation status: Generally uncommon _ but conserved in at least one National Park. Etymology: Named after Ronald Leslie Heberle (1913- 2004), commercial fisherman, photographer and noted Western Australian orchid specialist who discovered innumerable new species, including Plumatichilos heberlei. Other specimens: Western Australia: Albany, Aug. 1974, R.Heberle (CANB 751042); Spencer Park, Albany, Oct. 1977, R.Heberle (CANB 751043); ibid, 28 Sep. 1985, R.Heberle (ORG 1884) (CANB 648027); Albany 17 Sep. 1919, R.S.Rogers (CANB 751411). Acknowledgements We thank Jean Egan for preparing David Jones’s drawing | for publication, Emma Toms, Anna Monro, Marion Garratt and Karina Richards for help with specimens at CANB, Mark Clements for photos of types and the late Ron Heberle for animated discussions about WA orchids. Special thanks to Garry Brockman, Andrew Brown, Nye Evans, Barbara Jones, Marie French and the late Bill Jackson for companionship on field trips. References ° Jones, D.L. & Clements, M.A. (2002). A Review of Pterostylis (Orchidaceae), Aust. Orch. Res. 4: 1-168. e Jones, D.L. (2015). Plumatichilos littoralis (Orchidaceae: Pterostylidiinae), an endangered new species of Bearded Greenhood from the Kurnell Peninsula, central-eastern New South Wales, Aust. Orch. Rev. 80(3): 39-43. ° Jones, D.L. (2016). Plumatichilos gracilens (Orchidaceae: Pterostylidiinae), a new species of Bearded Greenhood from South Australia, Aust. Orch. Rev. 80(6): 55-58. | David L. Jones Kalaru, NSW, 2550 Email: dabajones@bigpond.com Christopher J. French Bateman, WA, 6150 Email: mail4cjfrench@gmail.com OCEAN MIST Humidifiers Now available in Australia * Ultrasonic * Portable * Output 5kg/hr * Humidification * Cooling * Power use 300W * Almost silent * Automatic humidity controller included www.floralaboratories.com.au Phone 03-9584-2087 Email office@floralaboratories.com.au www.australianorchidreview.com.au se ee Plumatichilos heberlei, Albany, WA, R.Heberle (Fig. 1.) a. flowering plant; b. flower from front; c. labellum; d. column and labellum from side; e. column from front; f. synsepalum; g. petal. Drawing: 18 September 1986, © David L. Jones The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 53 To the Falls and Beyond - in search of Danhatchia australis. Text and photos by Alan W. Stephenson I had hoped after my last visit to this site within the Moreton National Park in December 2015 that I would not need to, or even want to return. The track is well formed, easy to follow, not perilous in any way but it is, from start to end point 1.5km and the first 500 metres is very steep, with steps cut into the rocks and earth and no sensible person would construct a stairway in their home with such steep risers and short steps. However, when one realises the possibility of locating an orchid at the end of that distance, which few people in Australia have ever seen in situ, makes the effort worthwhile. That’s my story and I will stay with that. This day I was not there alone, as two young ladies accompanied me, or do I have that the wrong way around, as we were all there for the same purpose. This was to find, photograph and hopefully obtain some DNA samples of a particularly rare orchid, once thought to be endemic to New Zealand. Of course, there are other orchid species along the track on the way down, which is mainly sclerophyll forest of the type typically found at 600 metres, although this gives way to rainforest by the time the falls are in view. The first orchid noted was a small plant of Cymbidium suave but it came complete with two flowering inflorescences. We also recorded another old favourite, Dockrillia striolata, however this 54 widespread mass of plants on rocks had long since passed its flowering period. The orchid is Danhatchia australis, named after New Zealand orchid identity, Dan Hatch and was once considered to exist only in New Zealand; however it was discovered in New South Wales at Barrington Tops only a few years ago and later in similar habitat on the Southern Tablelands. When one considers the weather patterns which occur between Australia and New Zealand some thought must be given to where it actually originated as this weather pattern runs from west to east and I fail to understand how seed from an orchid could “swim against the tide and winds” to reach Australia: from New Zealand, so like the Pavlova, some non-concessional Australians feel it must have originated in Australia. I originally went to this site in 2012 at the invitation of an OEH person and some associates to see this rare species and also some rare herbs. Numerous plants were found on this occasion and possibly due to rainfall in the weeks prior to our visit as I visited in 2015 with a Wollongong friend during a dry season and came up empty. However, using GPS data supplied from the OEH person we managed to locate four plants in what I would term a loose group rather than a colony, as all were in a straight line of 1.5 metres. www.australianorchidreview.com.au Danhatchid Gustralis lant? Danhatchia australis i - flowers -Danhatchia australis - inflorescence Both of the young ladies are CSIRO scientists, with one concerned with biocontrol of rabbits, studying host virus interaction between rabbits and calcivirus, while the other is a plant metabolic engineer and biochemist. I accompanied them as I knew the site and general area and as rain has been scarce December 2016, I was not hopeful of finding either plants or the large population of leeches aroused by persons walking through wet vegetation. The DNA sampling is legal as it was requested by a CSIRO scientist, Dr. Mark Clements and I also have a scientific licence as I have been asked to collect an occasional orchid sample for the same person and others in Canberra and elsewhere in Australia. Fairy Bower Falls = ° = s x > oO x 12) = U be re) Ss oo To pes 5 During the walk, it was obvious there had been some disturbance to the bush but it was also obvious this was a natural occurrence and as the track to and beyond the falls cuts through a very steep landscape with trees fallen across the track or down a steep slope just presenting an occasional obstacle to walk under, over or around. We did see one snake near the four plants but a positive identification was not possible as it slithered through dense leaf litter (probably a Diamond Python), ferns and small shrubs to disappear under a fallen log. The only other fauna seen was an Echidna trying to bury itself under a hole in the middle of a gravel section of the track. A small skink also briefly came into view as it was scampering across the track. Other orchids seen were large numbers of Plectorrhiza tridentata but I know Sarcochilus olivaceus and Sarcochilus australis are present and the only other orchid we saw in flower on the day was a rapidly fading Gastrodia. The GPS points we were given proved to be beneficial as the original site from 2012 was free of plants despite a wide search of that area. The four plants we later found were ona steep downhill section and many photos of these were taken and I am pleased digital photography is the norm. The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 The tall plant was 18cm, carried seven flowers and despite having seennumerous plants, I still have difficulty determining if the flowers are open or closed. These are borne on an upright leafless pale pinkish brown stem 2mm wide 12.5cm in length, with similarly coloured flowers on a 55mm raceme. Imagine looking for an upright ball point refill with several small nodules from the tip down but this was the object of the exercise and the task made more difficult as the plant is the same colour as much of the leaf litter. The smaller plants were 15cm with four flowers and 14cm with two flowers. One plant with a broken raceme also supported six flowers and was approximately the same height as the tallest plant, in a straight line. I consider the day to be highly successful, not only because of the location of four plants of the target species or collection of a DNA sample or the lack of leeches and venomous reptiles but the extremely good company of two intelligent young ladies, who were keen to complete the task, while being aware of and interested in the surrounding habitat and what it contained and in which we all shared a common goal. Wf Alan W. 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Careful guideli flowers, harves seedlings, and g 3 Eighty-eight lavishly illustrated pages of coloured drawings and photographs explain everything from selecting the right kit, through to planting your own seed- raised plants in the greenhouse, teaching you step-by-step how to grow orchids confidently, successfully and professionally. OURDISCOUNT PRICE $x24.95.., was $39.95 RRP (Incl. GST) ris posace ano Havouns 88 pages, colour. 193mm x 240mm. Hardcover. (Landscape Formai?). ORCHID SPECIES OF THE SHOALHAVEN: NSW Australia by Alan W. Stephenson Alan Stephenson lives in Nowra and is well placed to give the first botanical treatment of the native orchids of the Shoalhaven region. He has extended the distribution ranges of a number of uncommon and rare species, as well as discovering new taxa. This 68 page book is packed with both information and superb photography, almost exclusively taken by the author. All of the recorded orchid species native to the region are included and illustrated. "Orchid species of the Shoalhaven NSW Australia structure of the orchid plants, their natural habitats, parts of an orchid flower, orchid structure and the pollination of orchids. This is followed by the main section of the oat that alphabetically lists and discusses each species, with information such as Common Names, Recent Synonyms, Flowering Time in the wild, plus a brief description of the plant, flowers and preferred habitat. There are many terrestrial species fully covered as well as a number of epiphytic and lithophytic genera that are found in the area. The avai the printing and colour reproductions are sparking. This is a wonderful field guide that will aid even the most novice naturalist or native orchid enthusiast and confidently assist them in identifying examples they encounter in the field. It represents excellent value, as it also covers many species found naturally along the East Coast of New South Wales. 68 pages, 225 colou: photos. URDISOUNTPNICE $a 9.5. was 52500 RRP (Incl. GST) rusrostaceanoxanouns Alan W. Stephenson 210mm x 148mm. Softcover. ORCHIDS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA by Andrew Brown, Pat Dundas, ingsley Dixon & Stephen Hopper Written by three of Western Australia’s most prominent orchidologists and featuring over 200 full-page, colour ilstrations by renowned botanical artist Pat Dundas, Orchids of Western Australia is the first modern text cataloguing all 409 known species. This comprehensive resource for hardened enthusiasts and initiates alike features a wealth of information in a single volume - from a detailed introduction to WA orchids to information on each species, including who named them, where they were first collected, their habitat, distribution, flowering period, size and distinguishing features. oe This book is the culmination of decades of work by WA's foremost |os#i\ige experts, each dedicated to the conservation of one of the world’s most important regional orchid floras. Orchids OF WESTEIN AUSTRALIA azo poses. —_CURDISCOUMTPRIE 915475. Hardcover. was $89695 RRP (Incl. GST) tus rostace avo Haxouns The Australian Orchid Review, February - March 2017 The introductory chapters discuss the area covered by this book, the. Mail Orcler bookshop COD The publishers of the Australian Orchid Review are pleased to offer readers popular orchid books at special discount prices. Just select the book(s) you require and fill in the details on the form provided. New titles will be added to the list when | they become available. Ps rereecec OOOO FORO KIO OHH OHIO ¥] ORCHIDS IN 7. YOUR GARDEN How to grow orchids in the backyard | by Robert Friend It sounds too good to bowie, but orchids are “| as easy to grows das a lawn or a f otic reputation, b vt grow orchids s ip ce) @r greenhouses. e) ows you haw to introduce orchids e garden, by attaching them to trees, =| fixing them on rocks and walls, or planting rs BI them in garden beds. With more than 150,000 species and hybrids of orchids in the world, there are plants suitable for every garden. “ROBERT Robert Friend draws on a lifetime’s experience with orchids to explain how to choose the right orchid for your climate and how to landscape orchids in different types of gardens. Ranging from tropical to cool climate areas, from large acreages to small courtyard gardens, almost every backyard can enjoy the best of one of re poor, _URDAOUMTIRCE $41 9¥.. 144 pages. Colour and B&W. was $22;50 RRP (Incl. GST) PLUS rostast No Hanoune THE ALLURE OF ORCHIDS by Mark A. Clements From 1788 when First Fleet artist George Raper painted Diuris | punctata, the botanical world has been theta by Australian orchids. Hundreds of orchid images from the National Library of Australia’s collection, with words by Mark Clements from the Australian National Herbarium in Canberra, make The Allure of Orchids a must-read for lovers of flowers, original paintings and our indigenous orchids. Many of these unique botanical illustrations are [i being showcased to a wider sodiance lo the very first time. : The Allure of Orchids features an essay by internationally recognised [9 Sammi | Been orchid expert Mark Clements, accompanied by a vote of aa Sy illustrations, both historical and modern, of this chit species. In it you will find works by around 25 artists, including the extraordinarily detailed lithographs of early botanical illustrator Ferdinand Bower, Ellis Rowan’s beautiful paintings, the delicate watercolours of Margaret Cochrane Scott, and many more. The Allure of Orchids is divided into two parts; Terrestrial or ground orchids and Epiphytic or tree dwelling species. Clements says, “These illustrations can be enjoyed simply as works of art and part of our rich. and colourful Australian illustrative heritage. But, significantly, they are also part of the scientific record of this country, particularly during the early exploration of the continent.” Interestingly, a lot of the old and traditional Latin botanical names have been used in this work. The author makes a significant number of anecdotal notes and comments throughout the book, to keep the reader fully informed. It is a “must have” book for those interested in Australian orchids and historical botanical art. = ; ‘ 159 poses colour. —_URDICOUNTPRICE $434.95... Hardcover. was $3499 RRP (Incl. GST) ris pstace av Haxoune 59 GROWING ORCHIDS IN COOL CLIMATE AUSTRALIA (Second Edition, 2013) | Editors: Fraser, M.J., Wright, J., & Ferris, W. 2013 This is an update of our earlier book and includes | much new material. Written by members of the Orchid Society of Canberra, this book covers topics such as What are Orchids, Structures for growing orchids, potting media, pests and diseases, Orchid nomenclature, Orchid Classification and of course how to grow many types of orchids in cool climate regions of Australia. The main section covers individual cultivation of the most popular types of orchids that we all fall in love with at the beginning... Cymbidium, Cattleya, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum, Masdevallia, Stanhopea... and much more. An invaluable reference for jogveneeamcccor” ORDSOMTPNE $424... passion for this delightful plant family was 92995 RRP (Incl. GST) tus rostase avo wanouns GROWING ORCHIDS IN COOL CLIMATE AUSTRALIA Second Edition MJ, FRASER, J. WRIGHT & W. FERRIS 128 pages with about 190 photos. Paperback. HUNTLEYAS AND RELATED ORCHIDS by Patricia A. Harding Revered by avid orchid collectors for its delightful, star-shaped flowers, Huntleya is a small group of orchids found low in the forest. Huntleya is a small orchid genus that includes fourteen species. They occur in wet cloud forests at medium altitudes of Guatemala, Costa Rica, South America down to Bolivia. The type species Huntleya meleagris also occurs in Trinidad. Besides their striking colours — from deep blue to waxy red, royal purple to almost black — flowers of this group are known for their distinctive shapes, patterns, and textures. As appealing as these lovely tropical orchids are, their identification has been confused since the first species was described in the mid-1800s. Recent DNA studies have led to a clearer understanding of relationships and, as a result of this clarity, it is now possible to sort out the taxonomic problems and identify the characteristics that set species apart. In this first book devoted to the Huntleya alliance, author Patricia Harding presents evidence from the scientific literature, other growers, and her own experience that will enable orchid enthusiasts everywhere to identify their plants and grow them successfully. Patricia A. Harding is an accredited American Orchid Society judge who has been growing three decades. RRP (Incl. GST) rus rosrace avo ranouns HUN@#LEYAS ED ORCHIDS 260 pages, 150 colour photos. Hardcover. was $ LYCASTE ORCHIDS - Cultivation and Hybridisation by A.F.W. Alcorn Lycaste orchids are easy to grow, and they produce flowers that range from the beautiful to the bizarre. No book previously has provided detailed cultural requirements of the Lycaste, and this book should fill that gap, and encourage new growers to take up the cultivation of this beautiful genus. A section on hybridising contains valuable information on inheritance and genetics that will benefit any hybridiser, not just the grower of Lycastes, as well as helpful hints on how to avoid pitfalls in your hybridising program. Michael Hallett, a friend of Fred Alcorn for a number of years, co-wrote this book with Fred and has completed it posthumously. He has a background in genetics, research and botany, Lycaste Orchids ™ Cultivation and Hybridisation A. F. W. Alcorn and a passion for plants, - 00 zor poser, _—_—_UADSCOUNTIRE $15.9. Colour and B&W. was $2855 RRP (Incl. GST) us rostce aio waouns 60 : THE GENUS CYMBIDIUM by David Du Puy and Phillip Cribb Second edition (2007). Full taxonomic accounts of all 52 species of Cymbidium, including distribution, maps, photographs, line drawings and colour paintings. key. Detailed conservation assessment of Cymbidium. Cultivation chapter and breeding chapters as well as chapters covering history, morphology, seed morphology, anatomy, cytology, pollination, uses and phylogeny. OURDISCOUNTPRICE $477.95... was $105.00 RRP (Incl. GST) _nusroswae ao HANDLING THE GENUS CYMBIDIUM David Du Pay and Philip Cnbb colour Taxonomic 369 pages, colour photographs, line drawings, maps. Small quarto, dustwrapper. 4" ANGRAECOID ORCHIDS: Species from the African Region by Joyce Stewart, Johan Hermans, and Bob Campbell These so-called Jewels of Africa’ with their sparkling flowers, distinctive growth habit and floriferous nature are much prized and this account, the first to include the Angraecoid orchids of both Africa and Madagascar, is long awaited. It brings together, in a single volume, descriptions of all 690 species in this intriguing group of orchids and will be the essential reference for all Angraecoid orchid enthusiasts for years to come. Including such horticulturally important genera as Angraecum, Aeranthes, Aerangis and Jumellea. Stewart, Herman and Campbell have all spent time in various parts of eastern and southern Africa and precise ecological information relating to habitat, altitude preferences and flowering season of individual plants will be particularly helpful to growers. The diagnostic features of each genus are illustrated and over half ° the species are accompanied by exquisite photographs taken in both wild habitats and in cultivation. XAECOID ORCHIDS 432 pages, : ; ragalewerotes. ——URDICOUNTPRIE. $459.95. Hardcover. was 989095 RRP (Incl, GST) plus rostace avo HaNouN STARTING OUT WITH ORCHIDS B by David L. Jones Dovid Jones is arguably one of Australia's most prolific, precise and respected Benen nd horticultural authors. The book is divided in wo J Pay Part One begins with the cultivation chapters, covering Easy Orchids | lor Beginners, General Cultivation Requirements, Growing Epiphytic Orchids, Growing Terrestrial Orchids, Orchid Pests and Diseases, Housing Your Orchids and Propagating Your Orchids. The information contained within these pages alone is required reading for all beginners through to 4 experienced orchid growers. The text is very easy to read and understand with numerous sound cultivation tips and treatments discussed. There are 4 many excellent and clear line illustrations that help describe terms or highfoh diagnostic features. There are over 250 colour photographs, Ss ng out with ORCHIDS _ David L Jones, 240 pages, colour. 210mm x 148mm, Softcover. OURDISCOUNT PRICE $26.%... was $29695 RRP (Incl. GST) rus ross ato nanouns www.australianorchidreview.com.au Australian e Recommended Our Plus Grand : Postage Retail Price Discount Postage Total © Number of Total Item & Title Zone (RRP) Price & Handling Price Copies $ Review A$24.95 + A$13.00 = A$37.95 = A$25.00 A$19.95 + A$3.00 = A$22.95 (Incl. GST) (Incl. GST) = A$89.95 A$54.95 + A$13.00 = A$67.95 (Incl. GST) (Incl. GST) . Orchid Species of the Shoalhaven: M a 1 1 O r d er NSW Australia . Orchids of Western Australia bookshop Postage Zones 6. Growing Orchids in Cool Climate Australia . Orchids In Your Garden PP) 4919.95 + $7.00 | = A$26.95 (Incl. GST) = $39.99 | $34.95 + A$13.00| = $47.95 (Incl. GST) (Incl. GST) A$13.00| = A$37.95 $13.00] = $47.95 [gue . The Allure of Orchids = A$29.95 (Incl. GST) A$24.95 + (Incl, GST) A Australia (Quoted A$ Dollars) . Huntleyas and Related Orchids = A$85.00 (Incl. GST) A$34.95 + (Incl, GST) 8. Lycaste Orchids- = A$28.55 A$15.00 + A$7.00 = A$22.00 All Overseas Orders Cultivation and Hybridisation (Incl. GST) (Incl. GST) (Please contact us 9. The Genus Cymbidium = A$105.00 A$77.95 + A$13.00 = A$90.95 (Incl. GST) (Incl. GST) for a Postal Quote) 10. Angraecoid Orchids: = A$89.95 Species from the African Region (Incl. GST) = A$29.95 (Incl. GST) A$59.95 + A$13.00 = A$72.95 (Incl. GST) A$26.95 + A$13.00 = A$39.95 (Incl. GST) TOTAL ORDER $ Combined postage for multiple books is available 11. Starting out with Orchids CUT ALONG DOTTED LINES Turn over to complete order details — SC ae/ a Orchid Review For six issues of Australian Orchid Review, fill in the form below and post in now together with your payment. 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ESSAY TOPIC FOR 2017: “Orchid Ailments And Their Management” Tell us how you manage any problems with your orchids. The deadline for receipt of all entries is June 30th 2017 Send your entry electronically to: aof@australianorchidfoundation.org.au or to: AOF Essay Prize P.O. Box 96, Drouin Vic. 3818 Please include your name, address and telephone contact. Entry Rules: This competition is open to Australian residents only The essay will be an original article, not previously published The essay must be no more than 4,000 words, short essays are most welcome The essay is to be in English and typewritten Entries may include art work or images The authors of the essays will remain undisclosed to the judges, whose decision will be final. If in the opinion of the judges, no worthy essays are received, there will be no award that year Non-winning entries will be returned to the sender if requested. These entries may be submitted to the editors of Australian orchid periodicals for publication, with permission from the author The winning essay will be announced at the AGM of the Foundation in October 2017 The winning entries will be published on the AOF website and in Australian orchid periodicals The Australian Orchid Review, February — March 2017 63 sities Jack Quigley §(wardiixinodora) {| p ADVERTISERS INDEX American Orchid Society sssssssssssscssssssssssssasesnee 5 Aranbeem Orchidstesesssa ene nae 28 Aussie Plant Tags ........... Aussie Shade & Hothouses Australian Orchid FOUNAatiON coeccsssssscsssesscsesececoce 15 Burleigh Park Orchid NUrS€LY s.essssssscssssscsssssssssseeesse 5 Gedarvale Orchids pease eee 21 C-Mac Industries (Aust.) ... 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