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October 2004
OCTOBER MEETING October 11, 2004 Orchid Auction! Members may bring up to 5 plants to auction (and unlimited additional plants to donate). This is an excellent way to clear a growing area of extra plants and to make room for new ones bought with a winning bid. This is also a great fundraiser for the Society. If you are bringing plants, please complete the enclosed auction sheet before the meeting. Be sure to indicate where you want the donation portion of the proceeds to go. Auction plants must be healthy and clean of pests. > Download the Raffle Form (PDF) Beginner's program: No beginner's program this month. Plant Table: No plant table this month. Sales Table: No sales table this month. Raffle: No raffle this month. COMING UP The speaker for the November meeting has not been confirmed yet. Details in the next newsletter. Got a suggestion for a speaker or program? Contact Jay Perez at at jay98116@comcast.net or 206-818-4363. WHAT'S IN A NAME? Orchid names can occasionally be perplexing, especially if you're not an expert at the lingo. Here’s something for those of us who need a primer on tag-reading. First, some basic terms: Genus: A group of orchids classified together because of similar traits and an assumed common ancestry. Plural of genus is genera (JEN-e-ra). Species: A group that appear to have common ancestry so closely related that their characteristics definitely separate them all from any other group. Hybrid: The cross of two different species; this name must be registered with the (RHS) Royal Horticultural Society. Intergeneric: The cross between two or more closely related genera. Cultivar or Varietal Name: An epithat used to distinguish a meritorious clone. Award: Any distinction award that a plant can receive for outstanding quality. The naming of orchids follows strict conventions, originally laid down by the Royal Horticultural Society. Now that you have the definitions, let’s learn how to read and understand the names. First Name: In catalogs and on nametags, the orchid’s genus name appears first. It is always capitalized and italicized or underlined (e.g. Vanda). Second Name: The second part of the orchid name, generally the species or hybrid, helps “specify” the plant. It is always in lowercase and italicized or underlined if the plant is a species. You can remember a species plant is a plant that was made in nature all by itself—no human intervention. Hybrid names are not italicized or underlined. The hybrid name is known as the grex. The grex is often named after someone (cultivar) or is a variety (abbreviated var.). The grex can also includes the term “Mem.” which means the plant has been named “in memoriam” of someone. Sometimes, you will see two orchid names connected by an “x” instead of the grex. The names indicate the parents of the plant that were crossed to create the hybrid. Other times, you will see the grex and the parental names listed. Usually, the parental names will follow the grex in parentheses. To further complicate matters, you have intergeneric hybrids. These plants are often from different, yet related, genera that are artificially crossed. This process incorporates many different gene pools, which results in plants that adapt to a wider range of environmental conditions. Awards: If the plant has received an award, it will follow the grex name. Awards are indicated by initials separated by a slash. The letters before the slash indicate what type of award the plant received, and the letters after the slash indicate who awarded the plant. Here are the primary organizations that award orchids and the types of awards they give:
All three awards denote outstanding flower quality. Other awards include:
FALL SHOW NEWS 2004 The Fall Orchid Show & Sale is getting very close. We are still in need of volunteers to help with the cashiering, set-up and take down, as well as people who can “wander” around and capture people looking at the flowers and strike up a conversation about them. Question-and-answer people are always needed for our guests. Please find the sign-up sheets at the next two meetings and give it a try. I want to thank those who have already signed up to volunteer, and to those who are working so very hard on the preparations for the show. We have a lot to do and you are all doing such a wonderful job. Thank you all. We have an awesome display coming, with a nearly 20-foot dragon protecting his precious treasures (orchids). Jamie Notman is making the paper-maché body parts, and we have recruited a few others to help with the lumber-cutting and backdrop creating. Lots of great ideas are coming together in this design, and it is all very exciting to see come to life. If any of you would like to help with the show designs, please let me (Robin) know. There are some items we will need help with…. Does anyone know how to build with PVC pipe? Call me… I have a job for you! So far we have captured the interest of seven orchid vendors with one as a “maybe.” The sales room is set up a little differently this time, with lots of room to walk all around the booths. The display area is also different, with space for more floor displays and round tables mixed in among the rectangles. The flow is better, and the display spaces have more island-like choices for walking around. We heard some good news…the building we are using for the show is not going to close next year as previously planned. That means we can secure the space for the next two years (guaranteed) with the possibility of not needing to worry about changing venues for quite a while. The monorail project has been postponed until further notice, but at least through 2006. Having searched the city over with a fine-toothed comb and finding the prices for larger rooms astronomical, I am certainly happy that we don’t need to look again right away. Forms will be available at the next meeting for plant sales at the show. Remember, if you want to sell any plants, you must volunteer for at least one shift AND contribute plants to the display. The display will be large this time, so please help us out with a good array of bloomers. The display will be judged by the AOS, and all plants must be registered. Forms for registering plants will also be available at the next two meetings. Call me at (206) 297-3708 or e-mail at robinkemph@yahoo.com or showcommittee@nwos.org. See you at the next meeting!! Robin Kemph DUES INCREASE PROPOSED The Board has proposed an increase in annual membership dues of $5. If approved, the cost of an individual membership would be $25 and a joint membership would be $30. Per the Society bylaws, members will have an opportunity to approve or reject the proposal by voting at the October 11 meeting. If the proposal passes, the new rates would go into effect for all new memberships and renewals received after October 11. 2004-05 ROSTER AVAILABLE The new 2004-05 NWOS Membership Roster and Handbook is planned to be available at the October meeting. If you cannot make it to the October meeting, your roster will be mailed to you with the November newsletter. FALL SHOW POSTER Created by Mike Pearson and Abby Chang:
FALL SHOW SEASON After a glorious summer we suddenly noticed a chill in the air which served to remind us that the fall orchid show season is upon us. The first show in which we will display is the Sunset Empire Show at Seaside, Oregon which takes place Oct. 2-3, followed by the Oregon Orchid Society Show (Portland) at Hillsboro on Oct. 16-17 and finally, of course, our own show at Seattle Center Nov. 13-14. I will be on vacation during the Oregon Orchid Society Show this year and Jamie Notman will be taking a display down. Please let him know if you have plants or can help in any way with the show, either set-up on Friday evening or breakdown on Sunday afternoon. He can use help with tranporting the orchids as his car has limited space. Jamie is also working on the display for our November show and we will need some help setting up and tearing down the display. Give Jamie a call or sign up as a volunteer at the November meeting if you would like to help. We really want to make our show a big success this year. We can all help by informing our friends, neighbors, colleagues at work, etc. and by displaying a poster in a suitable location. We will be doing more advertising this year but nothing is as effective as word-of-mouth. George Grantham TREASURER NEEDED Are you good with numbers? Don’t mind a little bookkeeping in your spare time? The Society is seeking a volunteer to take over as Treasurer. The treasurer is responsible for maintaining the books, collecting money and paying the Society’s bills. Experience is not necessary and the Society will provide a computer to work on. If you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering, please contact Chris Peterson at (206) 525-2217 or Jerry Hoffmeister at jerry@hoffmeisters.com. 18TH WORLD ORCHID CONFERENCE COMING MARCH 2005 The 18th World Orchid Conference which combines educational lectures and scientific research presentations with an enormous judged show of orchids and tropical plants, will take place in Dijon, France from March 11-20, 2005. For more information on the conference, visit the web site. ORCHID ESSAY CONTEST Do your orchids inpire you to prose? If so, you might consider entering the 2004 Gordon W. Dillon/Richard C. Peterson Memorial Essay Competition sponsored by the American Orchid Society. This annual writing competition, open to amateur and professional writers alike, offers an opportunity to write an engaging essay and win a prize — a cash award equaling the annual interest on an endowment established by the Northeast Judging Center. The theme for the competition is “My Favorite Orchids.” Authors should write about a genus or group of orchids they are particularly interested in, explaining their fascination, the plant’s cultural needs and the types they grow. For example, an author might write about harlequin-type phalaenopsis, standard cymbidiums or miniature orchids. The winning entry will be published in the May 2005 issue of Orchids. Color slides or black-and-white prints as well as line drawings or tables that enhance the essay are not necessary for prize consideration. All entries must be received by Friday, November 30, 2004. Submit all entries to Dillon/Peterson Memorial Essay Contest, American Orchid Society, 16700 AOS Lane, Delray Beach, Florida 33446-4351. If you have a flair for writing about orchids, you mightalso make a great newsletter editor! Interested editors-to-be are invited to contact Brian Anderson (nwos_news@nows.org) or Jerry Hoffmeister (jerry@hoffmeisters.com) to learn more. AOS ADDS NEW MEMBER BENEFIT The American Orchid Society has added a new benefit to its list of membership privileges. Effective immediately, the AOS membership card is good for taking part in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program that allows bearers of the card free or discounted admission to participating botanical gardens, arboreta and conservatories in the United States and Canada. The AOS membership card is also good in some gift shops at these gardens, where it entitles the member to receive a discount. IMPORTANT DATES OCTOBER 2 & 3, 2004 OCTOBER 16 & 17, 2004 NOVEMBER 13 & 14, 2004
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