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Greater North Texas
Orchid Society
http://www.gntos.org
Volume 53—Issue 9
September 2007
2007 OFFICERS
This Month’s Meeting: Rebecca Repasky shares her
fascinating journey into the Andes Orchids By Manuel Aybar
Tom McIntosh
PRESIDENT
Our September speaker will be Rebecca Repasky from
BRIT. An extract from the Star Telegram defines her
work:
Jim Williams
VICE PRESIDENT
Jeane Staser
SECRETARY
Manuel Aybar
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
GNTOS WEBMASTER
“Repasky, 23, is a Texas Christian University graduate
student in biology. She was searching for a research
topic last year when her professor recommended her to
John Janovec, a research botanist at the Botanical
Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth. Janovec also
directs BRIT’s Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program
(AABP), a $2.3 million, three-year conservation project
in Peru, funded by a grant from the Gordon and Betty
Moore Foundation. Last August, shortly after the two
met over coffee in Fort Worth, Repasky found herself
dropped into an isolated stretch of the Peruvian Andes,
in an area they call Wayqecha, at an elevation close to
10,000 feet. No electricity, no Internet, no phone. Just a CB radio in a four-room field
station shared by Repasky and Peruvian research assistants (and now close friends)
Lucio Cordova and Martin Avendaño. Her mission for that year: to hunt orchids.
Linda Horton
PAST PRESIDENT
Don’t miss this exciting talk about Rebecca’s experience in The Andes identifying and
collecting some of the most fascinating orchids!
Kathy Halverson
TREASURER
2006-2007
Emily Quinn
2007-2008
Manuel Aybar
SWROGA
DIRECTORS
Inside this issue:
President’s Message
2
What’s in a name?
3
Last Meeting Minutes
4
Treasurer’s report
6
Ask the Plant Groom` 7
Greater North Texas Orchid Society
The GNTOS was formed in 1954 as a result of the amalgamation of the Dallas Orchid Society and the
North Texas Orchid Society. The new organization was formed as a nucleus for a larger an potentially
greater Society with an enthusiastic membership. On March 19, 1954, they were issued a charter by the
AOS as the Greater North Texas Orchid Society
Meeting Information
Meetings are held on the first Friday of each month at the Texas A&M Extension Campus Pavilion Building, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX. The doors open at 6:30 pm for set up followed by mingling and meeting / program.
Newsletter
Members are encouraged to submit articles, information, or suggestions for publication in our Newsletter. Send submissions to the editor via email at: [email protected] or by mail to Manuel Aybar,
2330 Saharah dr, Garland, TX 75044
Page 2
Greater North Texas Orchid Society
President’s Message by Tom McIntosh
The president’s message was not available at time of print.
Volume 53—Issue 9
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Page 3
By Glenda McIntosh
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Maxillareae
Subtribe: Oncidiinae
Genus: Trichoceros H.B.K.
Species: Antennifer (H.B.K.) H.B.K.
Pronunciation: try-koe-SER-us an-TIN-ee-fer
Meaning of name: The genus name is taken from the Greek words tricho
(hair) and keras (horn) which refers to the column with its hairy appendages.
The species name antennifer is the Latin word for antenna carrying again referring to the strange appendages or antennas on the column.
Synonyms: Epidendrum antenniferum H & B; Trichoceros parviflorus H.B.K.; Trichoceros armillatus Rchb.f.; Trichoceros muscifera Kraenzl.
Habitat: The plants grow on the lower branches of shrubs growing on steep slopes and mossy hillsides in mist forests at elevations of 2,500 to 3,200 meters. The flowers resemble a spiny fly perched
on a small leaf. The flower with its bristles around the column and the hairy side lobes of the lip appears to be a female fly with extended wings, in the mating posture. The male bee cannot pass by the
invitation, and thus the flower is pollinated. The pollinating vector is the male Paragymnomma fly.
Distribution: Colombia to Bolivia.
Description: This is a scrambling terrestrial or lithophytic plant with an elongate, ascending sometimes branched rhizome covered with evanescent (lasting only a short time) sheaths. Pseudobulbs
remote, small, broadly cylindrical, 0.6-1.5 cm long, unifoliate at apex, enclosed by two- to several
leaf bases. Leaves coriaceous, distichous, over-lapping (imbricate), ovate to elliptic-oblong, acute to
acuminate, 4-7 cm long, 0.6 to 2.0 cm wide. Inflorescence basal, lateral, much longer than leaves,
10-35 cm long. Flowers produced in succession, flat, bee- or fly-like, greenish to yellowish with a
maroon flush on the sepals and petals, and a reddish-maroon lip, natural spread of flower to 2.0 cm
across. Sepals elliptic, acute or acuminate, 10-12 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. Petals clawed, elliptic or
ovate, acute, 10-12 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. Lip 3-lobed at the base, 8-9 mm long, side lobes linear,
9-10 mm long, ciliate; midlobe ovate, obtuse to shortly apiculate. Column 4-5 mm long, short and
stout, protruding onto the lip with a cluster of long bristles at the rear.
Robert L. Dressler, Ph.D., writing in The Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family, page
176, says that the Telepogoninae (which includes Hofmeisterella, Stellabium, Telipogon, and
Trichoceros) “have four pollinia, but their seed structure is like that of the Oncidiinae and the Maxillarinae”.
Volume 53—Issue 9
Page 4
GNTOS Meeting Minutes By Jeanne Staser
Friday, August 3, 2007
President Tom McIntosh brought the meeting to order at 7:45
We welcomed 1 new member, Julian Acosta and 5 visitors, Shelley Edson, Kathy Ward, Kathleen
Brooks and Lane & Cheryl Douglas. We hope to see them again soon.
Old business:
Meeting venue is still under consideration, Northhaven Gardens is being examined as a possibility,
but we are still open to suggestions.
They will allow us to hold GNTOS plant sales at their facilities if we use them for our monthly
meeting place and if our sales are open to the public.
We have scheduled a Greenhouse Tour for April 5, 2008, and we need volunteers with greenhouses
for the tour. Please let us know if you have a greenhouse and would like to have it added to the tour.
New Business:
Ron Horton announced a Green Growers meeting at his house on the 12th of August.
Tom McIntosh introduced our speaker, Dottie Woodson, who gave a very informative talk on Integrated Pest Management, focusing on preventing problem by keeping plants in their optimum environment and isolating newly acquired plants. She also discussed various chemical pesticides and
their effectiveness and safe use and non-chemical forms of control such as ladybugs and mantis, and
other biological methods.
The plant table results were as follows:
Blue Ribbon: Cycnoches Jean E. Monnier, brought by the Hortons
Red Ribbon: (Slc Kauai Starbright x Lc. Golddigger) x Epi stamfordianum (missed that name)
White Ribbon: Aeranthes grandiflorum brought by the Hortons
Tri-Color Ribbon: Grammatophyllum scriptum, brought by the Hortons
Species of the Month: Ansellia africana, brought by the Hortons
Meeting adjorned at 9:35 pm by Tom McIntosh
Respectfully submitted
Jeanne Staser, recording secretary
Volume 53—Issue 9
Page 5
DALLAS JUDGING CENTER By Nancy Cropp
Five plants were entered, 2 awards given:
• Phal. Peach State Red 'Peter Lin' (Tabasco Tex x Princess Kailani) HCC 75 points, owner: Peter
Lin, Irving
• Phal. Sedona's Tiger 'Big Leaf Orchid' (Tiger Butter x Venimp) AM 81 points, owner: Peter Lin,
Irving
New Members By Kathy Halverson
Welcome New Members!! Please cut and paste to your directory.
Shelley Edson
11803 Rupley Lane
Dallas, TX 75218
214-558-1373
Email: <<[email protected]>>
Orchids as old as dinosaurs
By Manuel Aybar—From DR1.com
The discovery of an "exquisitely preserved orchid pollinarium attached to an extinct stingless bee preserved in a piece of amber, has led scientists to conclude that the flower is
older than once believed. The discovery of the bee and the pollen indicates that orchids
could have been around during the time of dinosaurs, 80 million years ago. The bee and
pollen, found in the DR, represent the first known fossil remains of an orchid. While there
are around 30,000 orchid species, up until now scientists have never had a fossil to determine their history. Dr. Santiago R. Ramirez of Harvard University says that the fossil
flower is called Meliorchis Caribea, and comes from the Goodyerinae orchid family. The
results of the findings were printed in Nature magazine. Previous to this discovery, scientists thought orchids were a relatively recent flower.
"This result is puzzling and fascinating at the same time because modern species of Vanilla orchids are locally distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world. But we
know that tropical continents began to split apart about 100 million years ago, and thus
our estimates of 60 to 70 million years for the age of Vanilla suggest that tropical continents were still experiencing significant biotic exchange much after their dramatic split,"
says Ramirez.
"Since the time of Darwin, evolutionary biologists have been fascinated with orchids'
spectacular adaptations for insect pollination. But while orchids are the largest and most
diverse plant family on Earth, they have been absent from the fossil record," Nature
magazine quoted lead author Santiago R. Ramirez, a researcher in Harvard's Museum of
Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, as saying.
The fossilised bee, Proplebeia dominicana, was recovered by a private collector in the
Dominican Republic in 2000, and came to the attention of the researchers in 2005.
Page 6
Greater North Texas Orchid Society
Treasurer’s Report by Kathy Halverson
Financial Report: July 2007
Dated: 7-29-07
Beginning Balance: $3129.09
Dues
Hospitality
Raffle
Rent
Snoopers
Speakers Fee/Honorarium
Speakers Air Fare/Travel
Miscellaneous
Donations
Special Sales
SWROGA Dues
Auction
October 2007 Orchid Show
Plant Table Yr End Awards
Hospitality Room (AOS)
DFW AOS Show
Bank Fee Reversal
Subtotals:
Income
$15.00
Expenses
$140.00
$116.00
$120.00
$104.40
$15.00
Donation for: Dallas Council of Garden Clubs $15.00
$20.00
$286.00
Ending Balance:
$259.40
$3155.69
Financial Report: August 2007
Dated: 8-13-07
Beginning Balance: $3155.69
Dues
Hospitality
Raffle
Rent
Snoopers
Speakers Fee/Honorarium
Speakers Air Fare/Travel
Miscellaneous
Donations
Special Sales
SWROGA Dues
Auction
October 2007 Orchid Show
Plant Table Yr End Awards
Hospitality Room (AOS)
DFW AOS Show
Bank Fee Reversal
Subtotals:
Income
$10.00
Expenses
$105.00
$120.00
$115.00
Ending Balance:
$120.00
$3150.69
Page 7
Greater North Texas Orchid Society
Ask the Plant Groom™ By Dale Groom
QA1135
I have an ornamental plum tree whose leaves have tiny holes in them before turning yellow and falling off the tree. Some limbs are now bare.
Could you give me any advice? Would you recommend an arborist and, if so, do you have specific ones you'd recommend? I have used an Arborist firm in the past but they can't come out for 2 weeks. I'm afraid the tree will be dead by then. I don't want to spray it with anything that will hurt
my hummingbirds.
Thanks for your help! - B. P.
Tiny holes in the leaves of your tree is not a concern as far as the tree itself is concerned. Plumbs, peaches , apricots and other members of the
"stone fruit" family require well drained soil locations to do well long term. This year nearly all of Texas has had a tremendous amount of rain. In
poorly drained or even soils that normally drain well but are constantly saturated for multiple weeks roots may terminate.
Plants can not grow healthy foliage, bloom fruit or grow without healthy roots. You tree in question may be expressing a below the ground problem that could be terminal. Aerating the soil in the tree's drip line may help.
Tiny holes in the tree's foliage is most likely not a health issue with your tree, they may look unattractive but should not have an impact on your
tree's long term health.
You may wish to contact other firms that are owned by or have in their service a Certified Consulting Arborist if your previously utilized firm can
not be at your location for two weeks.
Yes, I'm with you. I love hummers, the flying types and not the four wheeled ones. And it's appropriate to be concerned about spraying or by other
application means such as drenching any aid that's not required to correct a current issue.
Good luck with your tree.
In our desert southwest, I am finding that bugs are destroying our trees. Leaves have already begun to turn yellow and fall. We try to water as
often as we can, but we don't understand what is happening. Could it be our soil? Is there something homemade that we could concoct? We have
all sorts of plants & trees (Plum, oleanders, geraniums, willows,) - S. D., El Paso
Your plants' issues are more likely one of to much water in their root zones over a prolonged period of time. Saturated soils in all the plants you
have listed will impact plants foliage.
Plants need oxygen in the soil to grow healthy roots, no healthy roots equals poor leaf, twig and stem growth as well as blooms and fruits. And if
not corrected ... termination of the plant or plants impacted. Plum and other members of this family, oleanders and geraniums do prefer a moist
well drained soil but will not do well in soils that are wet long term. We normally associate willows growing in damp areas and in truth are usually
water wasters. However, if no oxygen reaches their root systems they too may suffer.
Daphne Richards, Texas Cooperative Extension Horticulturist-El Paso County is tops in the field. You may want to give her a ring at her office and
ask if any outbreaks of specific issues with insects are occurring in El Paso County. The office number is 915-851-2515. If it is determined "bugs"
are an issue secure identification of the pests, their recommended control possibilities and then decide if you wish to treat or decline. Remember,
always read and follow label directions when utilizing any horticultural aid.
I'd greatly appreciate your help on what I've recently noticed happening with my bur oak tree. She's been in the ground for nearing 4 years now
and has been doing great up till a few weeks ago. Her leaves have started to brown, but not just the edges, the whole leaf on a particular branch
have started to dry up. With all the rain we've gotten (Dallas area) I'm wondering if it’s a soil draining issue. What do you suggest? Thanks in advance. - D. T.
I think you have diagnosed your tree's issue. I've had similar questions state wide from Athens to Brownwood, Vernon, Temple, Austin, Athens,
Houston and other cities as well as rural communities.
I have personally reviewed multiple samples and 99 out o 100 can be traced back to cultural issues and in 2007 it is the prolonged rains we have
had and lack of oxygen in the root zones. A tree's dislike of this situation will be expressed in the foliage, it's margins first then entire leaves then
small twigs, larger twigs, limbs then the trunk.
Drier weather should help which most of us are receiving now and ... time. Aeration of the soil in the tree's root zone should also help.
Dale Groom, Extension Horticulturist, Master Gardener Program Coordinator-Dallas County, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A & M University System,
Native Texan, Columnist, Radio/TV Host and Author is also known statewide as The Plant Groom(tm). You may send your horticultural related questions to
Dale including lawn, garden and landscape at [email protected]. To receive free live assistance M - F, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM call the Master Gardeners’ Help
Desk at 214-904-3053
Copyright 2007 by Groom Media and all rights are reserved.
GNTOS NEWSLETTER—The Back Page
GREATER NORTH
TEXAS ORCHID
SOCIETY
VOLUME 53, ISSUE 8
SEPTEMBER 2007
GNTOS MEMBER
Your address and number
Your City, Your State
Tom McIntosh
President
116224 Tuscany Way
Dallas, TX
GNTOS 2007 Membership Dues
We are on the Web!
www.gntos.org
It is time to begin thinking about your 2007 GNTOS Membership Dues. Yearly dues are due by
January 31, 2007 in order for your name to be listed in the published roster.
New or Renewing Member $20.00 (first person in household)
Additional member $10.00 (each additional person in same household)
Alamo Orchid Society Show & Sale (celebrating the Society's
Please
circle24member
your name, address, phone number, and email in the blanks below.
March
26 status, provide
50th anniversary)
Please mail completed form with payment to:
Richardson, TX 75081
MarchKathy
31 -Halverson,
April 2 1922
RedBaylor
RiverDr.,
Orchid
Society Show HOSTING SWROGA
New Member
April 28-30
Renewing
Member
Terrebonne Orchid Society Annual
Spring
Show and Plant
Sale: Orchid Enchantment
Name: ______________________________________________
May 5-7
Houston Orchid Society Flower and Plant Extravaganza
Name: ______________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
City:
___________________________________________
Phone:
____________________________________________
Email:
____________________________________________
Email:
____________________________________________