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MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING HELD 24 July 2008, 8.05pm
Present: 29
Apologies: 8
Visitors: Nil
New members: Nil
Minutes: Minutes as circulated accepted (Barry, Noel)

Business Arising: Nil.

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Two Links to....

Thelymitra apiculata at Mugumber Road

And Grahams Thelymitra variegata

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Raffle Winners: Anne and Inna.
Badge Prize winner: Victor

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WANTED/FOR SALE
Michael Zink is seeking Aerangis verdickii pollen as he has been unable to self-pollinate his plant over several years (the seed capsules are empty). If pollination is successful, he will send you a flask. Please contact Michael on (07) 46354939 or by
e-mail zinkwithak@optusnet.com.au.

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The Financial Report was tabled by Sandra and the current balance is $2137.11 with interest added to the second account its balance is now $1807.28 (Mavis, Anne)

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General Business:
" WAOS roster to be completed by next Sunday (meaning tonight for our Society!).
" Try to get WAOS plant names to Ken ASAP (28th August is the latest time possible).
" A vote of thanks to Tony and Mavis and their family for facilitating the import of plants for us (to the detriment of shopping time and space?). Tony managed to get a very good exchange rate (about 97 USA cents to our dollar). Applause.
" Tony hung out the plants which are in very good condition - particularly a couple of Vandas, however there were a couple of bad results.
" We still need an auditor and the President appealed to the meeting to consider taking the position.
" Graham and Margaret with David Deeley represented the Society at the salvation of orchids at the Fiona Stanley Hospital site.
Access to the site has a lot of Red Tape attached and the dig can only last a short time so there is no facility for other members to be involved at this time.

Each speaker will have half an hour for their talk plus 15 minutes for questions. This can continue for another 10 minutes or so but the next speaker must be given at least 5 minutes to set up their talk.

Saturday 27th September
9 - 10 am - Ray Clement - NSW - Aust. Natives.
10 - 11 am - Andrew Brown - WA Dept of Environment & Conservation. - WA Native Orchids. A general overview on Western Australian orchids (taxonomic history, abundance, distribution, habitat, special features, interesting forms, pollination, recent discoveries etc)
11 - 12 noon - Mark Brundrett - Rescuing Critically Endangered Wheatbelt Orchids - A collaboration with WA Native Orchid Study & Conservation Group and WA Dept of Environment & Conservation.
12 - 1pm - Sam Tsui - USA - Paphs
1 - 2 pm - Nancy Mountford - USA - Breeding Miniature Complex Paphs
2 - 3 pm - Dennis Kao - Taiwan - Phalaenopsis
3 - 4 pm - Joseph Wu - Taiwan - Phalaenopsis Orchid Species
6.30 for 7pm - Conference Dinner at the Queens Park Leisure Centre, Cr. Centre St & George St Queens Park (We expect to have our 22 seater bus available for shuttling diners between venues)

Sunday 28th September
9 - 10 am - David Keanelly - Victoria - Cymbidiums
10 - 11 am - Lourens Grobler - African Orchids
11 - 12 noon - Ron Parsons - USA - Monopodial (Angraecoid and Vandaceous) Orchids
12 - 1pm - Jose 'Pepe' Portilla - Ecuador - Ecuadorian Orchid in situ and new discoveries
1 - 2 pm - Hans Herman - Thai Species Orchids

Monday 29th September
9 - 10 am - David Dowd - Bali - Indonesian Orchids and their Conservation
10 - 11 am - Murray Shergold - NSW - Madagascan Orchids
11 - 12 noon - Dr Henry Oakeley - UK - A Peru Orchid Travelogue
12 - 1pm - Dr Michael Duncan - Victoria - Cypripediums & Other Orchids of China
1 - 2 pm - Arthur Chadwick - USA - Large Flowered Cattleya Species
(Subject to change without notice) Any changes can be seen at…..
http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/WAOS_Lecture_Program.htm

The Opening Ceremony and the Conference Dinner. If you would like to attend either of these functions but you are not Registering for the Conference, or if, as a Registrant, you wish to bring along a non-Registrant to these events, all you have to do is fill out the appropriate place on the Registration form and send it to the Secretary along with your payment.

Orchid Tours!!
A new Wildflower & Orchid Four Day Spectacular Tour has been organised, run by 'Country Escapes in Western Australia Tours'
Wildflowers of Western Australia. The Southwest Australia Eco Region is of Global and National Significance and is globally recognised as one of the planet's major biodiversity hotspots. The south western part of Western Australia is known as a biosphere for wildflowers, with over 12,000 species in a huge diversity of regional colours and displays. Western Australia seems an unlikely place for wildflowers as much of the state is harsh and dry with very low nutrient soils. Yet that is one of the very reason the flowers here are among the most colourful and abundant in the world. The Wildflower season begins in June, and lasts until December with the best viewing time being in August, September and October. Viewing wildflowers is as easy as walking into the bush from the road to find and see an abundance of big, small, colourful, dainty flowers, including many orchids. Some of the most famous of the wildflower are the Banksias, Pin Cushion Hakea, Wreath Leschenaultia, Blue Leschenaultia, everlasting daisies, Queen of Sheba orchid, spider orchid and a host of other orchid species. Our Wildflower & Orchid Four Day Spectacular Tour 1st to 4th Oct. 2008 will be touring in the southern part of Western Australia where we will see this diversity of wildflowers and orchids species. THERE ARE STILL VACANCIES WITH THIS TOUR so email Sylvia at countryescapes@iinet.net.au
More information can be found at
http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/Second_Orchid_Tour.htm
or - Mobile0429 385 642 - Phone: 08 9385 6422 - Fax: 08 9385 6433

Vendors - The first of our Vendors Catalogues for pre ordering is now on the WAOS Web Site at
http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/WAOS_Catalogue_Page.htm where it can be downloaded as a Word File or a PDF. Should you have problems downloading either of these, please contact Tony at waos@iinet.net.au
Orchid FLASKS and PLANTS can be ordered by contacting Neville at….neville_risbey@yahoo.com.au
Joseph Wu Orchids of Taiwan has sent LIVE ORCHID PLANTS!!
Unfortunately we do not have an up to date Catalogue of these plants at this time. We are attempting to get one from Joseph Wu Orchids but are having no success so far. We have temporarily removed this Catalogue from the WAOS web site. However, we now have a Catalogue from Ching Hua Orchids of Taiwan on the WAOS web site at..
http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/CHING_HUA_CATALOGUE.htm
And also David Keanelly Orchids Catalogue.. http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/DAVID_KEANELLY_CATALOGUE.htm

You can also fined a link to the catalogue for Easy Orchids on the Catalogue Page, www.easyorchids.com
For any queries or questions, please write to, the Secretary, PO Box 4076, Alexander Heights, WA 6064, or email teenanm@iinet.net.au. To be included on our emailing list for further Bulletins, please contact Tony at waos@iinet.net.au

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1. The props for the WAOS display are progressing well thanks to the super effort from Adrian and Vic who is painting the background scenes for us. To date, expenditure has been negligible thanks to Adrian. We are still looking for items that might have been found in an early orchid collector's camp in the rain forest. If you have items that you would be prepared to loan us, please see Adrian, Sharon or Ken

2. Thank you for your support for the official's roster. As discussed last meeting, in addition to supporting the Spectacular, the Society benefits. Even if you haven't put your name on the roster, please be prepared to help out if asked.

3. Please bring your list of species that should be in flower in late September which you intend to put in the Society's display you to the next meeting. If you can't be at the meeting please e-mail or phone the Editor.

4. Hannah is drawing up the roster for the shared sales table with Wanneroo Orchid Society - please be prepared to help out.

5. When you start repotting in spring (or as you are doing it now if you're like me), please remember to set aside some divisions for our silent auction in October - this is our major fundraiser and enables us to keep our membership fees low.

6. Your annual subscriptions were due at the May meeting. If you haven't paid yet, please do so as soon as possible, otherwise your Newsletter will cease.

7. Don't forget the parking - please ensure that you park your car in the bitumen parking area whenever possible as it will avoid a fine!

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Monthly Plant

This month's plant is another that has been provided by Tinonee Orchids and grown on by Sharon (thanks Sharon).

Cattleya lawrenceana was discovered in 1884 by Frederick Sander's collector Siedel, who sent many plants back to England. It was named after James John Trevor Lawrence President of The Royal Horticultural Society who took office in March 1885 at a time when the RHS was deeply in debt.

Cattleya lawrenceana is said to be one of the more difficult of the Cattleya species to grow well. It should be kept drier during winter while dormant, but can be watered heavily in summer. It needs sun and air movement which accounts for the reddish colour of the leaves and pseudobulbs. Arthur Chadwick, in his comprehensive and fascinating article describes it as amongst the most "most enchanting of all the Cattleya species".

Arthur Chadwick says -
"Orchids were a passion for the new president of The Royal Horticultural Society James John Trevor Lawrence as he took office in March 1885. His estate at Burford Lodge in Dorking, England, with its 12 greenhouses, was written up frequently in the horticultural press and it was often said he had the best private orchid collection in Britain. His mother, Louisa, had been an active gardener and botanist, and the new president credited her with stimulating his love for orchids. They were her passion, too. The Royal Horticultural Society was in great distress when the new president took over. It had considerable debt and not enough income to cover its expenses. It was clearly in crisis, and the 54-year-old president would have his hands full just keeping it alive.

James John Trevor Lawrence was a handsome man, with a reassuring smile and a polished manner. He was known to the horticultural world as "Sir Trevor Lawrence," but to his orchid friends he was just "Sir Trevor." He was accomplished at many things. He had spent 10 years as a medical doctor in India, and 17 years as a member of Parliament. He had inherited the title baronet from his father, a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, and his estate was a horticultural mecca. his grower, J.C. Spyers, was so accomplished at raising orchids that Burford Lodge was often the only place in Britain where many rare old orchids species could be found still growing vigorously decades after their first importation.

Lawrence remained president for an amazing 28 years, until just before his death in 1914. Along the way, a grateful horticultural world gave him the Victoria Medal of Honour, the Veitch Memorial Gold Medal, and so many orchid awards it was impossible to count them. The orchid world immortalized him naming Paphiopedilum lawrenceanum and the lovely Cattleya lawrenceana, after him.

Cattleya lawrenceana was discovered in 1884 by Frederick Sander's collector Siedel, who sent many plants back to England. The first shipment perished, but the second arrived safely and was auctioned at Stephen's Rooms, London on March 26, 1885. Sir Robert Schomburgk had encountered Cattleya lawrenceana during an expedition to survey the Venezuela-Brazil-Guiana border in 1842, but Cattleya lawrenceana was not recognized as a new Cattleya species until Siedel's 1884 importation. At the time of its discovery, Cattleya lawrenceana was considered an unusually lovely new species that was distinctly different from the typical large-flowered labiata-type cattleya. Like Cattleya labiata, Cattleya lawrenceana has a single leaf at the top of the pseudobulb, but the pseudobulbs are much shorter and thinner than those of Cattleya labiata and most have a characteristic red hue. Although the flowers of Cattleya lawrenceana can reach the size of a typical Cattleya labiata, they are normally only half the size and have an unusually narrow tubular labellum. Because of this distinct labellum, Cattleya lawrenceana is one of the few members of the Cattleya genus that botanists have never disputed as being a genuine and distinct species.

Cattleya lawrenceana has one of the broadest ranges of colour forms of any of the Cattleya species. The typical C. lawrenceana flower is pale to medium lavender in colour with a dark rose-lavender lip. There are also very rare alba and semi-alba forms, pastels, dark lavenders and even dark, rich, flammea types like the one pictured in this article. Reichenbach flamboyantly compares the rich colour of Cattleya lawrenceana's lip to the "end of the tail of a heathcock," which is like my telling you it has the colour of a Delaware Blue Hen- only a few local readers would understand what was meant. What Reichenbach tried to say was that, at its best, C. lawrenceana has a deep, rich,
almost glowing royal purple labellum.

Because the flowers are relatively small, but individually presented on a stem that normally has at least five flowers, Cattleya lawrenceana is one of the most enchanting of all the Cattleya species. Cattleya lawrenceana 'Diane', with its delicate pale-lavender concolor flowers, is one of the most beautiful cattleyas I know. It does not have wide petals, round shape, or heavy substance, but it needs none of these qualities to be beautiful.

Cattleya lawrenceana is native to the Gran Sabana area of eastern Venzuela, where Venezuela borders Brazil and Guyana. It has been found on all sides of this border, but Venezuela is its principal habitat. The plants grow in forested areas, usually near streams or rivers, and are most abundant at elevations between 1,200 and 4,000 feet above sea level. The most famous home of Cattleya. lawrenceana is at the foot of the twin table mountains, Mt. Roraima and Mt. Kukenan, two picturesque plateaus in Roraima that rise almost vertically some 8,000 feet. These mountains are so distinct that a woodcut was made of Mt. Kukenan to accompany the 1885 article in The Gardener's Chronicle that introduced Cattleya lawrenceana to the orchid world.

Cattleya lawrenceana is the first Cattleya species for which concern was expressed for its survival at the time off its discovery. One writer in 1885 expressed "regret at the probable extinction in their native homes of such plants as this by their wholesale collection for market." The famous Venezuelan orchidist G.C.K. Dunsterville showed concern in 1973 and added the acid comment that, "When we speak of Cattleya lawrenceana the word 'is' may have to be changed to 'was.'" Venezuelan orchidists today continue to sound the alarm for Cattleya lawrenceana as this lovely species disappears from more and more of its native habitat. Even the Venezuelan government's establishment of the huge Gran Sabana National Park in Cattleya lawrenceana's prime locality has not stopped the collection of plants by local people for the tourist trade.

Cattleya lawrenceana is one of the rarest Cattleya species in cultivation in the United States today. The few plants I have were acquired many years ago, and I have seen only a scattering of plants for sale in the last 50 years. Fortunately, it is still possible to obtain plants from Venezuelan orchid growers and most of these, happily are raised from seed in nurseries.

G.C.K. Dunsterville called Cattleya lawrenceana the "Queen of the Guayana." The native Venezuelan Indians near Mt. Roraima called it by a name that means "blossom of the wood." I always think of Cattleya lawrenceana as the Little Charmer. Its haunting colour tones and abundance of unique flowers make it a captivating ambassador of springtime, and it is always gratifying to see a Cattleya named for someone who really deserves the honour.

How to Grow Lawrenceana
I have found Cattleya lawrenceana is one of the more difficult of the Cattleya species to grow well. It should not be given too much water during the winter months, when it is dormant, but should be watered with care at this time of year. It responds well to light sprays when it begins to grow, and can be watered heavily when at night temperatures are warm in the summertime.Cattleya lawrenceana benefits from as much sun and moving air as Cattleya warscewiczii, which may account for the reddish colour of the leaves and pseudobulbs on most plants. I find it grows best when slightly under-potted, much as you would with Cattleya dowiana. Because of its small size, a 5-inch clay pot is large for this plant. It does not respond well to repotting and I recommend just moving it on into the next larger pot whenever possible. Cattleya lawrenceana requires a night temperature of 65F, which is higher than most other Cattleya species, but will tolerate cooler temperatures down to 60 F if you cannot provide the higher temperature."
-A.A. Chadwick The Lecture Program
http://www.chadwickorchids.com/Cattleya/lawrenceana.htm

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IMPORTED PLANT NEWS

Still no further contact from Hans Hermans. With Maxine's help, all the orchids that Tony and Mavis bought back from Bangkok are now potted/mounted, and the quarantine glasshouse is full. Some of the plants from the February trip are now growing actively and I expect that they will be released at the same time as Mr Wu's orchids.
Ken

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Correspondence:
Inwards: Mainly news letters and The Orchid Review. Also most people received their water permits from the Water Board (WA members only)
Outwards: Nil
Business Arising: Nil

Dendrochilum Sp (Gary Yony Gee reports that this may well be Dendrochilum convallariaeforme.)

Seven orchid books on one CD for $10 + P&P. All PDF files (open with Adobe Acrobat Reader).

" Hortus Veitchii by James Veitch 1906. 650 pages. The story of the Veitch Orchid Nursery with lots of stuff about the orchid hunters. Some black & white pictures.
" Orchid Plants by John Lindley 1840.pages. Lots of orchid taxonomy. No pictures.
" Gardens of the Sun by F W Burbidge 1880. 364 pages. A Naturalist's Journey in Borneo. Some& white pictures.
" Sertum Orchidaceum by John Lindley 1838. 137 pages. The description of some 60 plus orchids. Many fine coloured pictures.
" The Orchid Growers Manual (7th edition) by Henry Williams. 1894.pages. All you want to know about orchid culture in the late 1890's. Heaps of black & white pictures
" A Manual of Orchidaceous Plants by James Veitch 1894. 785 pages. Descriptions of more orchid species than you can poke a stick at, and heaps more black & white pictures.
" Sanders Orchid Guide by the Sanders Brothers 1927. 456 pages. Lots of stuff on Orchid Culture plus species descriptions. No Pictures.
" Order your CD now from Tony on 9342 3799 or EMAIL

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