Contents

From the President

Thank you to the Manitoba Orchid Society members for putting on a beautiful orchid show. Also thank you to the member societies that emailed comments regarding AGM items. I had responses from 13 societies which is an unprecedented near 50%. We will continue to keep you informed and welcome comments at any time.

Mark your calendars for the next COC meeting in Ottawa in April, 2008. Are there any societies that would like to host a COC meeting in the future? 2009? 2010? We have added an incentive to societies that host future COC meetings. Read the AGM report below for details.

Remember to check the COC website often as this is a convenient way for keeping up-to-date with new happenings.

Happy blooming,

Faithe Prodanuk, COC President

Notices

Vancouver Judging Center

Visit the new Vancouver judging center websiteat: http://orchidbc.ca/page3.html

New Orchid Society

Welcome to the latest member of the COC: The South Okanagan Orchid Society, President/COC Rep/Editor - Eleanor Hankewich Email:nickelhank@shaw.ca

Huntleya wallizii

New Slide Program

A slide program on Huntleyinae has been produced by Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander. It contains general descriptions, culture and name changes; 59 slides of species and 9 of hybrids.

New Orchid Society

A new orchid society has just formed in Richmond, BC. We look forward to having them join the COC. For more information please contact:

Richmond Orchid Club
Susan Wong
susan1wong@hotmail.com

Please Forward

Seeing as the COC newsletter is being sent in electonic form as a pdf file, it becomes easy for each society's keeper of their newsletter email list to forward the COC newsletter to their membership. Please distribute.

Opt for Email Delivery

As COC editor almost all of the society newsletters I have been receiving have come by email as pdf files. The change is very significant as now I see lots of color used in layout and many photos - in color. After reading I store the newsletters on the hard drive for later reference. They are more easily searchable and take no shelf space. I can keep many years worth on a CD.

If you have received this COC newsletter in paper form, please consider emailing me with a request to send it by email only.

Jerry Bolce, COC Editor, jerry@uwaterloo.ca

The Genus Cymbidium in China

by Liu Zhong-jian, Chen Sing-chi & Ru Zheng-zhong, 360pp, 498 colour photographs, 1 map, and 50 b/w figs.,2006, China Scientific Book Service Co. Ltd., ( http://www.hceis.com/book.asp?id=4811) Jian Nei Da Jie Post Office, 100001-88, Beijing, China, hardcover, Chinese & English, US $89, ISBN 7-03-017005-2

This is a well-illustrated book with more than 200 superb colour photographs of 49 Cymbidium species including several newly described epiphytic taxa from China, C. changningense, C. concinnum, and C. quinquelobum. Additionally, there are some 200 colour photographs of named cultivars of the more popular terrestrial species which have been cultivated for centuries including C. ensifolium, C. faberi, C. goeringii, C. kanran, C. sinense, C. tortisepalum and C. tortisepalum var. longibracteatum the latter two of which are currently listed in the World Checklist of Seed Plants as synonyms of Cymbidium goeringii var. tortisepalum and Cym. goeringii var. longibracteatum respectively. Each taxon is illustrated with a full page line drawing rendered by Chen Li-jun of The National Orchid Conservation Center of China.

There are a number of new or re-defined taxa presented in this work based upon extensive field observations, herbarium studies, and behaviour in cultivation. The authors present C. baoshanense as a species from Yunnan and note that they "failed to know whether it is a natural species or a hybrid until recently. The World Checklist currently gives the accepted name of this taxon as Cymbidium H baoshanense F. Y. Liu & Perner, Orchidee (Hamburg) 52: 61 (2001), a natural hybrid of C. lowianum H C. tigrinum. In another instance, Cymbidium bicolor subsp. obtusum Du Puy & P. J. Cribb is the current accepted name for what the authors describe here as C. mannii Rchb. f. They suggest that due to the geographical distance between C. mannii and C. bicolor and because of their marked difference in floral morphology, it is unsuitable to treat C. mannii as a subspecies of C. bicolor. They report that flowering of nursery-grown plants has shown that C. rigidum, first described in 2000, is now considered conspecific with C. devonianum, and conclude that C. maguanense, which was previously treated as a synonym of C. mastersii, is vegetatively quite different and therefore distinct.

While the Table of Contents headings suggest that all topics are written in both English and Chinese, this is not
always the case. The body of work contained in the Classification of Cymbidium chapter including useful keys and species descriptions is presented in both languages as are the names of the 200 illustrated cultivars and a synopsis of the non-Chinese species of Cymbidium. I would have appreciated learning about the aesthetics of leaves and flowers and of culture, propagation and disease control but these sections are in Chinese only. Indices are well prepared in both languages.

It has been said that pictures are worth a thousand words and in this case, I heartily agree. Clear, true-to-colour, detailed photographs of flowers, inflorescences, fruits, and of entire plants, some of which appear to growing in situ, provides the reader with a fascinating insight to the genus. Both the specialist and advanced hobbyist would find this volume an interesting and useful addition to their library.

Marilyn H. S. Light

Report from the 19th COC Annual Meeting

March 23-25, 2007, Winnipeg
The magnificent Assiniboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg Manitoba was the setting for the joint Manitoba Orchid Society Show and 19^th Canadian Orchid Congress on March 23-25, 2007. The Manitoba Society put on a magnificent show of beautiful flowers which was well attended by the local community. A series of interesting seminars were presented by Sam Tsui of Orchid Inn, USA on multifloral paphiopedilums, Mario Ferrusi of Marsh Hollow Orchids on Masdevallias and Pleurothallids, Kathy Creger of Illinois, USA on Draculas, Doug Kennedy of Orchids in our Tropics on Vandas and Cordelia Head of J&L Orchids, USA on Miniature Orchids. Eric Christensen of Florida was a personable and irrepressible speaker at several seminars (Orchids of Peru and Phragmipediums) and about taxonomy at the Saturday night evening banquet and auction. The Manitoba Orchid Society was very appreciative of the societies throughout the country for their generous contribution to the auction which raises funds jointly for the Society and the COC.

On Sunday, the COC meeting, chaired by the president, Mrs. Faithe Prodanuk of the North Okanagan Orchid Society, was held in the Pavilion, a historic structure also housing the original paintings of Winnie the Pooh by Shepard and the wildlife paintings of Clarence Tilenius. The minutes of last year's meeting were accepted as distributed. No correspondence was received. The Treasurer's report was presented by Janette Richardson of the ROS, and accepted. The Newsletter and Website report, Slide Program report, Speaker Tour report and Insurance report were distributed and accepted. The Conservation report submitted by Marilyn Light was read by the president and accepted. The President welcomed the addition of a new orchid society, the Southern Okanagan Orchid Society, which brings COC membership to 29 societies and 2 judging centres. She noted the unexpected and sudden passing of highly regarded and sincerely missed Ken Girard of the Foothills Orchid Society. Ken was a great supporter of the COC and author of the slide show on Cattleyas and will be greatly missed.

Business items included the following:

The insurance program has high participation. The treasurer indicated that insurance is due by January1 and runs January to December each year. 19/29 societies and 2 judging centres are now using the insurance program, and there is good satisfaction with it. SOOS reported that the savings for them are substantial. One concern is that all societies are not paying their insurance premiums within
the time limits of the policy. Late fees (as assigned by the insurance company) will in future be passed on to societies that do not renew their insurance on time. Several notices are given in advance of the due date and should not be disregarded.

Newsletter and web site information It was decided that as of March 2007, the COC newsletter will be distributed by pdf file so that Societies can pass this file electronically to their members, thus making the content of the newsletter accessible to more orchidists than currently see it, and also raising awareness re the role and utility of the COC. Hard copies would only continue to be sent to those President's, editors and COC reps that have not opted for the electronic version. The ultimate goal is to eventually eliminate the paper issue. Once a year a request will be sent to vendors asking them to update their information to be listed on the website. It was also recommended after discussion that more pictures be posted on the COC site. These could be awarded plants, trophy winners, Best in Show etc. Other suggestions were to expand the newsletter with a new Qs and As section, Canadian expeditions re orchids, publishing of an AGM report etc. The President indicated that volunteers are needed to write these pieces. All volunteers should contact Jerry Bolce (or it will not happen as these additions require time and additional effort).

Speaker Tours have been problematic for some time. The Western tour is popular but exhausting for the speaker who travels to around 8 sites in two-three weeks. Marilyn Light of the OOS has agreed to be the western tour speaker this year. Eastern Societies indicated no interest in a COC tour. It was also felt that the $200 subsidy that was given to western societies to help defray society costs associated with the speakers was intended to help smaller societies take advantage of the speaker tour but that was not the way the funding has been applied ( given to all )

New Business

After discussion, it was decided that a more useful distribution of COC funds which would benefit both societies and COC would be to make a grant available annually to the Society hosting the annual COC meeting. A motion was proposed and passed that the hosting Society should be allowed to claim from the COC accountable expenses up to $1000 to help attract one or more speakers, for meeting room rental and/or mailings to publicize the Show/COC meeting. It was also suggested that the COC should send a reminder annually to request auction items for the banquet silent auction as all societies do not send an item for the auction. This plays a vital role in raising money for the host society to defray seminar expenses as well as support running the COC. The president will be sending a letter to all societies indicating this new policy and requesting volunteers to host COC meetings. The COC will be in Ottawa in April, 2008, possibly in the Fraser Valley in 2009 or SOOS summer festival. Volunteers are welcome!

Slide Programs The treasurer reported good use of the slide programs, mainly by small societies. There was some discussion that the cost of rental should be raised to $25 to cover replacement costs if lost. Discussion resulted in leaving things as they were; e.g. a $25 check deposit that is returned to the borrowing Society when the program is returned to the Treasurer. A review of slide shows indicated most were current, and new programs are proposed for Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilums as a first priority. A new program on Huntleyinae is now available. The cost of putting slide shows on disk for computer shows was discussed. Lorne Heshka, MOS, indicated that a conversion to disc ( JPEG) could be done for about $1/slide. He agreed to convert the Hardy Orchids talk as a pilot project. A new slide show on orchid taxonomy developed by Michael Lum of the OOS was tabled and is under review for acceptance.

Orchid Rescue Sadly, orchids are still being confiscated at the border and are generally disposed in the garbage by inspectors. The COC does not have a good understanding of the designated rescue centers in Canada, whether orchids are transmitted, what is most often seized and whether orchids are rescued. It was also discussed that one of the most burning issues that the COC could resolve for members would be to sort out and ensure importers have the appropriate paper work. Both U.S. vendors coming into Winnipeg had trouble at the border although they had the necessary paper work. Jean H. indicated that Marilyn Light had done a lot of work on this issue. As well, members at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, Jean and Marilyn were asked to continue to do what they could on behalf of COC to facilitate overcoming problems with orchids at border crossings.

The proposed slate of officers was presented. It was the same as last year with two exceptions: Terry Zdan indicated he will end his term as 2^nd vice president in 2008 but will not move to first VP. The new secretary is Ms Robin Mc Laughlin from SOOS. On behalf of the COC, many thanks to retiring Secretary Terry Kennedy of SOOS who in many ways has been the corporate memory of the COC
over the past few years. Thank you Terry. We hope you will continue to be a source of knowledge for the COC.

It was noted that the COC medal is available to all societies who hold shows but it will only be sent out to Societies who have paid their dues and request it.

Ida cinnabarina

COC Slate of Officers and Appointments elected by acclimation:

President: Faithe Prodanuk, North Okanagan OS
1^st VP: Jean Hollebone, Ottawa Orchid Society
2^nd VP: Terry Zdan, Manitoba Orchid Society
Secretary: Robin Mc Laughlin, SOOS( Toronto)
Treasurer: Janette Richardson, Regina Orchid Society

Conservation: Marilyn Light, Ottawa Orchid Society
Education: Mark Elliott, Vancouver Orchid Society
Newsletter and Webmaster: Jerry Bolce, Central Ontario Orchid Society
Insurance: Lynne Cassidy, Vancouver Orchid Society

- J Hollebone, April 3, 2007

IOCC 2007: March 19-24
International Orchid Conservation Congress
2^nd International Conference on Neotropical Orchidology

This two day course was presented at the University of Costa Rica on March 17^th and 18^th, 2007. Workshop Day 1 was facilitated by Dr. Raymond Tremblay of the Biology Department at the University of Puerto Rico Humacao. Dr. Tremblay's workshop explored methods to speed up observation and data collection for research as most scientists aren't funded long enough to do the usually required 5 or 10 year population study. These methods include:

• using observations proven in other research publications;
• making assumptions about certain variables based on proven scientific methods, and clearly stating these assumptions in the literature;
• using historical knowledge of life cycles to make assumptions;
• finding patterns of influence between two variables that can be simplified into one calculation or constant.

During our lunch breaks, the class was treated to tours of the campus flora and fauna guided by some very knowledgeable grad students and Dr. Tremblay.

Workshop Day 2 was presented by Dr. Pavel Kindlmann, Head of the Biodiversity Research Center at the Institute of Systems Biology and Ecology, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. With our knowledge of vectors and equation construction, we focused on equation analysis, choosing the right equation to analyze data sets, and best of all, several graduate students brought their own data for analysis.

In conclusion, the message of the course was: to follow the scientific method and have your study validated, you will need to make assumptions when interpreting data and extrapolating your conclusions. There are various tools at your disposal to collect enough data to make a solid conclusion even if your time frames are short, but for the study's findings to be valid, all assumptions made during data collecting, managing, and analyzing must be stated clearly in the publishing.

IOCC Conference

The inauguration speeches expressed increasing international support and commitment to the concept of orchid conservation. To commemorate the occasion, the Costa Rican postal service commissioned a set of stamps featuring orchids to be set into circulation. Numerous speeches praised the fact that so many countries were
represented with pride. To honor all the attendants, a flag for each country represented at the conference was displayed proudly on stage for all the cameras and news crews to see.

Attendees were from various backgrounds: from students, to professors; from researchers, to growers; and politicians, to personal interest parties. The breadth of presentations included something of interest for each attendee.

Some of the most important meetings that took place were after hours. The most memorable meeting was the Australian orchid meeting. Half of the attendees were graduate students who represented their educational institution as well as their professors who may not have been able to take a week in the middle of the semester, and the other half were professionals and board members. I have never seen a more productive session of interested parties in connecting funding with leg-workers, with support staff and experts. I believe in Canada we could benefit from an increase in communication to this level. Then each facility or worker or board would not feel like they were doing projects alone or without funding options!

Most presentations included a component of information letting the conference attendees know what is happening at the facility and where the research is going. I was interested to hear so much information about facilities in Canada and the US that are trying to solve some the same challenges that the Muttart and OSPF face, and how they were implementing solution, and what the results were. There was extremely high interest in trading plants, establishing seed banks, and increasing in-vitro propagations.

During this event there were so many fascinating conversations and valuable connections made. Most impressive from the proceedings was the connection made with Montreal. Their collection curator was very interested in networking with the OSPF and Muttart. Montreal's faculties are more developed in the micro-propagation area, and trade and shipping would be very easy as this movement of plant material would be within the country.

Tours of Lancaster and local eco-reserves

Tours of the local flora and fauna around the conference proceedings, as well as the tours of Lancaster Gardens yielded many great pictures, as well as giving us growers the opportunity to learn the conditions that these species thrive under in-situ. You learn more about a plant by looking at its environment than studying it for years!

This was a spectacular Masdevallia specimen found on a river-side tree, seeing a rare, sunny day. Usually this riverside is bathed in perma-cloud and rain. There were several flowers within days of opening. So close!

I was constantly blown away by the biodiversity in one spot!

Conference Debriefing by Tara Arko

Foundation for Orchid Research and Conservation Postgraduate Scholarship Supplement

This supplement program is available to you only if you are awarded a CGS, PGS or IPS.

What's the purpose of the supplement?

The purpose of the Foundation for Orchid Research and Conservation Postgraduate Scholarship Supplement is to:

• promote graduate research in orchids, their biology and/or conservation;
• encourage and support graduate students to carry out research of interest to the Foundation; and
• maintain and strengthen the base of expertise for orchid research in Canada.

Are you eligible to hold a supplement?

To hold this supplement, you must be studying or planning to study in a university faculty where you are/will be working on a research project encompassing some aspect of orchid biology or conservation such as: propagation techniques, culture requirements, conservation, physiology, taxonomy, and field studies. You must also be a recipient of an NSERC postgraduate scholarship (PGS, IPS or CGS).

If you receive a supplement, you may be asked to discuss your research with the Foundation, or provide a presentation, either written or verbal, to members of the Foundation.

What kind of support do these supplements provide?

If you are a successful applicant, the Foundation will supplement your NSERC award by $5,000 for one year with a possible extension for a second year.

The Foundation offers one supplement annually.

How do you apply?

To be considered for this supplement, you must submit the following to the Foundation (see address below) by June 1 of the year in which you are awarded your postgraduate scholarship:

• a copy of your Notification of Award from NSERC;
• a copy of your successful scholarship application (Form 200); and
• a brief description (maximum 300 words) of how your research project (or proposed project) meets the supplement objectives listed above.

To facilitate communication, please include an e-mail address, phone number, and/or mailing address at which you can be contacted during the next year.

Review procedures

Applications will be evaluated and selected by the Foundation on the basis of research potential, communication skills, and whether the applicant's research experience and aspirations match the Foundation's interests.

Notification of decision

The Foundation will contact successful applicants after the review process in mid-June.

Payment

The Foundation will disburse the award to the successful applicant. It must also ensure that the recipient of the supplement continues to hold an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship or a Canada Graduate scholarship, and meets the other requirements of the Foundation supplement. Successful applicants will likely receive awards for two consecutive years, based on submission of a progress report at the end of the first year.

For more information about this scholarship supplement, contact:

Foundation for Orchid Research and Conservation
c/o Dr. Mark Elliott
5-12711 64th Avenue
Surrey, BC V3W 1X1
E-mail: melliott@mrl.ubc.ca

http://www.nserc.gc.ca/sf_e.asp?nav=sfnav&lbi=orchid

Synopsis of the 2007 North American Region Orchid Specialist Group (NAROSG) Meeting

Date: Wednesday, 21 March 2007

Location: IOCC III 2007, Tryp Corobici Hotel, San Jose, Costa Rica

Persons in Attendance:

NAROSG Members Ken Cameron, Margaret From, Leon Glicenstein, Wesley Higgins, Marilyn Light, Matt Richards, Jyotsna Sharma, Scott Stewart, Peter Tobias, and Lawrence Zettler

Observers Donna Hamel, Rod Knowles, Jacob Phelps, Isaias Rolando, and Russell M. Tyler

Ten members of the North American Region Orchid Specialist Group (NAROSG) a regional group under the international Species Survival Commission/The World Conservation Union Orchid Specialist Group (SSC/IUCN OSG) and five observers met to discuss the progress of NAROSG activities and to plan the future actions. The Chair, Marilyn Light, reported on the creation and web-posting of new Flagship Taxa information sheets on Platanthera praeclara and Epipactis gigantea ( http://www.orchidconservation.org/osg/). Since the last meeting, the NAROSG has actively networked with two orchid groups in North America: Native Orchid Conference, Inc. (a North American group), and Native Orchid Conservation, Inc. (a Canadian group) by contributing articles on the topics of potential impact of trampling on orchid microhabitat (Light, M.H.S. 2005. Step softly: environmental Stewardship. Native Orchid Conference Journal 2(2): 29-31) and on a suggested protocol for long-term studies of orchids (Light, M.H.S. and K. Gregg, http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeOrchidConference /files/Conservation%20Information/ ). NAROSG provided Native Orchid Conservation, Inc. with a letter of support toward their acquiring funding to develop an educational video featuring native orchids including the Flagship Taxon, Cypripedium reginae (http://www.nativeorchid.org/).

For the years ahead, several new projects were discussed at the meeting and volunteers were solicited. For active marketing of the Flagship Taxa, members are slated to approach the American Orchid Society, The Nature Conservancy, National Geographic, and Canon for featuring the Flagship Taxa in articles and advertisements. The current information sheets will be translated in Spanish and are to be posted on the OSG website. To persuade Botanical Gardens and Orchid Societies across North America, members volunteered to draft and send letters requesting inclusion of conservation themes in orchid shows and orchid society activities. A state-by-state database of current and past orchid reintroduction and restoration projects across North America is scheduled for development. Applications for IUCN Redlisting of North American Orchids are in preparation. NAROSG members will meet at World Orchid Conference in 2008 to discuss progress on these projects and to discuss new business.

Jyotsna Sharma - jyotsna@ufl.edu

Wild Orchids of the Prairies and Great Plains Region of North America

Details: 352 pages 6x9

Paper: $29.95 ISBN: 0-8130-2975-9

Pubdate: 12/31/2006

Native orchid expert and author Paul Martin Brown continues his successful series on the wild orchids of North America with Wild Orchids of the Prairies and Great Plains Region. Whether beginner or professional, curious orchid hunters will be able to locate the more than 64 species, 9 varieties, 8 hybrids, and 71 forms to be found in the wide variety of this region's local habitats. Brown reveals the best spots to search for the orchids he describes and offers expert advice on how to plan and execute an enjoyable (and environmentally responsible) outing. As in Brown's previous guides, all information is presented in a simple, straightforward style and with ample illustration for proper identification.

http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=BROWNF06

COMING EVENTS

2007

• April 13-14: Central Vancouver Island Orchid Society at the Country Club Center, Nanaimo, BC. http://members.shaw.ca/CVIOS/CVIOS/
• April 14-15:Les Orchidophiles de Quebec http://cf.geocities.com/orchidophilesqc/
• April 14-15: The Annual Toronto Artistic Orchid Association Show, Chinese Cultural Centre, 5183 Sheppard Ave., East (Markham Road)Phone: 416-292-9293 http://www.taoa.ca/
• April 28-29: The Ottawa Orchid Society Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue, Nepean, Ontario. http://www.ottawaorchidsociety.com
• May 5-6: The Vancouver Orchid Society 50th annual show at the Richmond Winter Club, 5540 Hollybridge Way, Richmond BC. Contact Maureen Renton mrenton@shaw.ca Or Bill Bischoff wbischoff@shaw.ca "http://www.vancouverorchidsociety.ca/"
• Sun Aug 5: SOOS Summerfest at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. 10 am - 4 pm. Great Speakers, Great plants for Sale. Guests Cal Orchids and Ratcliffe Orchids. All Orchidists Welcome http://www.soos.ca/"
• Sept 22-23: Central Ontario Orchid Society, Cambridge Hespeler Arena, 640 Ellis Road, Cambridge http://www.coos.ca/
• Sept 29-30: The Foothills Orchid Society (Calgary, Alberta),

  Triwood Community Association Hall, 2244 Chicoutimi Drive NW,Calgary, AB Contact: Sharon Williams (williams.sharon@shaw.ca) http://members.shaw.ca/foothillsorchidsociety/

• October 27-28: Fraser Valley Orchid Society Show & Plant Sale will be held at the Langley Civic Centre, 20699 - 42 Ave., Langley, B,C. http://www.orchidbc.ca/
• Oct 27-28: Eastern Canada Orchid Society at the Days Inn Hotel, 1005 rue Guy, in Downtown Montreal. Phone 450-467-4795 http://www.ecosorchids.ca/
• Nov 10-11: Niagara Region OS CAW Hall 124 Bunting Rd, St. Catharines, Ont Contact: Jodi Shannon, Show Chairperson Phone: 905-641-1934 "http://www.niagaraorchidsociety.org/"

Use this space to list your society's show.

The purpose of COC news is to inform members of the meetings, policies of the COC, to profile members, and to provide technical information regarding happenings, trends and techniques in orchid culivation across the country and around the world.

We welcome your suggestions and contributions. Deadline for each issue is one month before the issue dates previously announced.

Recipients of this newsletter are strongly urged to pass a copy on to other members of their society

Officers of the Canadian Orchid Congress