Meetings
The Eastern Province Orchid Society
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The Eastern Province Orchid Society
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Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month, at 7.30pm, at the Wesley Hall of the Newton Park Methodist Church in Port Elizabeth. The Entrance is off 3rd Avenue Newton Park (Wesley Centre). There is always a guest speaker or orchid slides, as well as a magnificent table of orchids in bloom. The orchids are individually discussed. The charge is just R3 per person.
* Hendrelien Peters gave an interesting and informative talk on Masdevallias, the orchids of the Incas. There are about 400 species in the genus and the first species to be discovered was Madevallia uniflora in 1748. Madevallias do not have any storage bulbs, as they grow in areas of permanent humidity. The sepals are the most conspicuous part of the flower and are usually fused to some degree to form a cup or a tube. The apices, called sepaline tails or caudae, are often elongated and responsible for creating the characteristic appearance of the Masdevallia flower. The petals are insignificant, but often give the appearance of white teeth. Masdevallias prefer to have little variation between maximum day and minimum night temperatures. Heat stress will include leaf drop & abortion of new growths and flowers. Cultural requirements : good air movement at all times; high humidity with a minimum of 70% - nearly 100%; relatively shaded areas; keep medium moist; fertilise ¼ - ½strength once or twice a month, flushing thoroughly before fertilising; use a free draining yet moisture retentive potting mix and be careful of chemical fertilisers. Some recommended plants for P.E. : Masdevallia ayabacana, M. stobelii, M triangulais, M glandulosa, M. floribunda, M. tovarensis, M datura, M. erinacea. Hendrelien’s presentation certainly inspired me to consider adding a Masdevallia or two to my collection and hopefully to yours as well. She has promised to send me a complete list of Masdevallias that will be suitable to our conditions. ** Dan O’Connor, Des Gillespie and Stan Wedge will host a panel discussion on all aspects of orchid growing. Please bring along any questions regarding potting, cultivation, care, pests and diseases and they will try to give guidance. Problem plants may be brought along as well. Jeffrey’s Bay Orchid Group: The Jeffrey’s Bay group of EPOS will hold their next meeting on 3 July 2008 at 77 Nell van der Poll Street, Jeffrey’s Bay. Please contact Lynn Phillips on 042 292 0804 for further details. |
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Last modified: June 24, 2008
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