South Florida Orchid Society

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SFOS SPEAKERS DAY 2010



SFOS will host its annual Speakers Day on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at Signature Gardens, 12725 S.W. 122 Avenue, Miami, FL. We have a wonderful panel of highly respected speakers presenting an enjoyable and educational program. Speakers Day also includes AOS Judging and SFOS Medal Judging. Plants for judging must be registered by 10:00 A.M. and can be picked up at 12:00 P.M. Speakers’ Day has AOS approval for judging seminar credits as well. Several of our speakers will have plants to sell and sales will be open only to registered seminar participants.

This year’s speakers are:

George Carr: George will present a lecture titled "Catasetum subgenus Pseudocatasetum and its natural hybrids". A review of the species of the subgenus and a discussion of natural hybrids in the Catasetinae concentrating on the published natural hybrids involving the subgenus and an examination of species which may possibly be natural hybrids involving the subgenus. An accredited AOS Judge in the Florida North Central Judging Center in Tampa, Florida, George has been growing orchids for almost thirty years. He has published numerous articles in the United States in Orchids and the Orchid Digest, Brazil, France, England and Colombia. George will have Brazilian Orchid Books for sale.

Eric Christensen: The title of Dr. Christenson’s lecture is “The Chaos of Maxillaria”. Dr. Christenson will discuss this large neotropical genus of +/- 570 species. The genus in its traditional sense has been divided recently into a number of genera based on DNA but to what end? He will discuss the frustrations and elations of resolving older names and confusing species complexes. Dr. Christenson recently completed a research trip to the National University of Colombia funded, in part, by a grant from SFOS. Dr. Christenson is a research taxonomist with strong interests in the Aeridinae (Sarcanthinae), neotropical floristics, and the conservation of horticultural plants. A prolific author of more than 400 publications, Dr. Christenson is currently completing the first ever monograph of the genus Maxillaria (+/- 570 species).

Gene Crocker: Gene will present a lecture titled “Cattleyas for the new Millennium”. As an amateur orchidist, Gene developed an interest in hybridizing, producing his first cattleya hybrids in 1961. One of his early hybrids is Blc. Kitty Crocker (Blc. Fortune x C. luteola), named for his wife. The creative aspects of orchid breeding have been very enjoyable and rewarding for him, always giving something to anticipate. For the past 24 years he has been carrying forward the breeding program at Carter and Holmes started in the 1950's by Bill Carter. He has traveled extensively, representing Carter and Holmes at various orchid conferences around the world. Perhaps Gene's greatest claim to orchid fame is the fact that he coined the term, "mericlone", in 1964. Gene will have plants from Carter & Holmes for sale.

Dr. Wagner Vendrame: The title of Wagner’s lecture is “Sex, Crime, Hollywood and Orchids – A Brief History of Orchids”. What makes people go crazy about orchids? Why are people so passionate about those beautiful plants? In this presentation you will have some answers to these questions and learn how orchids are intimately related to sex, crime, and Hollywood. Dr. Vendrame is an Associate Professor at the Environmental Horticulture Department, working at the Tropical Research and Education Center in ornamental horticulture and biotechnology. Recently Dr. Vendrame initiated a project to evaluate the growth of plant cells under microgravity, with experiments on board the space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery, including orchid suspension cultures.

Peter Lin: Peter will present a program titled “Hybridizing with Novelty Phalaenopsis”. The presentation will include culture tips for growing and flowering phalaenopsis as well as a discussion on what makes a novelty phalaenopsis hybrid awardable per AOS judging standards. Peter is also the newsletter editor of the International Phalaenopsis Alliance and has written and published phalaenopsis articles and given presentations representing IPA to regional societies and the Taiwan Orchid Show. Peter turned his orchid growing into hybridizing and opened Big Leaf Orchids – a family owned mail-order operation in Southlake, Texas that specializes in phalaenopsis. Peter makes an annual trip to Taiwan to see in person the latest phalaenopsis development, and to learn from Taiwanese nurseries and phalaenopsis hybridizers. Peter will have plants from Big Leaf Orchids for sale.


Speakers Day Schedule:

8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast, plant registration (for judging), plant sales open

9:00 - 10:00 Gene Crocker

10:00 - 11:00 Dr. Wagner Vendrame

11:00 - 12:00 AOS Judging and panel discussion, plant sales open

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch



1:00 - 2:00 Eric Christensen

2:00 - 3:00 George Carr

3:00 - 4:00 Peter Lin

4:00 - 5:00 Plant sales open

* Plant sales area will also be open during breaks and between speakers


Tickets for Speakers Day are $45.00 per person. The price includes a continental breakfast and cold buffet lunch. This is one of the major orchid events held annually in South Florida! Be sure to register early since tickets are limited and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not available at the door. To register, please send your check and this order form to the SFOS office: 10801 S.W. 124 St., Miami, FL 33176. For more information call (305) 255-3656.