Rare Masdevallia Awarded - Orchid Board

ronaldhanko · #1 03-13-2012, 08:18 PM

My plant of Masdevallia aurea was awarded a Certificate of Horticultural Merit by the American Orchid Society at our show last week. I was told that the species is quite rare, growing on only one mountainside in Ecuador. The award description said that it had a faint musty fragrance, but I have not been able to detect that. The picture is one I believe I posted earlier, and the plant is now named for one of our grandsons.

Orchids in Bloom: Masdevallia aurea 'Connor' CHM/AOS

FairyInTheFlowers · #2 03-13-2012, 08:23 PM

FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!

ronaldhanko · #3 03-13-2012, 08:26 PM

Thanks, Cody.

zxyqu · #4 03-13-2012, 08:33 PM

Very Cool Ron. You take the best photo. All those hairs remind me of a weird colored shark with it's mouth open. Congrats on the culture award, I'm sure it's not the only one you have/deserve

ronaldhanko · #5 03-13-2012, 08:52 PM

Thanks, Jarad. A Certificate of Horticultural Merit is not an award fro culture but an award the recognizes a new species or one that hasn't been recognized before by the AOS. The confusion comes over the fact that they also have a Certificate of Cultural Merit.

zxyqu · #6 03-13-2012, 08:58 PM

Whoops, my apologies on that, I was confused as you can imagine. Question Ron though. Is this commercially available, or did you just get lucky to pick it up? I ask because if it's as rare as the AOS implied, I'd imagine work needs to get started to keep in around. Just a side comment, but I'm interested.

1joyceh · #7 03-13-2012, 08:59 PM

That is beautiful Ron!
Congratulations

nenella · #8 03-13-2012, 09:06 PM

WOW!!!!!! CONGRATS RON!! and as always FANTASTIC photography !the detail of those hairs (as others you have photographed is unbelievable!)
Hope Connor appreciates/will appreciate how 'different' It is for him to have an orchid named after him!

ronaldhanko · #9 03-13-2012, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxyqu

Whoops, my apologies on that, I was confused as you can imagine. Question Ron though. Is this commercially available, or did you just get lucky to pick it up? I ask because if it's as rare as the AOS implied, I'd imagine work needs to get started to keep in around. Just a side comment, but I'm interested.

I got it from Ecuagenera and haven't looked to see if it is still available from them. They do a lot of seed propagation, so perhaps it isn't as rare as its one location would suggest.

ronaldhanko · #10 03-13-2012, 09:33 PM

Thanks, Joyce and Nenella. What I've done with other awards is have a large photo (one of my own) along with the certificate from the AOS framed as a gift for whichever family member the plant is named for.