Membership in The Angraecoid Alliance

For several months now, I have considered how best to welcome other angraecoid growers as members of The Angraecoid Alliance.  There are a number of orchid societies, groups and specific genera alliances, and each is currently struggling to maintain its membership.   As should be obvious, the purpose of The Angraecoid Alliance is not to create just another orchid group that happens to be dedicated to angraecoids.  Rather, our objective is to make a serious impact on both the in situ conservation and the successful ex situ cultivation of these plants.

So, to that end, we have decided that membership in the Alliance should reward and facilitate efforts to that end.  While the details are still being worked out, we will base some or all of membership on individual or business participation in a world-wide effort to share pollen, set pods, flask the seed and then disperse the plants for cultivation.  Members who participate in the effort will have the first option to obtain the plants propagated via the Alliance.  The cost of obtaining the plants (or flasks) will be minimal.  This is not a for-profit endeavor.  Members of the Alliance will presumably be interested in growing or at least conserving angraecoids ex situ.  Most certainly, should an individual or business obtain a flask, those plants could be resold, but the primary objective would be to create a co-op for the propagation and ex situ conservation of the plants.

If you have thoughts about the logistics of this method of membership, we welcome your emails or comments here on the blog.    And, please email angraecoids@gmail.com to receive our quarterly newsletter which will be sent in July.

Meeting other orchid growers who cultivate angraecoids is always a pleasure.  Several weeks ago, Cindy Hill called  as she prepared to write an article for "Orchids" about Cryptopus paniculatus.  My conversation with her only underscored the urgent need for both conservation and cultivation of these orchids.  After surveying a number of the botanical gardens, orchid nurseries and private collectors, she found less than a dozen plants.   Her article in the June 2012 issue of "Orchids" gives the encouraging news that at least one nursery has successfully flasked this species. 

And, she discovered that the angraecoid devotees are very willing to cooperate and share information to further the conservation and successful cultivation of these beautiful orchids.  I couldn't agree more.   Thank you Cindy for mentioning The Angraecoid Alliance in your article, and even more thanks for gathering and sharing information about this little known angraecoid.

"Orchids" is published monthly by the American Orchid Society.  Annual membership subscriptions and/or copies of individual issues can be obtained by visiting www.aos.org.