Southern Suburbs Orchid Society Inc.

On Wednesday 2nd March, 2022, SSOS held its first in-house meeting for the year. The judges results for the night resulted with:

Cattleya pumila var ‘coerulea’ | Judges Vote | Best in Open | Laeliinae species | C Trainor

Epi Comet Valley ‘Orange’ | Best in Intermediate | Laeliinae Alliance – Cluster Type Hybrid | S Craven

LC Bernadine Kennedy ‘White Jewel’ Best in Novice | Laeliinae Alliance Large Flowered Hybrid | V Hayes

• Best in Open Section and the Judges Vote: Cattleya Pumila ‘Coerulea’ [Grower: C Trainor]
• Best in Intermediate Section: Epi Comet Valley ‘Orange’ [Grower: S Craven
• Best in Novice Section: LC Bernadine Kennedy ‘White Jewel’ [Grower: V Hayes]

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

The February virtual competition for 2022 was again, a ‘quiet’ time for flowering orchids, but still a time to see a few more gongora and stanhopea flowers. Apart from some other unusual orchids, it is a sunny time of the year and a good flowering time for epi’s or epidendrums, of various colours. Members provided 45 wonderful flowering orchids which made for difficult decisions when voting.

• There were plenty of Epi’s to choose from

Epidendrum Wedding Valley ‘Sakura Konach’ [Grower: T Liston]

Epidendrum Pacific Sparkler ‘Fireworks’ [Grower: C Trainor]

Epidendrum Orange Flame [Grower: T Liston]

Epidendrum ibaguense ‘Orange’ [Grower: E Kelly]

Epidendrum denticulatum [Grower: T Liston]

Epidendrum Red [Grower: L Bunning]

Epi ‘Purple Queen’ [Grower: L Bunning]

Epidendrum Pink [Grower: A Randle]

Epidendrum Hot Pink [Grower: A Randle]

Epi Topaz Butterball Beacon [Grower: H Jeffery]

• And some more unusual summertime flowering orchids

Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’ [Grower: T Liston]

Cattleya pumila ‘Hot Lips’ [Grower: C Trainor]

Brassavola cucullata [Grower: C Trainor]

Wilsonara Pacific Panache ‘Dorothy Jean’ [Grower: S Craven]

Stanhopea nigroviolacea [Grower: T Hill]

Prom Rollinsani x Culmaniai [Grower: H Jeffery]

Neofinetia falcata [Grower: T Hill]

Encyclia Cochleata [Grower: H Jeffery]

Dendrobium Aussie’s Tapestry v McGraith [Grower: V Hayes]

Coelogyne Speciosa Incarta [Grower: H Jeffery]

Visit the February Flowering page to see all 45 entries.

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society ran its members-only February virtual voting contest and as usual, there were lots of orchids to choose from. Below are the winners by member section.

Stanhopea tigrina [Grower: A Randle]

Burrageara ‘Nelly Isler’ [Grower: S Craven]

Cattleya Jungle Beau ‘Velvet Lip’ [Grower: C Trainor]

Novice Section: Stanhopea tigrina [Grower:A Randle]
Intermediate Section: Burrageara ‘Nelly Isler’ [Grower: S Craven]
Open Section: Cattleya Jungle Bean ‘Velvet Lip’ [Grower: C Trainor]

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

The first competition for 2022 was a member’s virtual voting competition. Members provided 48 wonderful flowering orchids which made for difficult decisions when voting. Here is an example of the wide variety shown in January.

Gongora galeata [Grower: T Liston]

Prosthechea prismatocorpa [Grower: V Hayes]

Odontia Futuresque ‘Gloria’ [Grower: J Derham]

Cattleya Rosella Tokyo ‘Hot Lips’ x Hawaiian Wedding Song ‘Virgin’ [Grower: M Fraraccio]

Prom Rollinsani x Culmaniai [Grower: H Jeffery]

Stanhopea Bellarensis HCC/OSCOV [Grower: V Hayes]

Miltoniopsis Breathless ‘Brilliant’ [Grower: S Craven]

Dendrobium Gerald McCraith [Grower: E Kelly]

Vanda Pakchong blue [Grower: V Hayes]

Brassia verrucosa [Grower: V Hayes]

Oncidium uniflorum [Grower: J Derham]

Coelogyne Tomentosa [Grower: T Liston]

Dendrochilum filiforme [Grower: S Craven]

Rhyncholaeliocattleya Crowfield Mendenhall [Grower: V Hayes]

Oncidium Alliance – Dancing Lady [Grower: H Jeffery]

Visit the January Flowering page to see all 48 entries.

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook |Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

Stanhopea orchids are also known as the ‘upside-down orchid’, as they flower from the bottom of a hanging basket. These beauties shown here, have had a wonderful time flowering in Melbourne this year. The humid conditions in a normally dry-heat summer climate in Melbourne has turned these into wonderful flowering beauties.

• Here are thirteen stanhopeas which featured in our January 2022 virtual voting competition.

Stanhopea Nigroviolacea [Grower: C Scerri]

Stanhopea Nigroviolacea [Grower: T Liston]

Stanhopea nigroviolacea [Grower: H Formica]

Stanhopea nigroviolacea ‘Bentleigh’ [Grower: M Fraraccio]

• The Stanhopea nigroviolacea species orchid, as indicated above, is native to the eastern slopes of the Mexican plateau at 1200-2000 metres. It produces two or three massive flowers each up to 17cm across. The nigroviolacea is the heaviest of all orchid flowers and its powerful vanilla perfume would fill a room – or empty it, depending on your perfume predilection!

Stanhopea tigrina [Grower: H Formica]

Stanhopea tigrina [Grower: C Scerri]

Stanhopea tigrina [Grower: A Randle]

• Stanhopea tigrina (as shown above), is another species, first discovered around Mexico and Guatemala in 1839. This flower is clearly distinct with dotted tiger stripes.

Stanhopia Spindleriana [Grower: T Liston]

Stanhopea Spindleriana [Grower: H Formica]

Stanhopea Spindleriana [Grower: T Hill]

Stanhopea Spindleriana [Grower: A Randle]

• The Stanhopea Spindleriana is an orchid hybrid originated by Spindler in 1890. It is a crossing of Stanhopea oculata x and Stanhopea tigrina. It is considered a “primary hybrid”, because it is a cross between two species. Highly fragrant, its perfume is a heady mix between vanilla and marshmallow.

Stanhopea tigrina x oculata [Grower: E Kelly]

Stanhopea Bellarensis HCC/OSCOV [Grower: V Hayes]

• The Stanhopea oculata is an elegant species that occurs in mountain forests at 1000-3000 metre elevations at a long sequence from Mexico through central America to Brazil. Its leopard-like spotting is recognizable by the slender, bent hypochile, with a clear internal right-angle.
• Bellarensis is a hybrid of Stanhopea oculata and Stanhopea insignis. Insignis is a Brazilian species, which shows two or three big fleshy flowers, to 14cm across; sometimes a positive yellow, with red-purple and; often described as having a scent similar to that of licorice. It first flowered in Kew (UK) in 1828.

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society: Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

• The descriptions provided above are from Barney Greer’s The Astonishing Stanhopeas: The Upside-down orchids. (Publ. Sydney 1998)

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society’s first virtual voting competition for 2022, saw 48 entries submitted. 21 in Novice, 12 in Intermediate and 15 in Open Sections. But, we can only have three winners and the members selected:

Vanda Pakchong blue [Grower: V Hayes]

Miltoniopsis Breathless ‘Brilliant’ [Grower: S Craven]

SLc. Jewell Box “Dark Waters” [Grower: E Kelly]

Novice Section: Vanda Pakchong blue [Grower: Von Hayes]
Interediate Section: Miltoniopsis Breathless ‘Brilliant’ [Grower: S Craven]
Open Section: SLc Jewel Box ‘Dark Waters’ [Grower: E Kelly]

Well done!

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

Dendrobium softcane ‘Christmas Cheer’

The Committee and members of the Southern Suburbs Orchid Society wish all of our followers a very merry Christmas during the festive season.

We look forward to enjoying face-to-face monthly meetings once again in 2022, starting with the first of these on Wednesday 2nd February, 2022. More information will be posted as we get closer to this date.

(Dendrobium softcane) Christmas Cheers to you all!

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

Some very interesting varieties of orchid species and hybrids are in flower in the southern suburban area of Melbourne, Victoria, known for its cool-growing plant environment. These exciting and exotic examples are flowering in December.

Aeranthes ramosa [Grower: C Trainor]

Brassia Keiliana [Grower: H Jeffery]

Dendrobium densiflorum [Grower: V Hayes]

Pholidota chinensis 2 [Grower: C Trainor]

Bifrenaria harrisonia [Grower: V Hayes]

Cymbidium suave [Grower: T Hill]

• See the full set of entries for December 2021 in our Flowering in 2021 section of our website.

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook |Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

You can’t get anything better – orchids and wine, wine and orchids. And, that is what three Southern Suburbs Orchid Society members are going to receive for winning their section (Novice, Intermediate and Open) in the 2021 monthly Virtual Voting competition which ran from January – December 2021.

Operating on a points system basis; each month, members were allowed to submit up to 5 flowering orchids, for members to judge, which they thought looked the best. Each plant submitted earned one point. An extra point is awarded for a winning orchid.

• The winners of each category will receive one bottle of very special wine from The Gurdies Winery ‘The Orchid Label‘ wines. The labels for this range feature an image of an Australian native orchid on each label- from the Cobra Greenhood (Pterostylis grandiflora) to the Flying Duck (Caleana major) Orchid.

The winners will be announced soon.

• Why does The Gurdies Winery have ‘The Orchid Label‘ range of wines? I hear you say. Well, it’s because the winery is situated near to the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve which contains naturally growing native Australian orchids.

Get into nature, get into wine. Hop in the car and go for a drive
to the Gurdies
Makes for a great day out!

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”

If you thought that orchids would have finished flowering by December, think again. SSOS Club members provided 54 entries for our December virtual voting competition. Orchid clubs and societies seldom have flowering competitions in December, so there are some varieties which are perhaps new to us. However, this month’s winners are:

Aeranthes ramosa [Grower: C Trainor]

Sarcochilus ‘Burgundy on Ice’ [Grower: M Caruana]

Dendrobium densiflorum [Grower: V Hayes]

OPEN SECTION: Aeranthes ramosa [Grower: C&G Trainor]
INTERMEDIATE SECTION: Sarcochilus ‘Burgundy on Ice’ [Grower: M Caruana]
NOVICE SECTION: Dendrobium Densiflorum [Grower: V Hayes]

Congratulations to all!

Southern Suburbs Orchid Society:  Website | About Us |  Contact Us | Facebook | Twitter

“Where Friends Meet”