[The following was submitted by Susie Hanna, OSGKC program chair.]
Saturday, June 9, Fred Clarke will be talking about Cattleya mossiae, the national flower of Venzuela at 5:00 p.m. at the home of our Society President, Glenn Lessenden. The presentation will be followed by a potluck dinner, featuring BBQ meats by Glenn Lessenden. Please bring your favorite sides and drinks.
Then on Sunday, June 10 at our 2:00 p.m. Society meeting at the Broadway Methodist Church, Fred will speak about Recent Trends in Catisetinae (Cycnoches, Mormodes, Catasetums). Fred has been growing orchids for 30 years and has been hybridizing for 20. He is a pioneer in developing Catasetum intergeneric hybrids and is well-known for the development of the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark.
An Exciting Announcement
Fred is announcing today a new list of crosses in this fascinating group of orchids. [The list is attached to the OSGKC May 14, 2012, email.] These are so new that they have not yet been posted to his website. Pre-orders are now being accepted for delivery at the June meeting. Fred is offering a 10 percent discount to our society, plus no shipping costs.
The National Flower of Venezuela: Cattleya mossiae
5:00 p.m., Saturday June 9
Hosted by: Glenn and Cindy Lessenden
10720 Rattlesnake Cut
Platte City, MO 64079
More information and directions to follow.
“Cattleya mossiae is the queen of Venezuelan Cattleya’s. Once the most popular corsage flowers for Mothers day, it is now rarely seen in collections or in the cut-flower trade. See the magnificent pictures of C. mossiae in the wild presented in a PowerPoint presentation. Learn about its habitat and the perils that await the future for the queen of Venezuelan Cattleyas.”
Cycnoches, Mormodes, and Catasetums, Recent Trends
A review of the amazing world of Catasetinae, a lively and entertaining presentation, spectacular pictures and the making of Fredclarkeara After Dark ‘the blackest orchid seen’ also includes a thorough review of plant culture. A PowerPoint presentation.
“Catasetum, Cycnoches and Mormodes are three related genera. Individually, each has been considered an orchid oddity, or “botanical”, of interest mainly to the seriously addicted enthusiast. These plants have a brief deciduous period in winter, when the plants need a definite dry rest period bordering on neglect. These robust orchids are native to lowland tropical forests in Central and South America and are usually grown in warm or intermediate conditions.”
Fred Clarke says “If you are just getting interested in the Catasetinae alliance I am sure you will be surprised at how easy these are to grow and then be ‘blown away’ by how spectacular the flowers are. If you have been growing the Catasetinae alliance you already understand…..”
There are more orchids for sale at Fred’s website, including Catasetums, Mini-Catts, species Cattleyas, Paphs, and Australiana Dendrobiums.
Fred Clarke, Sunset Valley Orchids
1255 Navel Place
Vista, CA 92081
Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City | News 