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THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH.
As is usual the problem was caused by Brenda. At the end of December she was advised to have an operation on her spine, and whilst no definite date could be given, it would probably be some time in April. Stuart and I discussed the situation and decided that some degree of planning was required. We concluded that Brenda would be in hospital for at least one week, and that there was ample time for her to pre-cook some meals for us, and if she numbered the meals prior to placing them in the freezer then we should be able to take care of ourselves. Likewise if we had a blitz on cleaning through the day before she came home, then our planning was complete with no further worries. Unfortunately plans sometimes go wrong. Late on Wednesday 20th January the hospital phoned to say there had been a cancellation and would Brenda care to go in for the operation. Brenda accepted and promptly threw our plans into disarray. Operation on Thursday and Stuart and I went in to visit on Friday evening. We took some grapes and chocolates with us, obviously too much for Brenda so we helped her to eat them. Stuart and I then decided that since football was on the television Saturday afternoon we would visit again Saturday evening. At 2pm on Saturday we received a phone call from the hospital to say if we cared to collect Brenda she could come home. We did not dare refuse. We were told by the ward sister that for the next two weeks Brenda must lay flat on her back or stand up right, which gave us a problem as to how to get her into the car. Stuart is very inventive on these types of occasion and he said that if we stood her up with her back side facing the front seat then let go of her she should fall directly into the seat. Getting her out of the car when we arrived home was a different proposition but a bit of pushing by Stuart and pulling on my part we got her home, having missed the football. In the past I have been known to boil an egg, but I would not class cookery as one of my strong points, and I soon gave up Stuart’s ideas for easy meals. In fact for two weeks he suddenly found that he had a lot of over time to do. Brenda belongs to a local Carpet Bowls club and from time to time all the lady members came to visit, while this pleased Brenda, it seemed to me that everyone had been delegated authority to check on my culinary ability coupled with quite dominant advice. With friends like that you certainly do not require enemies. This has further reinforced my belief that a woman’s place is in the home with the man as the hunter gatherer. Fortunately hunting and gathering can now be done at the local super market. Lay flat, stand upright, do not bend down, think about it, this is about as difficult as it gets when attending the toilet, and not helped when assisted by a daft old fool who can not see what he is doing. Now finally to the male members of our society I suggest that you hide this article from your wife or partner or you may find ‘ The end of the world is nigh ’. Brenda is now recovering well, I can tell that by certain comments---‘have you cleaned the toilet, the cooker needs cleaning, the dusting needs to be done’. Oh yes she is recovering well.
Ken. ************************************
17 Years ago———- -
A researcher by profession you have the feeling of a job for life but this was not to be for our speaker Michael MicIllmurray, for like most of us eventually you are a number and out you go. This was 17 years ago and finding he needed something to do he acquired a cymbidium with expressed idea of getting it to flower. 2 years on and the cymbidium in flower and a collection of orchids now getting larger( 30 plus) and a wife wanting to re-claim her window sills he got his marching orders to put up a greenhouse in the garden. The last 15 years have seen the interest grow to a National Collection of Maxillaria, and a real interest in the Spanish botanists Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavon The 14 species written about by these two botanists in the 1790’s was shown to us with a slide of the original pages from their book of the time. Today I have learnt that Michael in association with Dr Henry Oakley is also furthering the information on this genus by co-writing a book. It will contain paintings , herbarium specimens and manuscripts from the Ruiz/Pavon manuscripts held in the archives in Madrid.
The genus Maxillaria is not often referred to in a lot of orchid societies though we as a society do have “young Brian” an enthusiastic grower amongst us and with whom I have had conversations and plants. Michael grows some 250 species and says there are anything from 600 to 1000 depending on whom you read. Maxillarias in most cases have an unusual way of growing with the lip at the top in bud form but swings through 180 degrees as the flower opens so the lip is at the bottom, a twist can be seen in the ovary behind the flower. Max. Platypetala, Ruiz/Pavon 1798 does this twisting over 24 hours. Michael started with a small greenhouse but like us most of us out grew it so the only way to get an enlarged one was to move house to one with a big garden and room for what now is a 42 foot greenhouse, triple glazed with a layer of bubble wrap inside to maintain the low temperature required. The benches are metal mesh tops and the floors are wetted to keep humidity up, Michael does have two growing rooms in the greenhouse in one he has a mist generator. His tendency is to grow in moss with added perlite and also in rockwool. His air movement is by fans under bench and also for summer coolness vents near the bottom of greenhouse. A slide of Max.Grande had to be explained as it was in a hanging basket but this is because of the way the flowers come from the base but they have a pleasant perfume. It is probably pollinated by a bumble bee which is drawn to it by a secreted perfumed oil within the flower, as it enters it stands on a little step which trips as it moves forward and this ensures pollen is rubbed off onto its back as it leaves. Michael even gave his wife a fright when he dashed into the house, she thought there was a fire, but he just wanted his camera to record a bumble bee actually caught in one of his flowers, and we saw the picture to prove it. A pseudo-pollen is found on a lot of maxillaria flowers and this is thought to attract pollinators of differing types and size, mind you not all smell sweet some are as Michael remarked like dog pooh and can be a bit much first thing in the morning, you start looking at your shoes. Max.sophrinitis (RCHB.F) Garay 1958 this one is pollinated by a hummingbird as are a number of others. Max. Longissima Lindl. 1896 can be 6 inches (150mm ) from top to bottom of the flower Those pollinated by the hummingbird have over time grown to have a narrow opening for the beak and tongue of the bird.
Max. Coccinea ( Jacq. )L.O.Williams is another hummingbird pollinated specie. The pollinia was shown us on the head of a pin and this is what happens when the hummingbird removes its beak and has the pollinia attached for depositing into the next flower. Max. Densa Lindl. 1835 flowers in clumps, can be 40 flowers in a clump. Max. Marginata ( Lindley )Fenzl 1854 [1855] can be covered with nectar when it flowers where as Maz. Bicallosa ( Richb.F ) Garay 1962 gives the impression when looking into the flower that there is a yellow slug inside it. We were shown many beautiful maxillaria grown my Michael including -: Max. Striata Rolfe, Max. Encycliodes J.T Attwood & Dodson 1997, and Max. Ramose Riuz/Pavon 1798, to name but a few. Like most of the orchid specie the whole is being dissected by the DNA establishment and there is a proposal to split into 16 new genera. They have already brought 3 new genera into the folds of Maxillaria. At least 10% of the genera are wrongly named and this is where Michael is becoming most useful for he is making herbarium specimens and drawing plants as well as photographing them for posterity. From his own research he can then look back at the Riuz and Pavon first descriptions and see as to the correct naming of some of the genera as well as the names first attributed to the plant by others, and here we wish him well. His talk was informative, well presented and very well received by the membership present.
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March 2010 abridged |
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Angraecum Sesquipedale |
