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Posted on 2:57 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Mary Bailey
The vast majority of tropical orchids were brought into cultivation during the 19th century. For over 50 years, regular consignments containing tens of thousands of new species were shipped to Britain, leaving whole areas of rainforest stripped of their treasures. By the time they arrived in England, there were many losses. Orchids rotted in the holds of the ships or were eaten by the rats and cockroaches that infested the ships, until only a very few survived. Shipwrecks, not unusual occurrences in those days, also accounted for total losses of whole consignments.
Like many ancient civilizations, the Greeks drew on the resources of the natural world, and the tubers and roots of most European terrestrial orchids were valued for various medicinal purposes. They studied the curious orchid flowers and believed that the different shapes revealed the beneficial effects of the plant. For example, the man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) was thought to be an aphrodisiac because the shape of the lip resembled the figure of a man.
As his boat approached the shore of this previously unvisited island, the natives met them with hostility. Frightening warriors, with hair dyed bright golden yellow and bodies streaked with coloured paint, threatened them as they approached. Robbelin considered turning back, but then he noticed that among the bright yellow heads were flowers of the sought-after Phalaenopsis.
By the 19th century, the Exeter nursery of James Veitch and Sons in Devon employed the greatest number of collectors to search for new trees, shrubs and other garden plants, as well as orchids. The firm of Sander's and Sons from St Albans came later, but rose to rival the most influential commercial establishments.
Twenty years after Columbus landed on the mainland of South America in 1498, Hernando Cones arrived in Mexico to overthrow the Aztec Empire and to claim Mexico for Spain. He found a species of Vanilla being cultivated for its perfume and, more importantly, for its culinary use.
A few orchid nurseries that had beginnings in the 19th century are still flourishing today. These include Beans Orchids of Cooksbridge, Sussex, which was started in 1879 by a Scotsman, Alexander McBean. Mansell and Hatcher's nursery in Leeds, Yorkshire, commenced in the 1890s, and in France, Vacherot and Lecoufle have been in existence since 1886, making theirs the oldest family-run nursery in the world.
In the 19th century, the orchid scene in Britain centred around four k-ey people: the hunter, the botanist, the nurseryman, and the purchaser. Initially, it depended upon the orchid hunters who collected for the private growers and the nurserymen. The nurserymen established the trade and acquired the knowledge needed to cultivate a wide range of orchids from different regions of the world. Most of the professional orchid growers started their apprenticeships at the nurseries and later found employment in the large collections.
Phalaenopsis are strikingly beautiful, and have been popular among orchid collectors since the golden era of orchid hunting. This orchid is Phalaenopsis Flare Spots.
Like many ancient civilizations, the Greeks drew on the resources of the natural world, and the tubers and roots of most European terrestrial orchids were valued for various medicinal purposes. They studied the curious orchid flowers and believed that the different shapes revealed the beneficial effects of the plant. For example, the man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) was thought to be an aphrodisiac because the shape of the lip resembled the figure of a man.
As his boat approached the shore of this previously unvisited island, the natives met them with hostility. Frightening warriors, with hair dyed bright golden yellow and bodies streaked with coloured paint, threatened them as they approached. Robbelin considered turning back, but then he noticed that among the bright yellow heads were flowers of the sought-after Phalaenopsis.
By the 19th century, the Exeter nursery of James Veitch and Sons in Devon employed the greatest number of collectors to search for new trees, shrubs and other garden plants, as well as orchids. The firm of Sander's and Sons from St Albans came later, but rose to rival the most influential commercial establishments.
Twenty years after Columbus landed on the mainland of South America in 1498, Hernando Cones arrived in Mexico to overthrow the Aztec Empire and to claim Mexico for Spain. He found a species of Vanilla being cultivated for its perfume and, more importantly, for its culinary use.
A few orchid nurseries that had beginnings in the 19th century are still flourishing today. These include Beans Orchids of Cooksbridge, Sussex, which was started in 1879 by a Scotsman, Alexander McBean. Mansell and Hatcher's nursery in Leeds, Yorkshire, commenced in the 1890s, and in France, Vacherot and Lecoufle have been in existence since 1886, making theirs the oldest family-run nursery in the world.
In the 19th century, the orchid scene in Britain centred around four k-ey people: the hunter, the botanist, the nurseryman, and the purchaser. Initially, it depended upon the orchid hunters who collected for the private growers and the nurserymen. The nurserymen established the trade and acquired the knowledge needed to cultivate a wide range of orchids from different regions of the world. Most of the professional orchid growers started their apprenticeships at the nurseries and later found employment in the large collections.
Phalaenopsis are strikingly beautiful, and have been popular among orchid collectors since the golden era of orchid hunting. This orchid is Phalaenopsis Flare Spots.
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