Bulbophyllum medusae

Bulbophyllum medusae, Bulbophyllums and Cirrhopetalums

April 11, 2019 Mary Gerritsen: My Trip to Chiapas

DVOS Meeting, Future DVOS Meeting

Mary Gerritsen , Ph.D. currently works as an independent biotechnology consultant, her “retirement” after a long career in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. However, much of her free time now involves orchids in some fashion or another.

Mary has a large collection of miniature orchids, as well as numerous pleurothallids, paphiopedilum, bulbophyllum, and dendrobium species which she grows outside, in a cool greenhouse or in an intermediate greenhouse . In addition to growing orchids, Mary likes to see and photograph them in their native habitats, and this has led to expeditions to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Southeast Asia, China, various Mediterranean islands, Europe, Madagascar, South Africa, Mexico and other parts of Central America, many countries in South America, as well as various parts of the USA and Canada.

In addition to her interest in orchids and their habitats, Mary has written, with co-author and photographer, Ron Parsons, a number of books on orchids including Masdevallias: Gems of the Orchid World; A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species; A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and Their Culture; and The American Orchid Society Guide to Orchids and their Culture. Mary and Ron also coauthored a book on a genus of North American wildflowers: Calochortus; Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives. Mary is the chief financial officer of the Orchid Conservation Alliance, serves on the board of directors of Orchid Digest, and is a past president of the San Francisco and the Peninsula Orchid Societies.

The Plant Table will be supplied by Dennis Olivas

Dinner with the Speaker at 5:30 p.m. is at Aung MayLika 1050 Contra Costa Blvd, Concord, CA 94423

Everyone is welcome to attend and meet our speaker – email Eileen Jackson at eileen.jackson@att.com to reserve a seat.

April 12, 2018 – Carol Klonowski: Australian Dendrobiums

DVOS Meeting, Past DVOS Meeting, Past Event

Carol Klonowski has been growing orchids since the 1980’s when a friend in Berkeley,California, gave her a cattleya and it bloomed out with three big, dark lavender flowers and an intoxicating fragrance. She built an entire greenhouse in her backyard to accommodate the precious plant, which only led her to buy more orchids. Then another friend gave her a gift membership to the Orchid Society of California and it’s been a serious passion ever since.

She can recall going to monthly meetings at OSC and DVOS where orchid legends such as the late Frank Fordyce and Dick Emory would be available to answer the many questions an eager hobbyist could ask.

Carol has served as Director, Vice President, and President of the Orchid Society of California for most of the past two decades and is currently an Accredited Judge with the American Orchid Society, California Sierra Nevada Judging Center.