Orchids of Tropical America

E. Meisel Joe, S. Kaufmann Ronald, Franco Pupulin

Description

Orchids of Tropical America is an entertaining, informative, and splendidly illustrated introduction to the orchid family for enthusiasts and newcomers seeking to learn about more than 120 widespread orchid genera. Joe E. Meisel, Ronald S. Kaufmann, and Franco Pupulin bring alive the riot of colors, extraordinary shapes, and varied biology and ecology of the principal orchid genera ranging from Mexico and the Caribbean to Bolivia and Brazil. Orchids, likely the most diverse family of plants on earth, reach their peak diversity in the tropical countries of the Western Hemisphere, including, for example, more than 2,500 species in Brazil and 4,000 in Ecuador. The book also highlights reserves in the American tropics where travelers can enjoy orchids in the wild. Whether you journey abroad to see these unique plants, raise them in your home, or admire them from afar, this book offers fascinating insights into the diversity and natural history of orchids. Beyond the plant and flower descriptions, Orchids of Tropical America is packed with informative stories about the ecology and history of each genus. Pollination ecology is given in detail, with an emphasis on how floral features distinctive to the genus are linked to interaction with pollinators. This book also features information on medicinal and commercial uses, notes on the discoverers, and relevant historical data. The easy-to-use identification system permits quick recognition of the most common orchid groups in Central and South America. Genus descriptions are given in plain language designed for a nonscientific audience but will prove highly useful to advanced botanists as well. Descriptions focus on external morphology, and great care has been taken to ensure the guide is useful in the field without reliance on microscopes or dissections. Equally valuable as a field guide, a desktop reference, or a gift, Orchids of Tropical America will make an excellent addition to any orchid lover's library.Visit the website for this book at www.orchidsoftropicalamerica.com.

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques
• Latin America
• Trees

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801454929
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 30 Mo

Extrait

Orchîds of Tropîcal Amerîca

Orchîds of Tropîcal Amerîca AN INTRODUCTION AND GUIDE

Joe E. Meisel Ronad S. Kaufmann and Franco Pupuin

Foreword by Phillip J. Cribb

Comstock Publîshîng Assocîates a division of CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS ithaca and london

Copyright © 2014 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2014 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2014

Printed in China

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Meisel, Joe E., author.  Orchids of tropical America: an introduction and guide / Joe E. Meisel, Ronald S. Kaufmann and Franco Pupulin ; foreword by Dr. Phillip J. Cribb.  pages cm  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-8014-5335-9 (cloth : alk. paper)  ISBN 978-0-8014-7768-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)  1. Orchids—Latin America. 2. Orchids—Tropics. I. Kaufmann, Ronald S., author. II. Pupulin, Franco, author. III. Title.  QK495.O64M43 2014  584'.4098—dc23 2014002084

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Cloth printing Paperback printing

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Photos by AWZ Orchids; Fred Clarke, Sunset Valley Orchids; Ecuagenera; Ron Kaufmann; Valérie Léonard; Joe Meisel; Ron Parsons, www.flowershots.net; Andy Phillips, www.andysorchids.com; and Juan Carlos Uribe

All line drawings by Kathy Creger

To resolute people throughout the tropics, wealthy in land but poor in silver, who sacrifice and toil to safeguard orchidrich forests.

These kinds of Orchis have not bin much written of by the Ancients . . . but they are chiefly regarded for the pleasant and beautiful floures, wherewith Nature hath seemed to play and disport her selfe. —John Gerarde,The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes(1633)

Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. —Rachel Carson,The Sense of Wonder(1965)

Earth laughs in flowers. —Ralph WaldoEmerson,Hametraya(1846)

Contents

Foreword by Phillip J. Cribb ix Acknowledgments xi

Introductîon1 Orchîd Ecology, Dîversîty, and Conservatîon9 Biology and Ecology9 Diversity and Distribution19 Conservation24 Orchîd Identîicatîon31 What Is an Orchid?31 Illustrated Glossary of Key Orchid Characteristics33 How to Use This Guide45 Identification Guide to Major Orchid Genera46 Orchîd Genus Accounts55 Structure and Terminology55 AcinetathroughZygopetalum58 Where to See Orchîds: Nature Reserves and Conservatîon Sîtes217 Map of Tropical America218 Conservation Sites by Country218

Bibliography 233 Index 247

vii

Foreword

In the spring of 1971, I was fortunate enough to visit the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru in the company of César Vargas, best known as a prolific contributor to the Flora of Peru project and an expert on the native orchids, which he collected for Charles Schweinfurth, the author of the Flora’s orchid account. My outstanding memory of the trip was walking with him up the zigzag road to the ruins and being astounded by the quantity and diversity of orchids growing along the roadside. These impressions were colored by my total lack of knowledge of tropical Ameri- can orchids, at the time my focus being on the family Solanaceae. Fortunately, César, a walking encyclopedia, identified orchids and pointed out rarities as we strolled along. Most visitors to the tropical Americas do not have an experienced orchid specialist to call upon, and the result can be confusion and discouragement. We now know that the tropical American orchid flora is the most diverse in the world, with nearly 4000 species having been identified in Ecuador alone. Colombia is likely to be even richer but is less well explored, while even small Costa Rica has well over 2000 species. Contrast this with the orchid floras of Europe at less than 200 species, and of North America, excluding Florida, which numbers less than 300 species. Not only are there copious numbers of species in the American tropics, but the diversity of ecology, size, and form is amazing. They can grow in a remarkable variety of habitats. Orchids are found from the coast to alpine meadows. Some are found in grassland or on the floor of the forest, yet more grow on rocks or trees. Remarkably, a few even grow in streams and rivers or on the edges of lakes with their bases in water. On the one hand, orchids can be large plants, such as the vanilla vines that climb up forest trees and the sobralias, whose canes form large clumps that resemble bamboos. On the other hand, many orchids, especially the epiphytes of smaller branches and twigs, are dwarf plants, often only a few centimeters tall or even smaller. Flowers also vary in magnitude to a remarkable degree. For exam- ple, the recently discovered slipper orchidPhragmipedium kovachiihas rich purple flowers more than 8 inches (20 cm) across, whereas flowers of the tiny epiphytic Lepanthes calodictyonare nearly microscopic (2–3 mm across). It is truly remark- able that all these belong to the same plant family, now known to be perhaps the largest family of flowering plants.

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