By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Martin Motes vandas@mindspring.com, (305) 247-4398
Van Waddill vhwaddill@ifas.ufl.edu, (305) 246-7001 ext. 200
Wagner Vendrame wavendrame@ifas.ufl.edu, (305) 246-7001 ext. 210
Don Pybas pybas@ifas.ufl.edu, (305) 248-3311 ext. 241
HOMESTEAD, Fla.—To recognize Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez for his strong and consistent support of the horticulture industry in South Florida, a new hybrid orchid is being named in his honor.
Officially registered as “Vanda Mayor Carlos Alvarez” with the Royal Horticultural Society in London, England, the blue orchid was developed by Martin Motes of Motes Orchids in Homestead. He will present the orchid to Alvarez during July 15 ceremonies at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead. (The orchid will be presented to Mayor Alvarez around 11 a.m. at the center located at 18905 Southwest 280th Street in Homestead.)
“This is a gift to Mayor Alvarez from orchid producers in South Florida and UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences for his leadership in promoting agriculture in Miami- Dade County,” Motes said.
Known worldwide for his excellent breeding of Vanda orchids, Motes said the new hybrid reflects the leadership and excellence of the South Florida orchid industry. The new orchid is a sister of the award-winning “Best in Show” Vanda at the 18th annual World Orchid Conference in Dijon, France, in March 2005.
“Competing with producers from Asia and other regions of the world, Florida producers took all of the Vanda award medals at the conference, which reflects the growing sophistication and economic impact of the orchid industry in South Florida,” Motes said. “In fact, Florida has now surpassed Hawaii in the volume of orchids produced — only California produces more.”
After the ceremonies, Alvarez will visit research laboratories at the UF center in Homestead. He will also meet with Van Waddill, director of the center; Don Pybas, director of the Miami-Dade Extension Service, and Colleen Boggs of Pine Island Nursery in Homestead and member of the center’s advisory committee.
Motes and other orchid producers in Miami-Dade County work closely with Wagner Vendrame, an assistant professor of horticulture at the UF center in Homestead, to maintain the consistent high quality of Florida-bred and Florida-grown orchids.
Vendrame, who teaches a course in orchidology, said orchids are the largest group of flowering plants, with more than 25,000 identified species and 120,000 registered hybrids. Orchids are also the fastest growing segment of the nation’s $13 billion floriculture and nursery crops industry.
At the Homestead center, Vendrame is using tissue culture to clone and mass-produce orchids. To help reduce collection of specimens from the wild, he is also micropropagating Florida native orchid species for preservation purposes.
He also presents an orchid short course every other year in cooperation with the Boca Raton Orchid Society to present the latest aspects of orchid culture to Florida amateur and professional growers.
“No longer a luxury item, orchids can be purchased at prices comparable to other potted flowering plants,” Vendrame said. “When a few basic cultural requirements are met, growing orchids in the home environment can be a rewarding experience.”
Vendrame said species and hybrids of six orchid genera are the most popular because they are easy to grow and produce beautiful flowers: Cattleya, Dendrobium, Epidendrum, Phalaenopsis, Oncidium and Vanda.
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