Viva Vireya! - Hawaii Chapter, American Rhododendron Society

Vireya of the Year
First Light
It’s your club - please participate!
The March meeting will bring another greatly
anticipated “species” talk from Jane Adams. The last
one was great and you don’t want to miss this
upcoming one. We will try to get her to plan another
for later in this year. That’s participation!
John Barber is our Program Director and he could use
your help. We had some great ideas from the
discussion at the January meeting but need follow
through in contacting the potential speakers you know.
If you want a particular program, John could use
contact information if you don’t wish to approach the
speaker yourself. How about a “show and tell” meeting
in which you could bring problem plant material or
photos and we could open the floor for helpful
comments? I would happily do a plant propagation
session on asexual propagation of Vireya and
companion plants. We have even had a suggestion for
a non-plant program on trusts and wills since so many
of us are approaching the need of such. How about it
folks - give John or me some feed-back. If you have
made a suggestion in the past and heard nothing more,
it is not because we are ignoring your ideas but may be
having some trouble putting the program together. It’s
Member News: It was brought to Joyce’s
attention recently that we have a club member
in Christchurch, New Zealand, scene of the
devastating earthquake and storm recently. We
extend the club’s best wishes to J.M. Kerr, and
hope all is well with you, your family and
friends. If you need any assistance, we would
be glad to help! Our thoughts are with you
VIVA VIREYA!
HAWAI’I CHAPTER AMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETY
Volume 16 Issue 3 March 2011
Hawai’i Chapter Website: http://www.hawaiivireyaars.org
March President’s message
by Joyce Gay
your club - please participate. My email is still
davidandjoyce60@hotmail.com
With April’s elections coming up before we know it, I
have been talking to folks and asking for volunteers to
be nominated for offices. We have volunteers:
Treasurer - Richard Miller has kindly offered to take a
two year term; Board of Directors - Bettye
Wakabayashi has offered to serve another term and,
both Jurahame Leyva and John Barber have agreed to
run for the other two board vacancies. That leaves only
the Secretary’s opening to be filled. It’s your club -
please participate.
Thanks to those who showed up at the February Zoo
clean-up and a particular thanks to one who did not:
Ilene Wood was unable to come work so she took in
pupus which were greatly appreciated by the folks who
were there working. That’s participation!
I don’t mean to ignore the people who show up at
every meeting and provide service and support - you
are the ones who keep the club going. You make it a
fun time each month to get together and renew
friendships over food and flowers. That’s
participation!
- Mahalo!
February Meeting: Kim
Martin in the
foreground, Joyce Gay
consulting behind her,
and the truss tree ready
for the exchange!
Thanks to Spike
Werner for the photo.
Officers of the Hawaii Chapter ARS
President Joyce Gay (808) 966-5572 davidandjoyce60@hotmail.com
Vice Presidents Dick Kruppa (808) 967-7349 richardkruppa@hotmail.com
Secretary Jurahame Leyva (808) 966-6693 jurahame@kurtistownorchids.com
Treasurer Richard Miller (808) 967-4371 richardandalison@hawaiiantel.net
Newsletter Editor Jane Adams (808) 345-0959 jane@whitecloudnursery.com
Directors: Ray Schimpf, Bettye Wakabayashi, Ron Phillips, Dale Dinsmore, Richard Rhodes, Mitch Mitchell (Emeritus)
Viva Vireya Page 1 March 2011

Greetings ARS Friends,
R. retivenium
One of the things I wanted to do during my visit
to Mt Kinabalu a few years ago was to find this
vireya growing in the wild. I had been warned,
however, not to confuse it with R.lowii which is
another large yellow species. I saw many R.
retivenium but the R. lowii was apparently not in
flower. I've had my R. retivenium for some time,
and of course was delighted when it bloomed
several days ago. Sorry that my photo doesn't do
justice to this beautiful yellow vireya..
Mitch’s Corner
ARS Annual Conference Note
by Harold Greer
Good News! The Spring Convention is a great success. Even though our host hotel has just sold out
all of their rooms to ARS members, we have just been able to contract for lots more great rooms at
the Residence Inn (360.253.4800) and the Staybridge Suites (360.449.4669). The price is great too,
$109 for rooms with full kitchens, complimentary breakfast and complimentary airport shuttle at both
hotels. Mention ARS contract rates. Reserve now!
Treasurer’s Report
by Richard Miller
As of February 1, 2011 the account balances are:
Club = $5699.82 Zoo = $4785.58 Kimalia = $1376.67
The Zoo owes the club $433 for expenses that will be reflected in next months’ balances.
Viva Vireya Page 2 March 2011

The Question of Favorites
by Jane Adams
Fragrance! Last month I addressed the “big and showy” favorites, and now I’ll move on to talking about
my favorites from a fragrance point of view.
Have you ever read a wine bottle description of the aromas associated with a particular wine? I recently
read one that talked about aromas of citrus, melons and flowers. When it comes to taste, it talked about
pear, melons, apple and lavender. Sounded great! Now, we don’t taste our Vireyas -- bad idea -- but we
do catch and bask in their fragrance! Some are subtle with sweetness and spice, and some are like sticking
your nose in a bowl of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Whites and pinks... large and small... subtle and strong. Those are the contrasts in fragrant Vireyas.
There’s a working hypothesis that whites need to develop fragrance to attract pollinators. I can’t think of a
fragrant strong red, yellow, orange or zoelleri bi-color. I could be completely wrong here, and I look
forward to hearing your suggestions.
Great Scent-sation
Konori Pinkie
Calavar
Queensland
Superfleur
Pink Swan
Aravir
Bernadette
Cyril
Lake
Habbema
R.
jasminiflorum
Sweet Jane
Viva Vireya Page 3 March 2011

Editor’s Note: this article is of particular interest as many of us try to grow our Vireya in the manner
Martin describes. Mahalo, Martin, for the permission to print the article. We are printing in 2
segments, with the second half coming next month. This article first appeared in the 2009 yearbook
of the German Rhododendron Society Rhododendron und Immergrune
Reproduced with permission.
Copyright © Martin Monthofer & Deutsche Rhododendron-Gesellschaft
Rhododendrons of Subgenus Vireya as Epiphytes and Lithophytes
by Martin Monthofer, Bremen, Germany
Part 1 of 2
For some years I had known that Rhododendrons grow not only as terrestrials (in the ground) but also as
epiphytes (growing in the branches of tall trees where they get plenty of light, but not growing as parasites)
and lithophytes (growing on rock surfaces or actively penetrating into the rock). I had never tried to cultivate
Vireyas as epiphytes or lithophytes as I was happy to grow them in container culture.
I became enthusiastic about Vireya epiphytes when I attended the International Vireya Seminar in Hawaii in
2003. While staying there, we visited several private gardens belonging to Hawaiian Vireya lovers. In these
gardens, the Vireyas grew not only as terrestrials but also as epiphytes in the branches of trees covered with
moss or in Platycerium sp. (Staghorn ferns). These Vireyas looked very healthy and well fertilized. This
therefore seemed to be a real alternative, if one has the available growing space. They grew there with
companion plants, as in nature, of ferns and orchids. Not only trees were used as new habitats but also the
Hawaiian native tree fern Cibotium splendens. Vireya cuttings could be placed in Platycerium sp. and would
form roots in the specialized micro climate. All these impressions were stored but I never believed I would
soon need to recall them.
Back in Bremen I thought about what I had seen but did not really consider epiphytic culture. All this changed
in April 2003 when I started a new job with the Rhododendron Park GmbH. From now on I had to take care of
the Borneo and New Guinea area of the green science centre botanika. This greenhouse area opened new ideas
of Vireya culture as it was possible to cultivate them under their “natural” conditions. These “natural”
conditions consist of man-made rock formations, which symbolise Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, and the
enormous trees and tree ferns which were integrated in the plantings at the outset to give a more natural look.
This manmade natural habitat was the beginning of the epiphytic and lithophytic culture of Vireyas.
Before one cultivates Vireyas as epiphytes, one must consider several factors. The root system of the chosen
plant should not be too large to place onto the branch of a host tree. A small root system is also necessary with
tree ferns if they have a slender trunk – you cannot position a root system from a two litre container on a thin
trunk. One has to be a designer; one has to create a ‘natural look’. It is necessary for the Vireyas get plenty of
light if they are to grow successfully. The most important thing is that the new epiphyte can be handled like a
terrestrial, i.e. that it can be watered – it is no good if it is high in the trees where one cannot water it! The
plants should be positioned where they will catch the eye of the visitor, but this depends on the branch
structure of the trees and of the tree fern trunks. One has to take what nature gives and make the best of it for
the visitors.
Now the question arises about the type of growing medium to be used and how to fix the plants in place while
maintaining a natural look. Here at the Rhododendron Park, the Vireyas grow in our own substrate mix, which
holds water but also has good aeration, both of which guarantee survival of the roots. The growing mix
consists of 20% orchid substrate from the Wichmann Orchid Company, 10% long gramofibre, 10% coarse peat
(particle size 5-25mm) from Gnarrenburg, 10% broken Lecadan (2-8mm), 40% pine bark (20-40mm) and 10%
lava (8-16mm).
The first Vireya epiphytes in the Borneo greenhouse area of botanika were planted in man-made tree branches.
These consisted of a flexible plastic fabric with a rough surface. This material was used by the company as the
base on which the concrete was applied when building the rock formation in botanika. This material was
bound around the stem of the tree to form a small pocket. The pockets were filled with our growing substrate
and into this selected Vireyas were planted. The plastic pockets, being black, did not look natural and so moss
was used to cover the pockets which gave a more natural appearance.
Viva Vireya Page 4 March 2011

The bad thing with these plastic pockets was that the moss was not in contact with the substrate and so the roots
could not secure the plant by growing into it. A new solution was needed. At that time I thought that plenty of
substrate was required for successful epiphyte culture but over the years have found that less is better and, once
established, the plants flower better.
I decided to use commercial 40 x 40cm root-ball cloths. The Vireyas were planted in these with some substrate and
placed in the branches of suitable trees. This version looked a little more natural. Moss was fixed around the cloths
using green rubber bands. Unfortunately, the root ball still looked too heavy, so I had to think of something more
satisfactory.
I asked myself, what will happen if I only cover the roots with moss and fix it with rubber bands to the branches? I
tried it out and found this solution worked well and have used this method ever since. The general impression is
quite natural. The Vireyas roots can grow into the moss and the moss is able to grow on the branches of the tree. As
the moss grows, new areas are formed for the cultivation of other epiphytes, such as ferns or orchids.
The following Vireyas grow as epiphytes on trees at botanika: Rh. acrophilum, Rh. album, Rh. apoanum, Rh.
aurigeranum x intranervatum, Rh. 'Carillon Bells', Rh. celebicum pink form, Rh. crassifolium, Rh. culminicola
hybr., Rh. dianthosmum, Rh. edanoi ssp. pneumonanthum, Rh. gardenia, Rh. goodenoughii, Rh. herzogii, Rh.
hellwigii, Rh. jasminiflorum, Rh. jasminiflorum var. oblongiflorum, Rh. javanicum hybr., Rh. kawakamii, Rh.
konori, Rh. leptanthum, Rh. leucogigas, Rh. loranthiflorum, Rh. orbiculatum, Rh. pauciflorum, Rh. x
planecostatum, Rh. praetervisum, Rh. suaveolens hybr., Rh. superbum, Rh. taxifolium, Rh. verticillatum.
Cultivating epiphytes on tree ferns is more complicated in a way as tree ferns have only a single, slender trunk
which can grow tall very fast. One advantage of this rapid growth is that within a year a new area for cultivation of
30-60cm can develop!
As tree ferns have only a single trunk, what is the best way to position and fix Vireyas, orchids and ferns for them
to grow successfully? The tree fern must have a trunk at least 2 metres in height as this allows sufficient light
through to the trunk and the large fronds do not cover the trunk. (If you have fast growing tree ferns it is necessary
to prune the fronds to ensure plenty of light gets through to the epiphytes; leave only four fronds and prune the
rest.) As the tree fern grows so fast, one should cultivate from bottom to top. With larger tree ferns one can use the
whole trunk to position epiphytes. Planting on the black trunks of tree ferns optimizes the natural look of the
epiphytes and invites the visitor to find out what is growing there. Placing and fixing the epiphytes is exactly the
same as for cultivating in trees, using moss and elastic bands, but one has to look at the root system of the chosen
Vireyas. It has to be small because of the slender trunk and it has to look natural – you do not want a ball on your
tree fern!
The following Vireyas grow successfully on tree ferns (Cyathea leichhardtiana) in the Bremen glasshouse: Rh.
apoanum, Rh. bagobonum, Rh. brookeanum, Rh. burttii, Rh. curviflorum, Rh. dianthosmum, Rh. fallacinum, Rh.
goodenoughii, Rh. gracilentum, Rh. multicolor, Rh. nieuwenhuisii, Rh. orbiculatum, Rh. pauciflorum, Rh.
praetervisum, Rh. suaveolens, Rh. taxifolium, Rh. wrightianum.
Author’s address:
Martin Monthofer
Lilienthaler Heerstr.3
D-28359 Bremen
Germany
e-mail: european-vireya-world.MM@web.de
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Martin for sending this on.
The article itself, along with photos, can also be accessed
from Chris Callard’s website: www.vireya.net On the
homepage, look for a link to it on the left under “In the
Archive” section. We will print the remaining 1/2 of the
article in next month’s newsletter, along with some photos
Paul Anderson took at the Bremen conference.
Rhododendron gracilentum flowering as epiphyte on Cyathea sp. tree fern
Viva Vireya Page 5 March 2011

Next Chapter Meeting:
When: March 20
Where: Kea’au Community Center
Program: Jane will do a presentation on a
particular species, and highlight hybrids that have
that species as either a seed or pollen parent. This
will be much like the talk on R. javanicum that
she did last suummer.
Housekeeping Notes
Calendar of Coming Events:
Sunday, March 20: Regular chapter meeting at
the Kea’au Community Center. Potluck at
12:00pm, meeting at 1:00pm.
Sunday, March 27: Regular 4th Sunday Zoo
work party. 12:00pm - 3:00pm. Come join the
fun!
Sunday, April 17: Regular chapter meeting at the
Kea’au Community Center. Potluck at 12:00pm,
meeting at 1:00pm.
Very important truss reminder! Inspect your trusses and plants before bringing them to the meeting.
Joyce will provide some of the club pesticide spray if anyone finds ants or other unwanted critters on a
truss!
Plates and utensils: Please remember to bring plates and utensils from home so that we can continue to
reduce our waste!
Clean-up crew: We still need people to sign up for new clean-up crew slots for the upcoming meetings.
Jane Adams and Elaine Inouye have signed up for the March meeting, and will need some assistance!
Many hands make light work.
Viva Vireya!
Edited by Jane Adams
jane@whitecloudnursery.com
808-345-0959
Hawaii Chapter – ARS
P.O. Box 1963
Kea’au, HI 96749
Viva Vireya Page 6 March 2011