110 A B LANKESTERIANA Figure 39. A — Masdevallia reichenbachiana Endrés ex Rchb.f. Illustration by Pilar Casasa. B — Dichaea viridula Pupul<strong>in</strong>. Draw<strong>in</strong>g by A.R. Endrés. LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
ossenbaCh — Orchids <strong>and</strong> <strong>orchidology</strong> <strong>in</strong> Central America my <strong>in</strong>struments, collections of seeds, I accrue to the Imperial Hof Museum <strong>in</strong> Vienna, under the condition that the preserved Orchids <strong>and</strong> draw<strong>in</strong>gs of Orchids shall not be exhibited before twenty-five years from the date of my death have elapsed...” (Elliot, 1994: 440). The immediate stimulus for the mak<strong>in</strong>g of the will was no doubt the <strong>in</strong>corporation, <strong>in</strong> 1879, of Robert A. Rolfe to the scientific staff of Kew, who with<strong>in</strong> a few years had become responsible for the <strong>orchids</strong> at the herbarium. Once Kew realized that it had a competent <strong>in</strong>-house specialist, it ceased to send its <strong>orchids</strong> to Reichenbach for identification. “Seldom has anyone’s reputation suffered a reversal so quickly” (Elliot, 1994: 440). The loss of all of Reichenbach’s material was a terrible blow for science. To aggravate this, the First World War began <strong>in</strong> 1914, when the twenty five years stipulated <strong>in</strong> the will had just elapsed. This delayed until the twenties the study of the materials that the controversial German botanist had accumulated dur<strong>in</strong>g his life. Oakes Ames had harsh words for Reichenbach: “Reichenbach, as I see the situation now, rose to em<strong>in</strong>ence as an orchidologist simply because of unexampled opportunity. When I review the sensations stimulated by his famous herbarium preserved at Vienna, I f<strong>in</strong>d them far from flatter<strong>in</strong>g. The lack of data, the <strong>in</strong>decipherable h<strong>and</strong>writ<strong>in</strong>g, the scrappy specimens […], <strong>and</strong> the odd bits of paper that bear meager <strong>and</strong> often <strong>in</strong>adequate <strong>in</strong>formation, give rise to disgust…. If we compare Reichenbach with L<strong>in</strong>dley, the former suffers prodigiously!… Yet, the Reichenbach herbarium has been an almost <strong>in</strong>superable obstacle to the progress of <strong>orchidology</strong> for over twenty years, because its founder violated the very spirit of science” (<strong>in</strong> a letter to Charles H. Lankester, Oct. 18, 1922). Respected as one of the greatest orchidologists of the XIX century <strong>and</strong> hated for be<strong>in</strong>g responsible for 25 years of obscurantist <strong>in</strong>terregnum, Reichenbach will nevertheless always have a preem<strong>in</strong>ent place <strong>in</strong> the history of the <strong>orchids</strong> of Central America. A new genus, Reichenbachanthus Barb. Rodr., <strong>and</strong> a great number of species were dedicated to Reichenbach: Barbosella reichenbachiana (Endrés ex Rchb.f.) Schltr., Chondrorhyncha reichenbachiana Schltr., Elleanthus reichenbachianus Garay, Epidendrum reichenbachianum Schltr., Habenaria reichenbachiana Barb. Rodr., Laelia reichenbachiana Wendl. & Kraenzl., Lycaste reichenbachii Gireoud ex Rchb.f., Malaxis reichenbachiana (Schltr.) L.O. Williams, Masdevallia reichenbachiana Endrés ex Rchb. f. (Fig. 111 39A), Odontoglossum reichenbachianum F. C. Lehm., Pleurothallis reichenbachiana Schltr., Sievek<strong>in</strong>gia reichenbachiana Rolfe, <strong>and</strong> Stanhopea reichenbachiana Roezl ex Rchb.f. ‘Señor’ Endrés “... one of those collectors who cared more for science than for sovereigns”. H. G. Reichenbach (1883) Little is known about the orig<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> life of Augustus R. Endrés ( 1838-1875). “His last name is Spanish, yet he wrote his notes <strong>in</strong> English. He was referred to as a ‘halfcaste’ (Veitch, J. H., Hortus Veitchii, 1906), a label that may <strong>in</strong>dicate parentage of a North American or European <strong>and</strong> a Lat<strong>in</strong> American” (Atwood & Mora de Retana, 1999). Gómez (pers. comm.) tells us that Endrés was Austrian <strong>and</strong> that his last name is more or less common <strong>in</strong> Austria <strong>and</strong> Switzerl<strong>and</strong>. Bateman, while compla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g about the lack of new Odontoglossum from Costa Rica, changes the spell<strong>in</strong>g of his name: “In Mexico, from which much novelty was expected, little has been added to the number of Odontoglossum previously known, <strong>and</strong> the same may be said of Costa Rica, notwithst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g the vigorous exertions of Mr. Endries” (Bateman, 1874). Now we have reasons to believe that he was French, from the region of Alsace, but much of his life rema<strong>in</strong>s a mystery. The quality <strong>and</strong> precision of the botanical descriptions <strong>and</strong> illustrations (most of them <strong>in</strong> pencil) that were attached to his herbarium specimens is astound<strong>in</strong>g, which leads to the assumption that he had a solid academic tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g, which he probably received <strong>in</strong> Engl<strong>and</strong>. His use of the English language, precise <strong>and</strong> cultivated, po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> the same direction (Fig. 39B). He came to Central America <strong>in</strong> 1866, recommended by Sk<strong>in</strong>ner <strong>and</strong> employed by Bateman to collect <strong>orchids</strong> <strong>in</strong> Guatemala <strong>and</strong> Costa Rica (Anonymous, 1913: 341). It is possible that Sk<strong>in</strong>ner recommended him after the disappo<strong>in</strong>tment he suffered with Enrique Arce, a Guatemalan collector who had not met Sk<strong>in</strong>ner’s expectations <strong>in</strong> the search for Cattleya dowiana. Endrés came the first time to Costa Rica <strong>in</strong> 1866, <strong>and</strong> rema<strong>in</strong>ed for several months <strong>in</strong> the Atlantic lowl<strong>and</strong>s, until he arrived at San José <strong>in</strong> May of 1867. He had disembarked <strong>in</strong> Greytown <strong>and</strong> came to San José follow<strong>in</strong>g the route of Sarapiquí. While Endrés was <strong>in</strong> Costa Rica, Gottlieb Zahn traveled <strong>in</strong> Central America, 1869-1870. The ma<strong>in</strong> LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
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