orchids and orchidology in central america. 500 ... - lankesteriana.org

ossenbaCh — Orchids and orchidology in Central America
Thus, despite all efforts by collectors and botanists,
at the end of the XIX century less then one third
of all presently known Central American orchid
species had been identified. In volume IV of
March 1887, Hemsley wrote a historical sketch of
the botanical exploration of the region. Restrepia
hemsleyana (today a synonym of R. antennifera
Kunth) was dedicated to him by Rudolf Schlechter.
In recognition of his services Hemsley was elected
an Honorary Member of the Natural History Society
of Mexico (Anonymous, 1925: 22). He passed away
in Broadstairs, on October 7, 1924.
The Botanical Station in Belize (1892-1921).
Originally the nation’s capital, popular lore has Belize
City built on a landfill of mahogany chips and rum
bottles, both ingredients generated by the British pirates
of the XVIII century (Miller & Miller, 2002: 70). At
the beginning of the XIX century, all Guatemalan trade
passed through this port. The common route left the
Central American capital and had to cross the fearful
‘Montaña del Mico’ (=‘Mountain of the Monkey’) to
arrive finally at the port of Izabal. Here the merchandise
was embarked on small vessels that sailed along the
coastline to Belize, from where British ships would
carry it, via Jamaica, on to England. During the 1840s
trade with the United States began to flourish, again
through Belize (Fig. 43A).
Skinner used this route for many years to ship his
orchids to England and it was not until 1855, when the
Panama railroad was inaugurated, that Belize lost its
importance for Central American trade to Europe and
the United States.
An Account of the British Settlement of Honduras,
written by Captain George Henderson of the 44 th
Regiment of the British Army, contains the earliest
detailed description of the natural history of Belize
(Henderson, 1811). Interspersed with descriptions
of the economic activity of the colony (mostly
based on timber) are numerous references to the
conspicuous or useful plants, often referred to by
scientific and common name” (Balick et al., 2000:
5). But Henderson did not mention any orchids.
In fact, few orchids from Belize were known
during the XIX century. Leaving aside the types of
Polystachya clavata Lindl. (1842) and Brassavola
digbyana Lindl., already mentioned, there is
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only the publication by Reichenbach, in 1876, of
Epidendrum (= Encyclia) belizense.
Stephens, the great North American traveler, wrote
that in 1841 the territory of Belize counted no more
than 6,000 inhabitants, of which 4,000 were Negroes
employed by the wood cutters (slavery had been
abolished in 1839). “Government House is built on a
beautiful site at the end of the city, with a park that
extends to the water and is adorned with coconut
palms” (Stephens, 1841: 15). It was on the site of
the Governor’s kitchen garden where years later the
Botanic Station of Belize (also known as Botanic
Center) was built, the first botanical garden to be
established in Central America.
A botanical research facility was formally proposed by
J. D. Hooker, Director of Kew from 1865 to 1885, and
adopted by the Secretary of State for Colonies in 1884
(Balick et al., 2000: 6). It was given a one-acre terrain
behind Government House and began functioning in
1892. A postcard dated 1904 depicts an orderly garden
with well-maintained paths. George Samuel Jenman
(1845-1902) assisted in the establishment of the Botanical
Station. Jenman, who had arrived in Guyana in 1879 as
Government botanist and Superintendent of Gardens to
work on the enhancement project of the Georgetown
area, came to Belize in October of 1890. During that
time he made a collection of Arpophyllum giganteum
Lindl. (Jenman s.n., Belize). George S. Jenman was an
important figure in the botanical exploration of Guyana,
and collected the types of two new orchid species for
that region: Cattleya jenmanii Rolfe (Jenman s.n.), and
Sievekingia jenmanii Rchb.f. (Jenman s.n.). Robert A.
Rolfe named in his honor a new genus of Orchidaceae:
Jenmania, with a single species, Jenmania elata (J.
Zahlbr.) Rolfe. The Jenman Herbarium of the University
of Guyana was named in his honor.
James McNair was the first superintendent (1892 to
1896), followed by Eugene Campbell (1896 to 1920),
who presided over the station for most of its brief
existence. On several occasions Campbell wrote of his
dissatisfaction with the size and location of the station
at Belize City and proposed creating a permanent
station in the Stann Creek District, probably where the
Forestry Department now has a field station. Charles
Hummel assumed control over the station in 1821,
after which the project was abandoned (Balick et al.,
2000: 6).
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.