156 In Las Cóncavas, dur<strong>in</strong>g the next 33 years <strong>and</strong> while he cont<strong>in</strong>ued send<strong>in</strong>g plants to Ames, Lankester created the orchid garden that would become the Mecca of all botanists who passed through Costa Rica, not only because of the plants, but also for don Carlos’ vast knowledge of the country <strong>and</strong> its nature (Fig. 50D). “Generous to a fault, hospitable to all, he was counselor to all scientists who came to Costa Rica. His <strong>in</strong>terests were catholic - butterflies, birds, but most especially epiphytic plants, <strong>orchids</strong>, bromeliads <strong>and</strong> aroids” (Williams, 1972: 207). “A naturalist <strong>in</strong> the best <strong>and</strong> widest sense of that word” (St<strong>and</strong>ley, 1925: 274). His bus<strong>in</strong>ess affairs suffered many ups <strong>and</strong> downs, <strong>and</strong> he often thought about return<strong>in</strong>g to Engl<strong>and</strong>. “It is just possible I may complete sale of this place dur<strong>in</strong>g the com<strong>in</strong>g week; if so Costa Rica will soon see me no more” (Letter to Ames, December 17, 1925). But he cont<strong>in</strong>ued <strong>and</strong> never ab<strong>and</strong>oned the country. In July of 1925, Lankester was elected as an honorary member of the American Orchid Society. After 1932, the correspondence between Ames <strong>and</strong> Lankester became less frequent. Ames was approach<strong>in</strong>g 60 years of age <strong>and</strong> Lankester already passed 50. The <strong>in</strong>itial passion gives way to a more serene <strong>and</strong> calm relationship. But their friendship cont<strong>in</strong>ued until the death of the great American orchidologist <strong>in</strong> 1950.In 1956, when Lankester could not manage his farm because of his age, he sold “Las Cóncavas”. His wife had died, his children were far away, <strong>and</strong> don Carlos had no success <strong>in</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g someone to care for his garden. He then moved his garden to a nearby property known as “Silvestre”. It was on this property where, years later, the Lankester Botanical Garden of the University of Costa Rica was established. However, despite of his age, he cont<strong>in</strong>ued collect<strong>in</strong>g. One of his last specimens has the number 1761, a plant of Warrea costaricensis Schltr., collected <strong>in</strong> February of 1960, when Lankester was already 81 years old. In the last years of his life Lankester lived <strong>in</strong> Moravia, where he cont<strong>in</strong>ued cultivat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>orchids</strong> to the last day. It is said that shortly before pass<strong>in</strong>g away he confessed to his daughter Dorothy: “I am only sorry that, with all the opportunities I had, I never made enough money” (R. Lankester, pers. comm., 2004). In the words of Rafael Lucas Rodríguez, one of his close friends, “... LANKESTERIANA LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009. his friends have at least the consolation that he had no long agony, <strong>and</strong> that his last days were rather happy, with a celebration of his 90 th birthday <strong>in</strong> June <strong>and</strong> the Garden Club award<strong>in</strong>g him a gold medal only last week” (In a letter to Robert Dressler, July 10, 1969. Except for a few articles, Lankester left a very limited amount of publications. He prepared a manual about the <strong>orchids</strong> of Costa Rica, that was approved for publication by the American Orchid Society <strong>in</strong> 1968, a year before his death, but the project was never completed (Lankester, 1944). The manuscript, with the title Costa Rican Orchids, is now part of the library of the Lankester Botanical Garden, await<strong>in</strong>g to be published together with a biography of the great naturalist. Lankester’s only son, John Maurice Hawker Lankester (1913—), became also <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> <strong>orchids</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> 1952 collected a new species, Epidendrum puteum St<strong>and</strong>l. & L.O. Williams, that flowered at Las Cóncavas (John M.H. Lankester, 1606). Alfredo Sancho (1876-1929) was Lankester’s good friend <strong>and</strong> companion on many collect<strong>in</strong>g trips. Brother of the writer Mario Sancho <strong>and</strong> of Francisco <strong>and</strong> Carlos Sancho, who owned farms <strong>in</strong> Peralta <strong>and</strong> La Estrella (to the East <strong>and</strong> South of Cartago), he <strong>in</strong>troduced Lankester to the orchidaceous flora of the regions where his brothers worked. Lankester himself owned for a short period of time a farm <strong>in</strong> Peralta, a project he ab<strong>and</strong>oned for economic reasons. Dur<strong>in</strong>g their collect<strong>in</strong>g trips, Lankester <strong>and</strong> Sancho collected a great number of new species, that were named <strong>in</strong> honor of Sancho <strong>and</strong> his favorite collect<strong>in</strong>g sites: Epidendrum sanchoi Ames, Lepanthes sanchoi Ames, Pleurothallis sanchoi Ames, Stelis sanchoi Ames, Encyclia peraltensis (Ames) Dressler, Pleurothallis peraltensis Ames, Chondrorhyncha estrellensis Ames, Epidendrum estrellense Ames, <strong>and</strong> Lepanthes estrellensis Ames. In a letter to Ames, Lankester shows the great affection he felt for the Sanchos: “I hope you may have time to meet Mario Sancho [at that time Consul of Costa Rica <strong>in</strong> Chicago]. His brother Alfredo, to whom you dedicated a Lepanthes <strong>and</strong> a Pleurothallis, has at various times helped on the good cause, <strong>and</strong> we had the pleasure of see<strong>in</strong>g them both here last night... they are worthy representatives of the best of the old Cartago gente” (Letter to Ames, July 30, 1924).
A C ossenbaCh — Orchids <strong>and</strong> <strong>orchidology</strong> <strong>in</strong> Central America Figure 48. A — Alberto Manuel Brenes (1870-1948). Courtesy of J<strong>org</strong>e Gómez Laurito. B — Brenesia costaricensis Schltr. Illustration by Fritz Hamer <strong>in</strong> Jenny, 2000: 21. C — Trichopilia galeottiana A. Rich. & Galeotti. Oil on canvas by Emilo Span. In Loaiza, 1973. D — Guillermo Acosta Piepper (1878-1955) <strong>and</strong> his wife Herm<strong>in</strong>ia Beer. Courtesy of Albán Cambronero Acosta. B D 157 LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
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