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

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162 formed a large collection of orchids together with Pittier, exploring not only the Canal Zone but also Chiriquí and other regions. Pittier remembered the collections in El Boquete (Chiriquí): “The district is wonderfully rich in orchids… We hope to have soon in Washington living specimens of many of the specific types collected by Warscewicz in the same region” (Heckadon-Moreno, 1998: 108). Somewhat later (1923) he was again in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, where he collected in the company of Harvey and Valentine. In Costa Rica he became a friend of Lankester and Otón Jiménez: “Maxon has just advised his departure from CR. Am regretful not to have seen him again. He + Otón Jiménez went to Varablanca, a wonderful orchid region...” (Letter from Lankester to Ames, July 27, 1923). He discovered several new species of orchids, described initially by Schlechter (who had worked together with Pittier in the identification of the specimens from the Smithsonian’s exploration) and later by Ames, many of which were dedicated to him: Cranichis pseudociliata Schltr. (Maxon & Hay 3208, Guatemala), Elleanthus caricoides Nash. (Maxon 692, Costa Rica), Lepanthes maxonii Schltr. (Maxon 5494, Panama), Malaxis maxonii Ames, (Maxon, Harvey & Valentine 7770, Nicaragua), Pelexia maxonii Ames, Pleurothallis monstrabilis Ames (Maxon & Harvey 8096, Costa Rica), Pleurothallis propinqua Ames (Maxon & Harvey 8268, Costa Rica), and Stelis maxonii Schltr. (Maxon 5697, Panama). Several species that were in the private collections maintained in the Canal Zone by Mrs. D. D. Gaillard and Mrs. H. H. Rousseau and which Schlechter described as new species, were incorporated to the Panamanian collection of orchids by Maxon and Pittier: Aspasia rousseauae Schltr., Epidendrum rousseauae Schltr., and Maxillaria rousseauae Schltr. The orchid garden of Charles Wesley Powell “The Powell orchid garden at Balboa is one of the most interesting sights of the Canal Zone, and botanically by far the most remarkable thing to be seen there. It is something unique in tropical America, if not in the whole world.” Paul C. Standley (1925: 359) In 1915, Charles Wesley Powell (1854-1927), in charge of a dispensary in the Canal Zone, became seriously interested in orchids and began to amass LANKESTERIANA LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009. a complete collection of Panamanian species. “Mr. Powell’s idea was to accumulate as representative a Panamanian collection of orchids as possible and take them to England, where he contemplated making his home...” (Anonymous, 1929: 335). Powell had lived during a short time in Guatemala and went to Panama in 1907, shortly after the construction of the canal had been initiated. During many years, often in the company of A. A. Hunter, he undertook a systematic exploration of many regions throughout the country, and especially of the high mountains of Chiriquí. What began as a pastime became with the years a true passion. A layman in botanical matters, Powell began cultivating orchids in his garden (Fig. 51D) and forming a good specialized library. From 1916 onwards, he had the support of Christopher Cheeseman, who collected orchids for Powell until the former’s death in 1927 (Pring, 1927: 75). As soon as he realized that many of his plants were not described in his books, he made contact with Rolfe at Kew, to whom he sent in 1920 a series of herbarium specimens, but Rolfe died before he had a chance to study Powell’s collection (Standley, 1925: 359). Powell sent then another collection to the German orchidologist Dr. Rudolf Schlechter, who published a work about the orchids of Panama (Schlechter, 1922). In this work he described 184 species, of which 75 were new to science. Schlechter wrote to Powell in 1921: “Your exploration of the orchid flora of Panama is one of the most important facts in orchidology during the later years” (Letter to Powell, 14 December, 1921). Shortly thereafter Schlechter made an attempt to gain Lankester as a collector: “Do try to induce Mr. Lankester to send materials to me too” (Letter to Powell, 21 November, 1922). In 1922 Powell began his relation with Ames, who wrote triumphantly: “Mr. Powell is now collecting for me. He will send nothing more to Schlechter” (Letter to Lankester, January 13, 1923). It is true that since that year Powell sent only duplicates to Schlechter. In addition, he kept Ames informed by transcribing to Ames every letter he wrote to or received from the German orchidologist. One of the species that Ames had looked for, for years, was Selenipedium chica Rchb. f. Great was his joy when he received, shortly before embarking for Europe, a cablegram from Powell confirming that he had found the desired plant (Fig. 52A).
ossenbaCh — Orchids and orchidology in Central America With the specimens that Powell sent to Ames, the number of Panamanian species known to science increased to 341. Ames, trying to play his cards on both sides of the ocean, wrote to Powell in 1922: “Notwithstanding my friendly relations with Schlechter, nobody would receive with greater joy the news that you decided to keep America free from Germany in the realm of Panama orchids” (Letter to Powell, October 10,1922). And Ames continued a few months later: “I wish we could keep Schlechter out of the American field” (Letter to Powell, December 12,1922). Ames went so far as to sign with Powell a formal contract in which the latter would collect orchids for him for US $100,00 per month. “There can scarcely be for any tropical country a record of one person who has contributed so much to the knowledge of the orchid flora” (Standley, 1925: 359). Ames praised the quality of his work: “His indefatigable zeal is one of the joys in my contemplation of Central American orchidology. His specimens are often works of art” (Letter from Ames to Lankester, August 24, 1923). George H. Pring, during a visit to Powell in 1923, wrote that “in examining Mr. Powell’s herbarium specimens I was particularly interested in the retention of the natural color of foliage and flowers” (Anonymous, 1924: 179). Powell collected an endless number of new species that in many cases were dedicated to him (especially by Schlechter), among them: Coryanthes powellii Schltr., Cycnoches powellii Schltr., Dichaea powellii Schltr., Dresslerella powellii (Ames) C. A. Luer, Encyclia powellii Schltr., Epidendrum powellii Schltr., Gongora powellii Schltr., Govenia powellii Schltr., Leochilus powellii Schltr., Lycaste powellii Schltr., Maxillaria powellii Schltr., Mormodes powellii Schltr., Ornithocephalus powellii Schltr., Palmorchis powellii (Ames) Schweinf. & Correll, Polystachya powellii Ames, Restrepia powellii Schltr., Rossioglossum powellii (Schltr.) Garay, Sarcoglottis powellii Schltr., Scaphyglottis powellii Schltr., Sobralia powellii Schltr., Stelis powellii Schltr., Trichopilia powellii Schltr., and Xylobium powellii Schltr. In 1925 he visited Lankester in Costa Rica, who in turn traveled to Panama in 1927: “I have just spent a fortnight with my fellow sufferer from orchiditis, CWP, + it was a very delightful time of talk and talk and then talk. I wish we could have had you there as High Priest of our cult” (Letter from Lankester to Ames, July 17, 1927). 163 Powell died shortly thereafter, being 72 years of age, on August 18, 1927. “... his friend, A. A. Hunter, chief of the postal office of Balboa, was put in charge of Powell’s orchidarium that had been bequeathed by him, in 1926, to the Missouri Botanical Garden” (Heckadon-Moreno, 1998: 153). A lectotypification of Powell’s Panamanian orchids was undertaken by Christenson in 1991. Abel Aken Hunter ( —1936) was Powell’s great friend and had collected orchids with him since 1915. In his Orchidaceae Powellianae Panamenses, Schlechter dedicated five new species to him: Coryanthes hunteriana Schltr., Encyclia hunteriana Schltr., Epidendrum hunterianum Schltr., Pleurothallis hunteriana Schltr., and Sarcoglottis hunteriana Schltr. After Powell’s death, Hunter took over the direction of the Tropical Station that the Missouri Botanical Garden had established in Panama, and maintained this position until his own death in 1936. In 1935 he collected intensively with Paul Allen, discovering no less than four new species: Epidendrum cocleense Ames, Hubb. & Schw. (Hunter & Allen 389): Masdevallia tenuissima C. Schweinf. (Hunter & Allen 587): Ornithocephalus cochleariformis C. Schweinf. (Hunter & Allen 383), and Pleurothallis rotundata C. Schweinf. (Hunter & Allen 561). The Tropical Station of the Missouri Botanical Garden “Plans have been perfected by the Missouri Botanical Garden of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., for the establishing and maintaining of an Orchid Botanical Garden on the Isthmus of Panama. It is designed to have sent there from all parts of the world the desirable plants from abroad, to cultivate, propagate, and have their flowers on display for the knowledge and pleasure of the people resident in the Canal Zone, and Republic of Panama” (Anonymous, 1926: 227) Early in the 20th century, the Missouri Botanical Garden began sending its researchers into tropical climates, seeking to catalogue the diverse species in these rich environments. The English horticulturist George Henry Pring (1885-1974), who had served an apprenticeship at Kew, had arrived at the Garden in 1906 LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
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