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

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items as the biochemistry of the color of the flowers
or the genetic basics for the production of orchid
hybrids. As a member of the Asociación Costarricense
de Orquideología (A.C.O.) and especially during his
two terms as its President (August 1986 - July 1988
and August 1991 - July 1992), Dr. García was known
for his ability to promote, during a period when orchid
hybrids were very popular, the cultivation and study
of the native species” (Warner, 2002: 1). Joaquín
García had a prodigious memory. From John Atwood
we have these words: “I do not have the brains of
Joaquín; therefore I need a well-organized library”
(Warner, 2002: 1). Eduardo Bitter, his life-long friend,
remembers Joaquín García’s many-sided culture:
“Though his insatiable thirst for knowledge and his
immense intellectual capacity, he was an expert in
many fields: plastic arts, music, theatre, literature,
and many others” (Bitter, 2002: 3). And again Jorge
Warner: “Joaquín was always a great friend of the
Lankester Botanical Garden. In fulfillment of his last
wish, his ashes are buried, since September 22 [2001]
besides a tree that was planted in his honor in the
Garden. With his and Dora Emilia’s death, six weeks
earlier, we closed a chapter in the recent history of
Costa Rica’s orchidology” (Warner, 2002: 2). Together
with Dora Emilia Mora he published a half dozen of
new species and combinations. Franco Pupulin named
in his honor Prosthechea joaquingarciana.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. When Marie
Selby (1885-1971) (Fig. 61C) was still young, her
family moved to Marietta, Ohio where her father
studied geology and developed oil-drilling equipment.
The family frequently went on camping and hiking
trips, creating in Marie a strong love of nature at a
young age. Marie met and married William Selby
(1884-1956), a partner with his father in the Selby Oil
and Gas Company (later to become Texaco Oil). They
were wed on January 31, 1908 in Marietta, Ohio. One
of their first shared interests was automobile racing, and
subsequently Marie became the first American woman
to cross the USA by car. William Selby enjoyed fishing
and had visited Sarasota before his marriage. When
he brought his wife to the west coast of Florida, they
purchased seven acres of land bordering on Sarasota
Bay and Hudson Bayou. They built a Spanish-style
house and lived a quiet life enjoying nature, gardening
LANKESTERIANA
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
and boating. Marie was a charter member of Sarasota’s
first garden club, the Founders’ Circle (Marie Selby
Botanical Gardens, 2006).
William Selby died on 4 December 1956, after setting
up the William B. and Marie Selby Foundation for the
community of Sarasota. This Foundation continues
to fund many important education and community
projects, although it is in no way connected to Selby
Gardens except by name alone. After William’s death,
Marie lived quietly in their home until her death on 9
June 1971. In her will, she left their remaining major
asset, the bayside property, “for the enjoyment of the
general public” as a botanical garden. The first trustees
of the Gardens decided to create a tropically oriented
botanical garden with a strong research department.
Research was prioritized because it was considered
a means of bringing attention very quickly to a new
botanical garden. Further, taxonomy was selected as
the initial focus because it was thought that this work
was relatively inexpensive (ironically, in today’s world
of DNA and gene mapping, taxonomy has become
one of the most expensive scientific pursuits). Selby
Foundation funded the purchase of the botanical
library, an essential gift that enabled the research
program to flourish.
Dr. Cal Dodson, orchid biologist from University of
Miami, was the first director of Selby Gardens. Mrs.
Selby’s physician, Dr. Carlyle Luer, also a renowned
orchid specialist, went to Ecuador to interview and
persuade Dr. Dodson to take on the leadership of Selby
Gardens. Despite the fact that Mrs. Selby was a lover of
roses, a mission specializing on epiphytes was chosen
because the group represented approximately 20%
of all flowering plants, and many (like orchids) were
spectacular to display. Development of the Gardens
began in March 1972 with landscaping based on a
plan from the Department of Landscape Architecture
at the University of Florida, and with construction of
greenhouses. Selby Gardens was officially opened to
the public on 7 July, 1975. In a very short span of time,
Selby Gardens came a long way (Anonymous, 1977: 1)
(Fig. 61D). In its first 30 years, the research program has
grown, evolved, and diversified. There are three major
components to the research program: orchid research,
bromeliad research, and canopy ecology (the latter
representing the habitat where these epiphytes live).
Other tropical botanical topics of study are still part