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

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(1977) and the imminent publication of the last parts
of the Flora of Panama, a much broader infrastructure
was created, enough to begin with a more extense
treatment of the flora of the region. On these bases,
Raven, together with José Sarukhán K., then Director
of the Instituto de Biología of the National Autonomous
University of Mexico, and John F.M. Cannon, Curator
of Botany of the British Museum (Natural History), as
it was called at that time, proposed a floristic project,
even more ambitious, that should cover not only Central
America, but also the tropical regions of Mexico, this is,
the most important part of the tropical areas of the North
American continent. These three institutions became the
organizers of the Flora Mesoamericana project.
However, there were still doubts and criticisms, at
least amongst the orchidologists. It is interesting to
follow an exchange of letters between Ed Greenwood
and Robert Dressler regarding the subject of the Flora
Mesoamericana. “Missouri Botanical Garden is trying
to organize a new “Flora Mesoamericana” and have
asked me for an outline of the orchids, with possible
contributors. I will give them your name, as well as
Eric [Hágsater] and several others from Mexico.
I don’t know how much we can do, but it could be
an interesting project” (Dressler to Greenwood,
December 2, 1980). “The “Flora Mesoamericana”
project seems dubious to me. Louis Williams reported
that the plan is to cover the area from about the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec through Panama, using descriptions of
not over 100 words and minimum references. Only 5
years are to be allowed for completion and a rather
small amount of money, which I have forgotten for
the moment. The descriptions appear too brief to
serve for more than aids to determination, and in view
of almost everyone’s findings on the richness of the
flora and the poor state of knowledge, the result will
be vulnerable to criticism such as yours of Williams
and Allen “Orchids of Panama”, which covered only
about half of the species present. Of course we will
help in any way we can if Pete Raven asks us. I fear
that there will be gaps in Nicaragua and El Salvador”
(Greenwood to Dressler, December 11, 1980). “I agree
with all your criticisms of the Flora Mesoamericana
project. [...] There was a meeting just a couple of years
ago in which everyone said “we’re not ready”, but
Missouri has decided to go ahead, anyway. The project
is not without some botanical imperialism, and has left
LANKESTERIANA
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
some ill feelings locally” (Dressler [from Panama] to
Greenwood, January 9, 1981). “Eric [Hágsater] has put
my name, and those of several other amateurs on the
list of contributors. I don’t really object to this, though
I have some misgivings about doing a full flora of an
area so little explored ...” (Greenwood to Dressler, May
18, 1983). And finally: “I don’ really know what to say
about the Flora Mesoamericana. Like yourself, I feel
very far from the herbaria here, and field work is both
more fun and, I think, more urgent right now. [...] I
really don’t want to get bogged down in floristic work.
This is a poor place to do it, and the institute [Dressler
was at the time working at the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute ] has very little interest in this kind
of work. I really don’t see much hope of doing a decent
treatment of the Central American orchids in the near
future. I realize that I haven’t answered your questions.
The thing is that I don’t have any answers” (Dressler to
Greenwood, July 20, 1983).
Notwithstanding, the project went ahead, and
Dressler kept his position of editor for Orchidaceae.
The initial time frame was never maintained. 25 years
after the meeting in Missouri, several volumes have
been published, but the Orchidaceae are still waiting.
Fritz Hamer and the orchids of El Salvador and
Nicaragua. Fritz Hamer (1912-2004) (Fig. 62A), who
passed away recently, the most prominent and maybe
the only real expert on the orchids of El Salvador and
Nicaragua during the second half of the XX century,
was the last of a long list of German collectors and
scientists who played a relevant role in the history of
Central American orchidology. Fritz Hamer was born
in Hamburg, Germany, on November 22, 1912, where
he grew up and received his education in business in a
Dutch-owned export company. In 1936 his company
sent him to Venezuela and a year later to Guatemala,
where the onset of World War II found him. In 1942
he was repatriated to Germany, where he served in the
Army during the campaign against Russia. At the end
of the war he went back to Guatemala for a short period
of time and established himself later in El Salvador,
where he formed a successful company which imported
and distributed machinery and equipment, and which
still exists (Douglass, 1980: 19).
Rebecca T. Northen, in a letter to F. Hamer,
congratulated him to his work: “This is a most