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

ossenbaCh — Orchids and orchidology in Central America
built warehouses on the northern shore of the lake
which, in their correspondence, were referred to as The
Store. The place prospered and grew until it became
a small village, which kept the name and is called
today El Estor. Since his arrival in Guatemala Skinner
showed interest for its natural beauties, collecting
birds and insects that he sent to England, persuaded by
his friend, the ornithologist and writer John Gould. So
began his relation with Bateman, who convinced him
to collect orchids. “In his first letters Bateman showed
Skinner by means of descriptions and a few rough
sketches what he was looking for; Skinner quickly
learned all he needed to know how to get started
(Hamilton, 1990: 1241).” Bateman wrote years later:
“My letter [to Skinner], dated March 17, 1834, reached
him in due course, and as he never tired of telling me,
the day of its arrival was as it were a new birthday, for
it gave a fresh interest to his life, which never left him
to his very latest hour” (Hamilton, 1992).
During more than 30 years he traveled constantly
between Guatemala and England, dedicating more and
more time to the orchids. Because of his knowledge
of the land and his excellent relations, he was a great
help to other naturalists who explored Central America
in his time, such as Hartweg, Friedrichsthal, von
Warscewicz and Salvin. All important orchidologists of
his time, from Lindley to Bateman and Bentham, were
his friends, but important above all was his friendship
with Sir William Jackson Hooker, a Scot like him who
was later (1841) to be appointed as Director of the
Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
The almost constant political unrest frequently
interrupted his activities. In 1839 he wrote to Hooker:
“Such has been the state of this Country that my
occupations legitimate have been stopped and had
it not been for my thirst after Orchidaceae long ere I
[would have] cut my throat” (Hamilton, 1990: 1239).
Although he collected chiefly in Guatemala, he
obtained plants from all Central American countries.
Captain John M. Dow, in a letter to Skinner dated
December 30, 1861, recollects his excursions with
Skinner in Nicaragua (El Realejo) and Costa Rica
(Puntarenas and Barranca). A note by Lindley, in his
description of Epidendrum clavatum Lindl. seems to
point to the fact that Skinner collected at some moment
of his life in Venezuela: “Found in August, 1834, near
Cumaná [Venezuela], by Mr. Skinner”.
He also collected in the Bahamas. The ‘Botanical
Register’, in its note below plate # 61, Epidendrum
altissimum Jacq., says: “Found in rocky parts of the
Bahamas by the indefatigable Mr. Skinner, from whom
I received it in the summer of 1837. ” Skinner tells
us about his landing on Crooked Island, Bahamas
and says: “… was much struck with the appearance
of a rock of lava bearing such curious varieties of
plants, I made a considerable collection of Orchideae,
principally Epidendreae….” (in a letter to Hooker,
February 28, 1837).
Within his collections, almost a hundred new species
were found. Some of the types collected by Skinner
are: Barkeria skinneri (Batem. Ex Lindl.) A. Rich.
& Gal., Catasetum integerrimum Hook., Clowesia
russelliana (Hook.) Dodson, Coelia guatemalensis
Rchb. f., Cycnoches egertonianum Batem., Deiregyne
pyramidalis (Lindl.) Burns-Bal., Epidendrum
papillosum Batem., Epidendrum stamfordianum
Batem., Guarianthe aurantiaca (Batem. ex Lindl.)
Dressler & N. H. Wms., Guarianthe skinneri
(Batem.) Dressler & W. E. Higgins, Lycaste skinneri
(Batem. ex Lindl.) Lindl. (Fig. 26A), Odontoglossum
uroskinneri Lindl., Oncidium skinneri Lindl., and
Xylobium elongatum (Lindl.) Hemsl. Two of Skinner’s
discoveries were later declared as National Flowers.
The alba variety of Lycaste skinneri, “a thing too
beautiful for words” (Boyle, 1983: 81) is today the
National Flower of Guatemala, while Cattleya (=
Guarianthe) skinneri is the National Flower of Costa
Rica. “...The invaluable Lycaste skinneri, which
now enjoys, and, indeed, richly merits an amount of
popularity - a popularity which is ever in the increase -
such as has not been accorded to any other orchid with
which I am acquainted” (Hamilton, 1992: 18).
At the end of his life he pursued, in an almost
obsessive way, the collection of the famous Catlleya
dowiana (dedicated to Captain John M. Dow, of the
Pacific Steamship Company) (Fig. 26B), which had
been discovered years before by Warscewicz. With
this purpose he hired (together with Salvin, for whom
Arce had previously worked) a Guatemalan collector
by the name of Enrique Arce, who also collected birds.
Arce traveled first to Costa Rica and then to Panama,
on board of Captain Dow’s ship. Dow, generous as
always, had promised free passage for Arce and his
equipment and collections (Letter from Dow to Salvin,
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
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