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

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interfere” (Boyle, 1983: 71-72). And similar words
from Williams: “...the plants are heedlessly torn from
their natural habitats, which are sometimes ruthlessly
cleared of the beautiful flowers that cannot be replaced
in the locality. We are sorry to hear of some of our
collectors having so little respect for these treasures
of nature’s production that they gather all they can,
having no regard for the future, and not even leaving
a few plants in the locality to increase and multiply
by shedding their seed to germinate naturally over
the mountains, rocks, and trees” (Williams, 1885:
13). “[...] Very few of our present day collectors
have retained that enthusiasm which allowed their
predecessors to bear all hardships with joy, all their
disappointments with serenity. Roezl was one of the
last representatives of those glorious few who, in all
respects, were characteristic of his time” (Anonymous,
1885: 222).
In 1853, one year before Roezl traveled the first
time to America, James Veitch acquired the Chelsea
nurseries from Messrs. Knight and Perry. Veitch’s
second son, Harry James Veitch (1840-1924) made
an apprenticeship at the famous French nursery firm,
Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co., in Paris, and returned in
1858 to help his father. “His industry and business
sense rapidly became apparent, and the firm of Messrs.
James Veitch & Sons soon enjoyed the reputation
of being the foremost nursery business in the world.
Harry’s influence in the business extended over almost
the whole of his long and useful life. “The Veitches
sent numerous plant collectors to the various parts of
the world and rendered a great service to botany and
horticulture by their introduction of new species and
hybrids” (Reinikka, 1995: 247). Among the Veitch’s
collectors who visited our region we find Gustav
Wallis, A. R. Endrés, Gottlieb Zahn, George Downton,
Carl Kramer and Richard Pearce. A detailed account
of Veitch’s most important publication, the Hortus
Veitchii, published in London in 1906, is given in the
following chapter.
John Dominy (1816-1892), the nurseries’ chief
hybridizer, is credited with raising (1854) and flowering
(1856) the world’s first orchid hybrid (Calanthe ×
Dominii), which lead to the breeding of hundreds
of new orchids as well as the establishment of a new
branch of horticulture. This was a highly controversial
achievement in Victorian Britain as it was regarded as
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LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.
tampering with nature. “Sir Harry Veitch retired from
business in 1914. With his brothers John and Arthur
both deceased, there was no successor in the family,
and rather than losing the recognized reputation which
the firm had acquired, he disposed of the nursery and
sold the land for redevelopment” (Reinikka, 1995: 249).
Many new orchid species and hybrids were dedicated
to the Veitches, among them: Cypripedium veitchianum
C. Lem., Dendrobium veitchianum Lindl., Macodes
veitchii Boxall, Masdevallia veitchiana Rchb.f., and
Phalaenopsis veitchiana Rchb.f.
A word must be said at this point about Karl
Eduard Ortgies (1829-1916). He was born in Bremen,
Germany, and chose the career of a gardener. For
many years, he worked in England in the gardens
of Chatsworth, Syonhouse and Regents Park, and
in Belgium, at the Van Houtte establishment. In the
summer of 1855 he was called to become Chief
Gardener at the Botanic Garden in Zurich, a call he
obeyed, although he hated to leave the Establissement
and the Van Houtte family that had become dear to
him. The Zurich Botanic Garden, weakly donated,
was supposed to raise the necessary funds by selling
plants and seed, without neglecting its scientific duties,
since it had to provide the University of the canton
and the Zurich Polytechnikum (only recently founded
at that time) with the necessary plants for lectures.
Ortgies was not only able to achieve the necessary
funds by trade, he also made remarkable profits
that he was able to use for the renovation of the old
conservatories, the building of new conservatories,
water supply, a rock garden for Alpines, and so on.
Considering his efforts, he received from the High
Government on his 20 year jubilee the title of an
Inspector and a considerable raise of his salary. He
was especially interested in introducing new or rare
plants, and knew to use his contacts to overseas
countries. All the many deliveries by Roezl arrived
at the market by intercession of Ortgies. From Zurich
he ran a huge import nursery, held many auctions in
London and had business contacts with the leading
market gardens of England, Belgium and Germany.
If Roezl was able to finish his life as a financially
comfortable owner of a house in tranquility - a fate
that unfortunately only very few plant hunters have -
he owes it all to his diligent and true friend Ortgies.
After Roezl, the deserving traveler Wallis applied for