American Orchid Society

The American Orchid Society (AOS) is a horticultural society for education, conservation, and research of orchids. It was founded in 1921, and has an international membership.[2] It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.[4] It has been called an "industry group".[5] As of 2001 it was the largest special interest horticultural organization in the world.[6] The AOS is the parent organization for local orchid societies in North and South America.[2] It is affiliated with 600 orchid societies worldwide.[7] A local commercial orchid grower, Robert Fuchs, said, "The American Orchid Society has the best orchid library in the Americas and orchid art work that is phenomenal."[2] As of 2004 annual dues were $40.[3]

American Orchid Society
Formation1921 (1921)
Founded atBoston, Massachusetts
TypeHorticultural society, 501 (c) (3) nonprofit
Location
Membership (2011)
10,000
President
George Hatfield[1]
Affiliations600 local orchid societies
Budget (2009)
$2.5 million[2]
Revenue (2016)
$215,232[1]
Disbursements$800,000
Expenses (2016)$204,168[1]
Endowment (2016)$2,135,423[1]
Staff (2004)
22[3]
Volunteers (2004)
370[3]
Websitewww.aos.org

Grants

As of 2004 the AOS had awarded over $800,000 in grants for research in genetics, conservation, pest and disease control, propagation and fragrance and other subjects.[3] The Vallarta Botanical Gardens near Puerto Vallarta received a conservation action planning grant from the society.[8] A grant of between $500 and $12,000 for graduate study in orchid research is offered by the organization.[9] In 2004 four such grants for a total of $32,508 were disbursed.[9]

Publications

The society publishes a monthly magazine, Orchids, The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society[note 1] and provides information about orchids and growing them via its website.[10] The original title of the bulletin was American Orchid Society Bulletin from 1932 to 1995.[note 2][11] Volume 1, Issue 1 of The American Orchid Society Bulletin was published in June 1932.[12] It was styled, "A magazine devoted to the popularizing of orchids and their culture".[12] The first editor was David Lumsden.[12] An early editor of the bulletin was Louis Otho Williams, during his time as editor publication went from quarterly to monthly.[11][13] Also while Williams was editor membership in the society grew from 200 to 3,000.[13] The magazine has featured the paintings of Marion Sheehan.[14] With her husband Tom Sheehan, she co-authored the longest running series in the magazine, "Orchid Genera Illustrated".[15] John Thomas Curtis was a "well known contributor" to the bulletin.[16] Stirling Dickinson, James Brasch and Rebecca Northen have also written articles for the bulletin.[17][18][19]

The AOS also published a scientific journal, Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society from 1986 to 2002.[note 3][10][20] The journal's title commemorated John Lindley the father of orchidology and "the first taxonomist on a world scale."[21] Lindleyana was hailed as the first real scientific journal when the first issue was published.[21] It was called an excellent journal that "satisfies a long-felt need".[21]

With membership one receives a copy of the society's book Your First Orchid and the Orchid Source Directory.[22] The book Ultimate Orchid [note 4] was written by Thomas Sheenan in association with the AOS and the Smithsonian Institution.[23][24]

Paul H. Allen was a long time publication consultant for the AOS.[25]

Judging orchids

The organization trains and credentials judges for orchid shows.[26] To become an AOS Accredited Judge takes seven years of study and practice.[27] There are 30 AOS judging centers throughout the United States.[28] It also sanctions judging events and gives awards for outstanding examples of orchids.[29][30] One such award is the Highly Commendable Certificate for orchid hybrids granting the designation HCC/AOS.[31] The highest level award is the First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS).[32] Plants submitted for judging must meet established cultural, botanical or horticultural criteria.[28] The qualities judges assess include color vibrancy, splash petals, spots and different-colored lips.[33] Other scoring criteria include flower form, color of flower, size of flower, substance and texture as well as stem and arrangement of blooms.[34] The awards are a prestigious accomplishment for hobbyists and can result in higher prices for commercial growers.[28] Certain awards can make a particular type of orchid extremely valuable meaning thousands of dollars in increased profit for the grower.[35] Fuchs holds the record for most awards at over 800.[36]

History

The American Orchid Society was formed in 1921 in Boston, Massachusetts at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.[3] At the first meeting a group of 35 men and one woman set goals of organizing orchid shows in various cities, establishing a plant register, and selecting a group of experienced growers to judge plants and recognize the ones with superior quality.[3] The first president of the American Orchid Society was Albert Burrage.[37][38] The image for the seal of the society and its Gold Medal of Achievement was designed that year by Blanche Ames.[39] It features a Native American (modeled on the artist's son) looking at a branch of orchid blooms.[39] The medal was first awarded to Blanche Ames and her husband Oakes Ames in 1924.[39] The society had 18,000 members in 1976 and there were 250 affiliated local orchid societies.[40] In 1981 the AOS offered a $50,000 prize for the creation of an artificial orchid hybrid.[41]

In July 1984 the AOS moved its headquarters and orchid collection from Harvard University to the property of Lewis C. and Varina Vaughn in West Palm Beach, Florida.[4][42] It was located at 600 S. Olive Ave and was valued at $1 million.[42][43] The City of West Palm Beach designated the orchid as its official flower and adopted the nickname "The Orchid City".[42][44] The collection was accessible to the public until 1988, when Lewis Vaughn died and the estate came under city codes prohibiting operation of a business in the residential neighborhood.[45] Vaughn willed his property to the society and a special use permit allowed the AOS to occupy the 6 acre (2.4 ha) estate.[44] The permit was so restrictive visiting members could not even tour the grounds.[44] The local neighborhood association opposed the operation of the facility and for the next 13 years the headquarters were not open to the public.[44][45]

The organization's website was launched in 1996.[3] It is considered one of the best sources for information about orchids.[3][10] The American Orchid Society was listed in "The Horticulture 100" a "list of the best American gardening books, horticultural societies, perennials, shrubs, and trees" by Horticulture magazine.[46]

From 2001 to 2012 the society operated the American Orchid Society Visitors Center and Botanical Garden at Morikami Park in Delray Beach, Florida contiguous with the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.[2][6]

New location

Facing financial struggles due to decreasing membership and donations and losses in its investments the AOS partnered with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and moved its facilities to the Fairchild campus in Coral Gables, Florida.[2] Membership in 2001 was 29,000[note 5] in 2011 it was 10,000.[2] With a $500,000 shortfall in its $2.5 million budget a decision was made to close the gardens, but supporters and local orchid societies raised funds to keep the gardens open and volunteers arranged to care for the plants.[2] Society treasurer said, "When we moved to our home in Delray Beach, we thought it was our destiny. It wasn’t long before we found out we were not the best overseers of a public garden or that we should be in the retail business... We lost sight of the main thing — our members, conservation, education and research."[2]

To commemorate its 95th anniversary in 2016 the AOS recreated a series of orchid advertising images from the 1940s.[48] In 2017 the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the American Orchid Society presented an exhibit of historic and contemporary art inspired by orchids, "Orchids Through the Artists' Eyes".[49]

Awards and medals

Flower quality awards

The AOS grants three levels of awards for flower quality based on a 100 point scale.

  • Highly Commended Certificate (HCC/AOS) - 75 to 79 points
  • Award of Merit (AM/AOS) - 80 to 89 points
  • First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS) - 90 to 100 points

Other awards for plants
  • Judges Commendation (JC) - possessing distinctive characteristics but cannot be scored customarily
  • Award of Distinction (AD) - for a worthy new direction in breeding
  • Award of Quality (AQ) - one in a group of at least twelve that are an improvement over former type
  • Certificate of Botanical Recognition (CBR) - a rare and unusual species with educational value (must pass taxonomic verification)
  • Certificate of Horticultural Merit (CHM) - possessing characteristics that contribute to the horticulture of orchids

Awards for exhibitors
  • Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 80 to 89 points
  • Certificate of Cultural Excellence (CCE) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 90 to 100 points

Annual awards
  • Benjamin C. Berliner Award
  • Butterworth Prize
  • Milton Carpenter Intergeneric Onciidinae Award
  • Robert B. Dugger Odontoglossum Award
  • Roy T. Fukumura Vandaceous Award
  • Herbert Hager Phalaenopsis Award
  • The Ernest Hetherington Cymbidium Award
  • Fred Hillerman Award
  • Merritt W. Huntington Award
  • Ann and Phil Jesup Botanical Trophy
  • Benjamin Kodama Award
  • Carlyle A. Luer Pleurothallid Award
  • Masatoshi Miyamoto Cattleya Alliance Award
  • James and Marie Riopelle Miltonia Award
  • Bill Thoms Award
  • W.W. Wilson Cypripedioideae Award
  • Nax Botanical Trophy[50]

Medals

The AOS also issues medals and awards for service to the society, work in orchid culture and the research of orchids.

  • Gold Medal of Achievement - highest recognition for distinguished contributions
  • Silver Medal of Achievement - for a single project (prior to 1972 this was a plant or exhibit award)
  • Achievement Award - for contributions to any aspect of orchidology including philanthropy and public relations
  • Certificate of Meritorious Achievement in Orchid Education
  • The Thomas Sheehan Award for Outstanding Service by an AOS Volunteer
  • Ambassador Award - for lifelong service to the organization
  • President's Award
  • AOS Fellow - elected by the Board of Trustees
  • AOS Award for Excellence in Hybridizing
  • Distinguished Affiliated Societies Service Award[51]

Images
  • Phalaenopsis
  • Non-orchid companion plant
  • Vandaceous orchid
  • Vandaceous orchid
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References

Notes
  1. Orchids: The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society OCLC 475125831, ISSN 1087-1950
  2. American Orchid Society Bulletin OCLC 1480503, ISSN 0003-0252
  3. Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society OCLC 13435778, ISSN 0889-258X
  4. Sheehan, Thomas J.; in association with the Smithsonian Institution and the American Orchid Society (2001). Ultimate Orchid. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-8044-6.
  5. Robinson 2001 states membership was over 30,000[47]

Citations
  1. American Orchid Society Board of Trustees (21 October 2016). Minutes of the AOS Board of Trustees Meeting (PDF). George Hatfield, President - Presiding. San Marino, CA: American Orchid Society.
  2. Longest, Tania Voldemoro (10 November 2011). "Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, American Orchid Society partnership grows". Local News. PalmBeachPost.com. Palm Beach, FL. Miami Herald. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  3. Alden, Carolyn E. (26 June 2004). "Orchid epicenter: Delray Beach hub embraces research, advocacy, botanical gardens". At Home. Naples Daily News (Final ed.). Naples, FL. p. G07.
  4. "The American Orchid Society". www.aos.org. American Orchid Society. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  5. Grushkin, Daniel (5 May 2010). "The other orchid thief: Virus ravages the popular flower". Scientific American. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  6. "The international headquarters for the American Orchid Society". South Florida Business Journal. 21 (22). 12 January 2001. p. 14.
  7. "American Orchid Society in Palm Beach County moves its home to Miami's Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden" (Press release). PR Newswire. 3 November 2011.
  8. McDonnell, Sharon (November 2009). "A passion for plants and Mexico". Americas. Vol. 61 no. 6. pp. 58–9.
  9. Miskelly, Matthew, ed. (2005). "American Orchid Society". Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans (21st ed.). Gale. p. 121.
  10. White, Judy (1996). Taylor's Guide to Orchids. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 350. ISBN 0-395-67726-2. Retrieved 14 December 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  11. "American Orchid Society Bulletin". SearchWorks. Stanford University. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  12. "Title page". The American Orchid Society Bulletin. 1 (1). Washington, DC: The Trustees of the American Orchid Society. June 1932.
  13. Burger, William (May 1991). "Louis Otho Williams (1908-1991)". Taxon. 40 (2): 355–6. JSTOR 1223002.
  14. Thomas, Sharon (1996). "An Illustrated Survey of Orchid Genera by Tom Sheehan, Marion Sheehan". Kew Bulletin (Review). 51 (2): 426–7. doi:10.2307/4119350. JSTOR 4119350.
  15. "Sheehan, Thomas John, 92". Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, FL. 5 June 2016.
  16. "Resolutions of Respect: John T. Curtis 1913-1961". Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 42 (4): 167–70. December 1961. JSTOR 20165568.
  17. "(William) Stirling Dickinson". Contemporary Authors Online from Gale Biography in Context. Detroit, MI: Gale. 1 August 2001. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  18. "James D(aniel) Brasch". Contemporary Authors Online from Gale Biography in Context. Detroit, MI: Gale. 26 April 2001. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  19. "Rebecca Tyson Northen". Contemporary Authors Online from Gale Biography in Context. Detroit, MI: Gale. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  20. "Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society". SearchWorks. Stanford University. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  21. Schmid, Rudolph (February 1987). "Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society, Vol. 1, No. 1". Taxon (Review). 36 (1): 298–9. doi:10.2307/1221407. JSTOR 1221407.
  22. Fischer, Tom (December 2002). "Slip into the holidays". Horticulture. Vol. 99 no. 6. p. 52.
  23. Nisbet, Mary (2002). "Ultimate Orchid (book)". Whole Earth (Review). No. 108. p. 91.
  24. Homan, Becky (22 December 2001). "Relax and grow with a good gardening book". Lifestyle. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Five Star Lift ed.). St. Louis, MO. p. 14.
  25. Hodge, WH (April 1964). "Paul Hamilton Allen, 1911-1963". Taxon. 13 (3): 73–7. JSTOR 1216618.
  26. de Give, Mike (24 February 2017). "Orchid Party: These delicate flowers are easier to grow than you thought — learn how at annual show and sale". Gardening. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  27. Murphy, Jeremy (28 October 1999). "Obsessed with orchids". Neighbors. Bradenton Herald (Bradenton ed.). Bradenton, FL. p. 6.
  28. Alden, Carolyn E. (16 August 2003). "Forever blooming: Orchid photographer Greg Allikas immortalizes orchids with impeccable lighting, close work". At Home. Naples Daily News (Final ed.). Naples, FL. p. G09.
  29. Clark, Paul (17 March 2017). "NC Arboretum to host Asheville Orchid Show". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, NC. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  30. Richard, Crystal (5 June 2017). "Jewels of the jungle sparkle at Hilo Orchid Show". Arts & Entertainment. Big Island Now. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  31. Chadwick, Arthur (27 April 2017). "Rolling Stones keyboardist grows rock-inspired orchid". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  32. Broyhill, Holden (15 March 2013). "Ghost orchids back from the dead". Technician. North Carolina State University. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  33. Tesauro, Jason (13 July 2012). "An orchid by another name is a marquee". New York Times. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  34. Weatherhead, Sharon (6 April 2017). "'Orchids on parade' sets the theme for annual show". Highlands Journal. Sebring, FL. p. 20.
  35. May, Patrick (6 March 1994). "Flower power struggle". Local. Miami Herald (Final ed.). p. 1B.
  36. Jackson, Nancy Beth (7 February 2008). "Reigning trowel in a kingdom of orchids". New York Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  37. "In Memorium". The American Orchid Society Bulletin. 1 (1). Washington, DC. June 1932. pp. 2–4. ISSN 1087-1950. OCLC 475125831.
  38. "A. C. Burrage dead; Boston attorney". New York Times. 30 June 1931. p. 25.
  39. Snyder, Laura J. (July 2017). "Blanche Ames: Brief life of an intrepid botanical illustrator: 1878-1969". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  40. Franklin, John Hope (1973). "Orchidomania". The American Scholar (Review of Orchids: Flowers of Romance and Mystery by Jack Kramer). 45 (3): 460–2. JSTOR 41207402.
  41. Faust, Joan Lee (29 October 1981). "Prize of $50,000 offered for an orchid hybrid". Home Desk. New York Times (Late City Final ed.). Sec. C, p. 9, col. 3.
  42. Van Natta, Don, Jr. (10 June 1987). "W. Palm Beach picks the orchid as official flower". Palm Beach. Miami Herald (Palm Beach ed.). p. 1PB.
  43. Singer, Glenn (30 September 1985). "Orchid society blossoms after move to West Palm". Palm Beach. Miami Herald (Palm Beach ed.). p. 2PB.
  44. Grogan, John (13 April 1994). "Silly zoning fight will have no winner". Local. Sun-Sentinel (Palm Beach ed.). Broward, FL. p. 1B.
  45. "American Orchid Society opening its new digs to the public". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. 1 March 2001. pK2533.
  46. "THE Horticulture 100 (part 3)". Horticulture. Vol. 101 no. 4. August 2004. pp. 28–9.
  47. Robinson, Richard, ed. (2001). "Orchidaceae". Plant Sciences. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference. pp. 103–5.
  48. Chadwick, Arthur (28 October 2016). "American Orchid Society celebrating 95th anniversary with images from the '40s". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  49. "Community". Community. Miami Herald (1st SW ed.). 14 May 2017. p. 6SW.
  50. "AOS Awards". www.aos.org. American Orchid Society. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  51. "Medal and Award Recipients". www.aos.org. American Orchid Society. Retrieved 15 December 2017.

Further reading
  • Watson, James; Thomas, Bill (28 July 2001). "What's in a name? Orchid names reveal a lot". Homes & Gardens. Naples Daily News (Final ed.). Naples, FL. p. G09.
  • Weiss, Jeffrey (15 August 1984). "His house becomes home for orchids". Living Today. Miami Herald (Final ed.). p. 1B.
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