Orange from Peru. Epidendrum radicans, Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, USA
King Carlos III of Spain (1716-1788) was an enlightened Enlightenment prince also highly interested in the natural sciences. He fitted out expeditions throughout his far-flung possessions. One such in 1777 set out for South America from the port of Cadíz in southern Spain, especially to Peru and Colombia.
Botanists on that venture were Hipólito Ruiz Lopez (1754-1815) and José Antonio Pavón y Jiménez (1754-1844). Just imagine their excitement over the wonderful plants on their path once they had landed at Lima in South America (1778-1779). They assiduously collected (in herbaria), described and sketched out many hundreds of specimens. Later Pavón drew up handwritten lists of the names they gave to their new finds. Much of this material was destroyed in a shipwreck on its way back to Europe. But the exemplar and short description of this magnificently orange Epidendrum radicans survived.
Meanwhile in England the famous botanist John Lindley (1799-1865) was hard at work on his alternative classification scheme. He disagreed with the famous Carolus Linnaeus whose system he considered artificial. Instead he put forward a scheme based upon 'the great plan of nature' itself. One of his associates was Aylman Bourke Lambert (1761-1842), a tradesman in botanical specimens. Lambert also knew Pavón.
Ruiz Lopez had by this time gone to the Great Botanical Garden Above, but Pavón was employed as an important botanist in Spain. In the political turmoils of the first decades of the nineteenth century in Spain, he sold much material to Lambert, who in turn transferred it to Lindley in England around 1822. Hence our Beauty carries the eptithet "Pavón ex Lindley". Poor Pavón, though. He had to give an account of his actions to the Spanish authorities in 1831, and died, suffering great ignominy and poverty. Thankfully, he is still remembered today by those of us who love this Crucifix Orchid.
The Lincoln Park Conservatory (1890-1895) was designed by the fine American architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee (1848-1913). At the weekends it draws big crowds but on weekdays it's a haven of rest and beauty. My visit this year was on a gorgeous sun-splashed day, but Spring was less further along than in 2008.
Orange from Peru. Epidendrum radicans, Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, USA
King Carlos III of Spain (1716-1788) was an enlightened Enlightenment prince also highly interested in the natural sciences. He fitted out expeditions throughout his far-flung possessions. One such in 1777 set out for South America from the port of Cadíz in southern Spain, especially to Peru and Colombia.
Botanists on that venture were Hipólito Ruiz Lopez (1754-1815) and José Antonio Pavón y Jiménez (1754-1844). Just imagine their excitement over the wonderful plants on their path once they had landed at Lima in South America (1778-1779). They assiduously collected (in herbaria), described and sketched out many hundreds of specimens. Later Pavón drew up handwritten lists of the names they gave to their new finds. Much of this material was destroyed in a shipwreck on its way back to Europe. But the exemplar and short description of this magnificently orange Epidendrum radicans survived.
Meanwhile in England the famous botanist John Lindley (1799-1865) was hard at work on his alternative classification scheme. He disagreed with the famous Carolus Linnaeus whose system he considered artificial. Instead he put forward a scheme based upon 'the great plan of nature' itself. One of his associates was Aylman Bourke Lambert (1761-1842), a tradesman in botanical specimens. Lambert also knew Pavón.
Ruiz Lopez had by this time gone to the Great Botanical Garden Above, but Pavón was employed as an important botanist in Spain. In the political turmoils of the first decades of the nineteenth century in Spain, he sold much material to Lambert, who in turn transferred it to Lindley in England around 1822. Hence our Beauty carries the eptithet "Pavón ex Lindley". Poor Pavón, though. He had to give an account of his actions to the Spanish authorities in 1831, and died, suffering great ignominy and poverty. Thankfully, he is still remembered today by those of us who love this Crucifix Orchid.
The Lincoln Park Conservatory (1890-1895) was designed by the fine American architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee (1848-1913). At the weekends it draws big crowds but on weekdays it's a haven of rest and beauty. My visit this year was on a gorgeous sun-splashed day, but Spring was less further along than in 2008.