There were no display tables at our May 2024 meeting, as we had all taken our plants in flower to the Suffolk Showground the previous evening to contribute to the set-up of our stand there. And it was well worth it – not only was the stand awarded a ‘Large Gold’, it also won the ‘Suffolk Seed Stores Perpetual Challenge Cup’ for the best stand in the floral marquee! Andy Gissing won the David Barton Trophy for best orchid on the stand, for his Deendrobium aphyllum. The photos at right are all of our stand except for that of..
…our speaker at our May meeting, who was Francis J Quesada Pallares. His talk was entitled ‘Malaysia 2022 – In Search Of New Nepenthes Species’ Although his main interest is orchids, he had the opportunity to participate in this scientific research trip with taxonomists and botanists from Malaysia, France, USA, Germany and the UK. It was something of an adventure, with tough trekking and some irritation from leeches and tiny stingless bees; they were well catered for, however! As well as orchid spotting en route, there were encounters with spectacular caterpillars, moths, beetles, scorpions, spiders and monkeys. Four new species of Nepenthes were described as a result of the expedition. Francis also brought a selection of orchids for sale.
Suffolk Show photos by Bill Gardiner unless credited otherwise.
