The Long Beach Amateur Orchid Society is hosting its monthly meeting and bringing to it a little culture as guest speaker Fred Clarke presents “Cattleya Mossiae, Venezuela’s National Flower.”
Cattleya mossiae is the queen of Venezuelan Cattleyas. Once the most popular corsage flowers for Mother’s Day, it is now rarely seen in collections or the cut flower trade. Guests will have the opportunity to see pictures of the flower, learning about its habitat and the perils that await the future for the queen of Venezuelan Cattleyas on Monday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Speaker Fred Clarke has been growing orchids for 30 years. His pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark, which produced “the blackest flower ever witnessed.”
Clarke is an accredited judge in the Pacific South Judging Region and his plants have received hundreds of quality awards from the American Orchid Society.
The Long Beach Amateur Orchid Society will meet at American Legion Post 496, located at 5938 Parkcrest Street in Long Beach. The meeting is free and open to the public. For information, contact vice president Karen Moy at (562) 928-8718.
