Did anyone see that PBS orchid hunter show that was broadcast about a week
ago? Our PBS station was off the air, awaiting some parts for their
transmitter. Was it good enough that I should try demanding a
re-show? Margaret L
I saw most of it...it was interesting, but I was annoyed that they
apparently chose to follow some young British (I think) guy who had no
formal botanical training and whose primary appeal seemed to be his
willingness to take risks. In fact, he had been kidnapped and held for many
months while orchid hunting in Columbia, I believe. Not up to many PBS
shows IMO.
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of
Margaret Lauterbach
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 2:57 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: PBS orchid hunter show
Did anyone see that PBS orchid hunter show that was broadcast about a week
ago? Our PBS station was off the air, awaiting some parts for their
transmitter. Was it good enough that I should try demanding a
re-show? Margaret L
Margaret,
Do you not recall the email that I posted on [HGG] summarizing the show? It was VERY good, if for nothing else but the breathtaking images of some of the locations where they get these orchids...It's well worth it. I taped it. Once Pattie is done with it, I will be more than happy to send it to you for your enjoyment.
Best regards,
Mariana
The program is about a young man called Tom Hart Dyke who was
kidnapped and kept in captivity by guerrillas for nine months in the
mountains of Colombia in 2000. Despite his close brush with death,
he travels to Papua New Guinea which is as dangerous as Columbia in
the hunt for the special orchid, a new species that he would like to
name after his grandmother [who infected him with Orchid Fever ;)].
I learned a few interesting tid bits that I'd like to share with you:
-They are the oldest flowering plant on earth. Dating back to the
time of the dinosaurs.
-Currently the orchid is second in sales to the poinsettia in the
United States. Orchid sales and production is a 10 Billion dollars
industry.
-The flower is so popular and accesible to the average consumer that
orchid factories have sprouted all over the world. One of the
biggest factories in the USA is located in Florida.
-It is considered the sexiest flower by many.
-There was once a belief that orchids sprouted wherever animals had
mated.
-During the Victorian era, women were not permitted to have orchids
because it was too much for a real lady, too sensual for a decent
woman.
The part about pollination was the most amazing film footage that
I've ever seen. Orchids can actually trick the pollinating insect to
think that the orchid itself is an insect.
Many people infected with orchid fever have risked their lives. Many
died in the process of hunting. In 1901 eight orchid hunters went
hunting for orchids in the Philippines. One was eaten by a tiger,
five disappeared without a trace, one was drenched in oil and burnt
alive. And one survived. The survivor brought back with him 47,000
Phalaenopsis orchids.
Great documentary.
Mariana
NYC 6b
p.s. After I posted this in an all orchid forum I got a few comments back regarding some of the misinformation from PBS:
Mr. Hart Dyke was sequestered in mostly lowland northern Colombia a few hills are there but hardly mountains which are futher south.
Rainforests in the strict sense do not occur in the mountains of Colombia,
though other types of forest do. At least other accounts [e.g.,
www.theorchidsociety.org/publications.htm] indicate that life was not all bad
with the insurrectionists. Maybe a little hyperbole was desired for the
on-screen version.
Mr. Hart Dyke's difficulties on the island of New Guinea were in Irayan Jaya,
which is Indonesian New Guinea and the region of discord by the natives. Papua
New Guinea is already a nominally independent country in the eastern portion of
the island, and a tolerably pleasant place to travel. Though, some tribes of
Papuans did earn their reputations, especially prior to WWII. The PBS website
story did confuse the geography a bit with reference to Irian Jaya and two
Papuan "orchid experts" in the same paragraph.
The Orchidaceae is an "ancient" family of flowering plants by human standards,
but hardly an old family by plant standards. Based on the fossil record
ancient plants somewhat resembling magnolias provide the oldest known flowers.
These fossils go back roughly 150 million years ago, to the late Jurassic.
Also, orchids are monocots and these are still considered derived from a
dicot-like ancestor. Dinosaurs, in the traditional (incorrect) popular sense,
predated (and postdated) this datum by a considerable period of time. The term
"ancient" really means very little outside of anthropological stories.
The website story stated "7,000" orchids were collected in 1901 Philippines,
not "47,000." I'm inclined to believe with the former number, in spite of poor
writing in the PBS website article.
According to the book "The Orchid Thief", this is something that most
orchid enthusiasts share, is a sense of adventure. It's about how
hard/how dangerous they are to get.
The list talked about the book sometime back but I just got my DIL2B's
copy when I was in MI. Hard book to classify and I came away thinking
that I hadn't learned much about orchids. (more about the psychology of
the author; a lot about obsession and detachment in there) But I did
learn this!
Esther
Deborah Green
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 3:00 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: PBS orchid hunter show
I saw most of it...it was interesting, but I was annoyed that they
apparently chose to follow some young British (I think) guy who had no
formal botanical training and whose primary appeal seemed to be his
willingness to take risks. In fact, he had been kidnapped and held for
many
months while orchid hunting in Columbia, I believe. Not up to many PBS
shows IMO.
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of
Margaret Lauterbach
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 2:57 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: PBS orchid hunter show
Did anyone see that PBS orchid hunter show that was broadcast about a
week
ago? Our PBS station was off the air, awaiting some parts for their
transmitter. Was it good enough that I should try demanding a
re-show? Margaret L
Yes! - although parts of it I seem to have recalled seeing before in other
shows about orchids -- but you should ask them to re-schedule it (I thought
eventually everything on PBS comes around again)
Have you read "Orchid Thief" - they've made a film of it... I recommend the
book.
karen, nj
Yeah - well that spoiled-silly guy had oodles of (his grandma's) money (did
you see her home?) to do these things - hiring all those guides, assistants,
etc. these trips must have cost him plenty. Still, the sights and sounds
were exciting to see. Although he was annoying it was fascinating to hear
about how the competitiveness among orchid hunters has caused so much
distrust, hatred and even, murder!
karen, nj
many
Actually, IMHO (if I am remembering my classes correctly) orchids are just
about the most "advanced" of all flowering plants -- ie) the most recent to
have developed on this planet Earth.
The more advanced flowers have fewer parts, fused parts, symmetry is
irregular (for all you botnaists out there = zygomorphic)..
whereas the more ancient flowers have many parts, not fused, spirally
arranged, and have regular symmetry (actinomorphic)
I am now looking in my treasure of a book - Heywood's "Flowering Plants of
the World" (recently reprinted - Oxford Press) plants families are arranged
taxonomically -- and the orchids come last.
karen, nj
regarding some of the misinformation from PBS:
> Mr. Hart Dyke was sequestered in mostly lowland northern Colombia a few
hills are there but hardly mountains which are futher south.
> Rainforests in the strict sense do not occur in the mountains of Colombia,
> though other types of forest do. At least other accounts [e.g.,
> www.theorchidsociety.org/publications.htm] indicate that life was not all
bad
> with the insurrectionists. Maybe a little hyperbole was desired for the
> on-screen version.
> Mr. Hart Dyke's difficulties on the island of New Guinea were in Irayan
Jaya,
> which is Indonesian New Guinea and the region of discord by the natives.
Papua
> New Guinea is already a nominally independent country in the eastern
portion of
> the island, and a tolerably pleasant place to travel. Though, some tribes
of
> Papuans did earn their reputations, especially prior to WWII. The PBS
website
> story did confuse the geography a bit with reference to Irian Jaya and two
> Papuan "orchid experts" in the same paragraph.
> The Orchidaceae is an "ancient" family of flowering plants by human
standards,
> but hardly an old family by plant standards. Based on the fossil record
> ancient plants somewhat resembling magnolias provide the oldest known
flowers.
> These fossils go back roughly 150 million years ago, to the late Jurassic.
> Also, orchids are monocots and these are still considered derived from a
> dicot-like ancestor. Dinosaurs, in the traditional (incorrect) popular
sense,
> predated (and postdated) this datum by a considerable period of time. The
term
> "ancient" really means very little outside of anthropological stories.
> The website story stated "7,000" orchids were collected in 1901
Philippines,
> not "47,000." I'm inclined to believe with the former number, in spite of
poor
Yeah, but THAT interesting stuff was just a repeat of stuff in the Orchid
Thief book (author was interviewed)-I do agree the photography was more
exciting...
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of swaine
Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 5:24 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: PBS orchid hunter show
Yeah - well that spoiled-silly guy had oodles of (his grandma's) money (did
you see her home?) to do these things - hiring all those guides, assistants,
etc. these trips must have cost him plenty. Still, the sights and sounds
were exciting to see. Although he was annoying it was fascinating to hear
about how the competitiveness among orchid hunters has caused so much
distrust, hatred and even, murder!
