Peninsula Orchid Society

Peninsula Orchid Society Speakers Schedule: May 26, 2006

Marni Turkel

"Looking for Orchids in Peru"

Marni Turkel is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and has been growing orchids since 1980. She has been an active member of the SFOS since 1982. A hobbyist grower, she grows her orchids in two greenhouses at her home in Santa Rosa, California. She is especially interested in cool-growing miniature species but plenty of larger plants have crept into the collection as well. Though the collection has never been counted, most guesses put it at several thousand plants representing a wide range of genera. Marni has been a frequent contributor to Orchids magazine with her series called 'Well Worth the Space' and has co-authored several articles with Eric Christenson in recent years. Her articles have been translated into Dutch and German for international publication. Photographs of her plants have been featuredin articles for the past several years in both Orchids Magazine, Orchid Digest, Richardiana, The Orchid Review, and The Australian Orchid Review. A working potter for over 38 years, she owns and manages Stony Point Ceramic Design which is a small pottery that produces vase, orchid planters, and flower arranging containers.

Looking for Orchids in Peru.

This talk is based on a 3 week trip in June-July 2004 to northern Peru with Eric Christenson. The purpose of the trip was to look for undescribed species and species that are known, but never before recorded from Peru, for inclusion in Eric's work: the Icones Peruviarum.

It was a successful trip in a magnificent country. You will see some of Peru and of course you will see orchids and a wide range of orchid habitats. From the very dry hillsides that are the home of Oncidium onustum to the sphagnum bog of a bizarre new Maxillaria, see some of what Peru has to offer.

For more information on Marni's Ceramics, see: http://www.marniturkel.com/