The
RHS involvement with orchids goes back to the nineteenth century,
when such names as Lindley and Veitch featured largely in
both the orchid world and the Society. The RHS Orchid Committee,
one of the oldest of the Society's specialist committees,
meets at all the London Shows and at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Visitors to RHS Garden Wisley can see a rich collection of orchids in the Glasshouse.
Cultivation of orchids
Odontoglossum and Paphiopedilum
Registration
The RHS is International Registration Authority for orchids, registering all newly raised orchid grex names, and publishing regular lists of recent registrations.
Parentage
Search can be used to identify any grexes
from particular seed and pollen parents.
Grex
Name Search can be used to find the parentage
of particular grexes.
Downloads
Abbreviations for orchid genera - an alphabetical list of abbreviations for orchid genera, as used in Sander's List (Adobe Acrobat pdf 49KB)
List of genera with components - this list includes the new hybrid genera used in registration following the classification proposed in Genera Orchidacearum volume 4 (2005). (Adobe Acrobat pdf 208KB)
The RHS Orchid Committee
This Committee is a source of expertise for the RHS for advice on all matters regarding orchids, both in its internal and its external affairs. The Committee judges all individual and group exhibits of orchids at London Flower Shows and at other shows as appropriate. At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, it judges only individual exhibits, the group exhibits being judged by a Council-appointed Panel.
Link to the RHS Orchid Committee
Orchid
CD-ROM
The RHS in association with C & J Hermans
and Dr Henry Oakeley has produced an Orchid CD-ROM which contains:
The Hermans Index of RHS Orchid Awards 1841 - 2002;
The Hermans Subject & Author Index to The Orchid Review
1893 - 2002 and the RHS Orchids Paintings Collection.
Please note that this CD does not include Sander's
List/RHS Orchid Register.
If
you would like to know more about the CD, please contact orchidcd@rhs.org.uk
It costs £20 plus p&p.
To
download a pdf of the order form (13KB) click here
More pages on orchids
The Orchid Hybrid Lists from 2001
Further reading
The Orchid Review, founded in 1893, is the orchid jounal of the RHS and the oldest publication in its field. It includes current events, RHS Awards, shows and features about cultivation and cultivars. Also included is a separate list of the latest orchid hybrids with each issue.
Orchids are just one topic covered by the Society's monthly journal for members, The Garden, and recent articles of interest are listed below. The latest thinking from the best minds in horticulture today is to be found in the RHS journal, The Plantsman: some recent relevant articles are suggested here.
Grant, M. 1999. Orchids hop the channel. The Garden (RHS) 124(8): 572.
Greatwood J., P.F. Hunt, P.J. Cribb & J. Stewart. 1993. Handbook on Orchid Nomenclature and Registration. (RHS).
Griffiths, M. 1999, March. Calanthe craze. The Garden (RHS) 124(3): 172-173.
Hermans, J. 1997. Dracula: orchids of the shadows. The Garden (RHS) 122(2): 93-95.
Oakley, H. 2000, March. Masdevallia on parade. The Garden (RHS) 125(3): 204-205.
Pridgeon, A. 1998, February. Gems of the forest floor. The Garden (RHS) 123(2): 98-99. The fine foliage of jewel orchids.
Pridgeon, A. 1997. Chloraea: the pride of Patagonia. The New Plantsman 4(4): 240-243.
Rittershausen, W. 1994, December. Fabulous moth orchids. The Garden (RHS) 119(12): 588-590. Phalaenopsis as house plants.
Stewart, J. 1994. Ponerorchis: alpine orchid gems from Japan. The New Plantsman 1(1): 29-35.
Stewart, J. 1994, April. Orchids for spring. The Garden (RHS) 120(4): 189-191. Odontoglossum and related orchids.