The American Orchid Society (AOS) is a
horticultural society for education, conservation, and research of
orchids. It was founded in 1921, and has an international membership.[2] It is a
nonprofit501(c)(3) organization.[4] It has been called an "
industry group".[5] As of 2001[update] it was the largest special interest horticultural organization in the world.[6] The AOS is the parent organization for local orchid societies in North and South America.[2] It is affiliated with 600 orchid societies worldwide.[7] A local commercial orchid grower, Robert Fuchs, said, "The American Orchid Society has the best orchid library in the Americas and orchid art work that is phenomenal."[2] As of 2004[update] annual dues were $40.[3]
The society publishes a monthly magazine, Orchids, The Bulletin of the American Orchid Society[note 1] and provides information about orchids and growing them via its website.[10] The original title of the bulletin was American Orchid Society Bulletin from 1932 to 1995.[note 2][11] Volume 1, Issue 1 of The American Orchid Society Bulletin was published in June 1932.[12] It was styled, "A magazine devoted to the popularizing of orchids and their culture".[12] The first editor was David Lumsden.[12] An early editor of the bulletin was
Louis Otho Williams, during his time as editor publication went from quarterly to monthly.[11][13] Also while Williams was editor membership in the society grew from 200 to 3,000.[13] The magazine has featured the paintings of Marion Sheehan.[14] With her husband Tom Sheehan, she co-authored the longest running series in the magazine, "Orchid Genera Illustrated".[15]John Thomas Curtis was a "well known contributor" to the bulletin.[16]Stirling Dickinson, James Brasch and
Rebecca Northen have also written articles for the bulletin.[17][18][19]
The AOS also published a
scientific journal, Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society from 1986 to 2002.[note 3][10][20] The journal's title commemorated
John Lindley the father of
orchidology and "the first
taxonomist on a world scale."[21]Lindleyana was hailed as the first real scientific journal when the first issue was published.[21] It was called an excellent journal that "satisfies a long-felt need".[21]
With membership one receives a copy of the society's book Your First Orchid and the Orchid Source Directory.[22] The book Ultimate Orchid[note 4] was written by Thomas Sheenan in association with the AOS and the
Smithsonian Institution.[23][24]
Paul H. Allen was a long time publication consultant for the AOS.[25]
Judging orchids
The organization trains and
credentials judges for orchid shows.[26] To become an AOS Accredited Judge takes seven years of study and practice.[27] There are 30 AOS judging centers throughout the United States.[28] It also sanctions judging events and gives awards for outstanding examples of orchids.[29][30] One such award is the Highly Commendable Certificate for orchid
hybrids granting the designation HCC/AOS.[31] The highest level award is the First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS).[32] Plants submitted for judging must meet established cultural, botanical or horticultural criteria.[28] The qualities judges assess include color vibrancy, splash petals, spots and different-colored lips.[33] Other scoring criteria include flower form, color of flower, size of flower, substance and texture as well as stem and arrangement of blooms.[34] The awards are a prestigious accomplishment for hobbyists and can result in higher prices for commercial growers.[28] Certain awards can make a particular type of orchid extremely valuable meaning thousands of dollars in increased profit for the grower.[35] Fuchs holds the record for most awards at over 800.[36]
History
The American Orchid Society was formed in 1921 in
Boston, Massachusetts at the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society.[3] At the first meeting a group of 35 men and one woman set goals of organizing orchid shows in various cities, establishing a plant register, and selecting a group of experienced growers to judge plants and recognize the ones with superior quality.[3] The first president of the American Orchid Society was
Albert Burrage.[37][38] The image for the seal of the society and its Gold Medal of Achievement was designed that year by
Blanche Ames.[39] It features a
Native American (modeled on the artist's son) looking at a branch of orchid blooms.[39] The medal was first awarded to Blanche Ames and her husband
Oakes Ames in 1924.[39] The society had 18,000 members in 1976 and there were 250 affiliated local orchid societies.[40] In 1981 the AOS offered a $50,000 prize for the creation of an artificial orchid hybrid.[41]
In July 1984 the AOS moved its headquarters and orchid collection from
Harvard University to the property of Lewis C. and Varina Vaughn in
West Palm Beach, Florida.[4][42] It was located at 600 S. Olive Ave and was valued at $1 million.[42][43] The City of West Palm Beach designated the orchid as its official flower and adopted the nickname "The Orchid City".[42][44] The collection was accessible to the public until 1988, when Lewis Vaughn died and the estate came under
city codes prohibiting operation of a business in the residential neighborhood.[45] Vaughn willed his property to the society and a special use permit allowed the AOS to occupy the 6 acre (2.4 ha) estate.[44] The permit was so restrictive visiting members could not even tour the grounds.[44] The local
neighborhood association opposed the operation of the facility and for the next 13 years the headquarters were not open to the public.[44][45]
The organization's website was launched in 1996.[3] It is considered one of the best sources for information about orchids.[3][10] The American Orchid Society was listed in "The Horticulture 100" a "list of the best American gardening books, horticultural societies, perennials, shrubs, and trees" by Horticulture magazine.[46]
Facing financial struggles due to decreasing membership and donations and losses in its investments the AOS partnered with the
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and moved its facilities to the Fairchild campus in
Coral Gables, Florida.[2] Membership in 2001 was 29,000[note 5] in 2011 it was 10,000.[2] With a $500,000 shortfall in its $2.5 million budget a decision was made to close the gardens, but supporters and local orchid societies raised funds to keep the gardens open and volunteers arranged to care for the plants.[2] Society treasurer said, "When we moved to our home in Delray Beach, we thought it was our destiny. It wasn’t long before we found out we were not the best overseers of a public garden or that we should be in the retail business... We lost sight of the main thing — our members, conservation, education and research."[2]
To commemorate its 95th anniversary in 2016 the AOS recreated a series of orchid advertising images from the 1940s.[48] In 2017 the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the American Orchid Society presented an exhibit of historic and contemporary art inspired by orchids, "Orchids Through the Artists' Eyes".[49]
Awards and medals
Flower quality awards
The AOS grants three levels of awards for flower quality based on a 100 point scale.
Highly Commended Certificate (HCC/AOS) - 75 to 79 points
Award of Merit (AM/AOS) - 80 to 89 points
First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS) - 90 to 100 points
Other awards for plants
Judges Commendation (JC) - possessing distinctive characteristics but cannot be scored customarily
Award of Distinction (AD) - for a worthy new direction in breeding
Award of Quality (AQ) - one in a group of at least twelve that are an improvement over former type
Certificate of Botanical Recognition (CBR) - a rare and unusual species with educational value (must pass taxonomic verification)
Certificate of Horticultural Merit (CHM) - possessing characteristics that contribute to the horticulture of orchids
Awards for exhibitors
Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 80 to 89 points
Certificate of Cultural Excellence (CCE) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 90 to 100 points
^Sheehan, Thomas J.; in association with the Smithsonian Institution and the American Orchid Society (2001). Ultimate Orchid. Dorling Kindersley.
ISBN978-0-7894-8044-6.
^
abcdAmerican Orchid Society Board of Trustees (21 October 2016).
Minutes of the AOS Board of Trustees Meeting(PDF). George Hatfield, President - Presiding. San Marino, CA: American Orchid Society.
^
ab"The international headquarters for the American Orchid Society". South Florida Business Journal. Vol. 21, no. 22. 12 January 2001. p. 14.
^"American Orchid Society in Palm Beach County moves its home to Miami's Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden" (Press release). PR Newswire. 3 November 2011.
^McDonnell, Sharon (November 2009). "A passion for plants and Mexico". Americas. Vol. 61, no. 6. pp. 58–9.
^
abMiskelly, Matthew, ed. (2005). "American Orchid Society". Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans (21st ed.). Gale. p. 121.
^
abc"Title page". The American Orchid Society Bulletin. Vol. 1, no. 1. Washington, DC: The Trustees of the American Orchid Society. June 1932.
^
abBurger, William (May 1991). "Louis Otho Williams (1908-1991)". Taxon. 40 (2): 355–6.
JSTOR1223002.
^Thomas, Sharon (1996). "An Illustrated Survey of Orchid Genera by Tom Sheehan, Marion Sheehan". Kew Bulletin (Review). 51 (2): 426–7.
doi:
10.2307/4119350.
JSTOR4119350.
^"Sheehan, Thomas John, 92". Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, FL. 5 June 2016.
^"Resolutions of Respect: John T. Curtis 1913-1961". Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 42 (4): 167–70. December 1961.
JSTOR20165568.
^
abcSchmid, Rudolph (February 1987). "Lindleyana: The Scientific Journal of the American Orchid Society, Vol. 1, No. 1". Taxon (Review). 36 (1): 298–9.
doi:
10.2307/1221407.
JSTOR1221407.
^Fischer, Tom (December 2002). "Slip into the holidays". Horticulture. Vol. 99, no. 6. p. 52.
^Nisbet, Mary (2002). "Ultimate Orchid (book)". Whole Earth (Review). No. 108. p. 91.
^Homan, Becky (22 December 2001). "Relax and grow with a good gardening book". Lifestyle. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Five Star Lift ed.). St. Louis, MO. p. 14.
^Franklin, John Hope (1973). "Orchidomania". The American Scholar (Review of Orchids: Flowers of Romance and Mystery by Jack Kramer). 45 (3): 460–2.
JSTOR41207402.
^Faust, Joan Lee (29 October 1981). "Prize of $50,000 offered for an orchid hybrid". Home Desk. New York Times (Late City Final ed.). Sec. C, p. 9, col. 3.
^
abcVan Natta, Don Jr. (10 June 1987). "W. Palm Beach picks the orchid as official flower". Palm Beach. Miami Herald (Palm Beach ed.). p. 1PB.
^Singer, Glenn (30 September 1985). "Orchid society blossoms after move to West Palm". Palm Beach. Miami Herald (Palm Beach ed.). p. 2PB.
^
abcdGrogan, John (13 April 1994). "Silly zoning fight will have no winner". Local. Sun-Sentinel (Palm Beach ed.). Broward, FL. p. 1B.
^
ab"American Orchid Society opening its new digs to the public". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. 1 March 2001. pK2533.
^"THE Horticulture 100 (part 3)". Horticulture. Vol. 101, no. 4. August 2004. pp. 28–9.
^Robinson, Richard, ed. (2001). "Orchidaceae". Plant Sciences. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference. pp. 103–5.
Watson, James; Thomas, Bill (28 July 2001). "What's in a name? Orchid names reveal a lot". Homes & Gardens. Naples Daily News (Final ed.). Naples, FL. p. G09.
Weiss, Jeffrey (15 August 1984). "His house becomes home for orchids". Living Today. Miami Herald (Final ed.). p. 1B.