What is a bulb?

AW awilson@avonia.com
Sun, 06 May 2012 22:24:03 PDT
Dear Mary Sue and All,

I've taken my time in responding to your posting for it is both an
interesting and a difficult question to resolve. However, if I simply
navigate through the key within
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… it is quite
clear from the instructions that we should include orchids that possess a
pseudobulb. Perhaps some people, accustomed to seeing orchids at Trader
Joe's or, in Europe, in supermarkets are not familiar with the appearance of
pseudobulbs. Here is what a  Dendrobium speciosum (found in Queensland,
primarily) looks like after it has finished blooming:   

http://flickr.com/photos/andrewrmw/…
f6ac0391b3d83a8f9ec5

Those are the pseudobulbs starting to work on putting shoots and energy
together for next year, January here in California. Flowering follows, from
then until April, in most years. On this basis I would say that the PBS
directions for what constutes a 'bulb' are valid and that an orchid such as
this belongs within the discussions at this site. 

The more difficult question is not technical but, as I pointed out I my
posting 24 hours ago, how will inclusion of orchids such as this affect the
conversations at this website? I am quite ready to accept the terms defined
by the PBS board for 'bulb' and I hope others will do so as well. If we move
in this direction I think it should be a move that has the acceptance of a
firm majority. Otherwise, the move could lead to division within us.

Andrew
San Diego   

      




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