July 31, 2025 • 37 mins
The San Diego Zoo is home to several critically endangered species, and not just animals. We’re talking about plants, too! This week, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Zoo Horticulture Manager Christy Powell and Senior Plant Propagator Heinfried Block about orchids. You can find orchids on every continent except Antarctica, however conditions need to be just right—including having a special fungus around. Find out how our team is saving, protecting, and caring for orchids, the importance of symbiosis, and how you can visit the Orchid House.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ruby.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
What does this world?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'll mark a went and this This is Amazing Wildlife,
where we discover unique stories of wildlife from around the
world and uncover fascinating animal facts. This podcast is in
production with Iheartradios, Ruby Studio and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance,
an international nonprofit conservation organization which oversees the San Diego Zoo.
Where we are in this beautiful greenhouse and the San
Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It feels like I'm in jungle right now.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Don't say thanks to getting there right. We've got the
humidity up. We're surrounded by plants, and it's funny that
intro talks about amazing wildlife and unique stories of wildlife
around the world, but we're kind of veering off of
the actual wildlife people might think about when it comes
to animals. True, and we're surrounded by all these awesome plants.
We're currently sitting, So anyone who can't.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
See the video, oh yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We are sitting in one of the greenhouses in the
San Diego Zoo, one of my favorite spots on It
is humid in here is human. It is a nice
field of the air just is so nice because we
are surrounded by all of these plants totally. But it's
not just plants you might find walking into your local.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Nursery, no, no, I mean, there's so much vibrancy of
life at the San Diego Zoo. And I've got to say, like,
of all the plants, I'm looking at a beautiful orchid
above me right now, I'm so distracted, you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Queue the jungle music exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
But to your point, you know, we have wildlife care
specialists for mammals and birds and reptiles and insects, et cetera,
et cetera.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
We have a lot of plants specialists too.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That we're really silked to be able to talk about
today with some right now, right right.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
And you know, as people might know from the title,
we're talking about orchids, right.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Here in southern California, you can walk into a store
like Trader Joe's or the Florial Department of other Stories,
and you see all these orchids. They're just perfectly flowering.
But there's so much more to them than just being
something you can purchase as a gift or put on
your centerpiece. There is so much going on with orchid conservation. Yes,
there are so many really amazing facts about different species
of orchids, and you and I, of course, as we
(01:58):
always say, we could talk about this or we could
have answers, right, Yeah, so we have with us, of course,
some wonderful experts here in the San Diego Zoo working
with our plants a horticulture department. But why don't you
go ahead and introduce yourselves with your title so our
audience understands who you guys are and why we're talking
to you today.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yes, my name is Christy Palm, horticulture manager. You're San
Diego Zoo Wildlife clients.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
My name is Sandred Block. I'm the specialist and senior propagator. Yeah,
the San Diego sou.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Know right, Yeah, that's a pretty impressive title, my friend. Actually,
I was just thinking back to you, by the way,
before we get going. When you and I first met
hind Frida, it was during the Year of the Tiger.
We were at the Safari Park and I was doing
some videos you did for social media, trying to get
some tigers obviously, and then I ran into you and
you're in the corner that you had all these people
asking you these questions because you had some of the
most remarkable plants orchids, right, and the passion that you
(02:49):
had that day was amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So that's why I'm really happy you're here with us today.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Of course you too, Christian, No, but I just get
excited that we show but with all that passion, So
let's just talk about orchids, right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And I did real quick too. Last time we had
Christia on the show was last season. We're talking about this,
that's right, oak tree, oak trees, Yeah, and all the
work being done to propagate that and save them. So
welcome back, and I'll let you take it from here.
What would you say is some of the more important
things you want our audience to know about orchids?
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Yes, So our orchid house here that we're in right
now has been around for fifty years, so we're celebrating
our fifty year anniversary this year, that exact, yes, yes,
And also our micropropagation lab is celebrating its twentieth anniversary.
So a micropropagation lab is essential for propagating orchid species.
(03:38):
So orchids have a natural relationship with micro rhizo fungi
in order for them to germinate.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
That's a fancy word, right there.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, so you're saying they live in community with another organism,
basically your psiosis.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Yes, oh, okay, okay, yeah, So in order to get
them to germinate, they have to have that symbiotic relationship. However,
the orchids that we have from all around the world,
we don't necessarily have that fungus available. So to get
around that, you can propagate orchids in vitro in a
micropropagation lab.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
So our micropropagation lab was started twenty years ago with
a five thousand dollars grant from the Association of Zoological Horticulture.
So I've come a long way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So we know orchids are found everywhere on the world
except for Antarctica. So to propagate them properly you would
need fungus from their native region.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
But we've been able to use science essentially to kind
of go around fungus hunting, yes, and be able to
propagate them or basically meaning we're growing more right here
in the San Diego area.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Oh wow, that's great and cool. I mean guests can
actually visit the orchid house, can't they. There's certain days
in the month, right that guests can come here.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What are those days? Exactly?
Speaker 6 (04:43):
The third Friday of each month, third Friday each month
from ten to two.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Ten to two guests can come here to San Diego Zoo,
enter the Orchid House and just explore we're we're in
right now, the vibancy of all this plant life, right, yes, Oh,
that's exciting.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yeah. In our orchet house, we have seven hundred and
sixty nine botanical taxa here, so we have the fifteenth
largest globally of our collection and seventh in the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And botannical taxi meaning different species.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Right, species, right, we focus on species conservation here.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
This is probably a dumb question, so I apologize, but
I always like to say, assume there's someone in the
world has no idea what we're talking about. When we
say the word orchid, can you describe it a little
bit for us, like what makes it unique?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Just for a guess, yes, Hindreed, Oh yeah, okay, yeah,
for explain.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
That there are certain characteristica that make an orchid and orchid.
First of all, there are live in symbiosis with microrhyzil fungi.
They all have dust seed, meaning the seed is an
embryo with cellulose skin testa lacking any endosperm, non nutrients,
hardly any starch, mostly lipits and fat, which cannot be
(05:52):
used by the emerging seedling directly. A lot of orchids
from the tropics and subtropics have a layer of cells
around the roots which enables them to stick to surfaces
such as trees or rocks. That's called the laman, So
that's specific for orchids. All orchids have symmetrical flowers cygotmorph is,
(06:15):
but the name for that tists, so they reflect in
the mirror if you hold it in the middle. All
orchids have three sea prets and three petals, whereas one
is modified in the form of the lip. That's for
all orchids.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, I mean the same exact the boy sorr if
you're really excited, But you said some are adhering to
trees right in the wild.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Are some on the ground depending on the ecosystem as well.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Yeah, yes, that's how Apparently they started out as terrestrials
ground orchids, and then actually they learn climbing on trees.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I'm kind of the ground. I'm on the go on top. Oh,
that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yes. So one thing I've noticed again I'm going to
go back to what I think our audience might see
more afterwards, is going into the store and seeing or
it's for sale and you notice that there's a steak,
and they're usually clipped up to that steak growing in
the wild obviously no and staking them out to do that.
And I think we do that because it displays the
flower up high. It looks more attractive than if it
was dangling down. But talk a little bit about the
(07:14):
flower structure, because as we sit here in this greenhouse,
there are some that have vertical shoots going up and
the flowers are standing up. There are others where things
are hanging down, like the ones that's about Marco right now.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
This one.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
What is that adaptation or the evolution of deciding how
or where or why the flower is the way it is.
Speaker 6 (07:31):
Pollinators, well, obviously.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
It gets it depends where in the ecosystem, different kind
of pollinators I'm assuming, But is there the preferred pollinator
or just insects as the whole kind of the main
ones are trying to track.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Well insects and for it. So if you go into
the neotropics, South America, Central America, Mexico. Yeah, a lot
of hummingbirds, oh coldinating orchids, and they adopted the our
shape and color. So now all of a sudden they
turn orange and red and the flower is tubular shaped
(08:08):
and puffyr pedtulums like the target of our collection. Most
of the Chinese puffy patulums that been studies would be
pollinated by bees of flies, and it's always about food
or broods. So orchids mimic certain color patterns to attract insects.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Oh really, Oh that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So one I could assume and the use that I'm
looking at across the way, they have flowers sticking up.
They're probably usually grow on the ground because they're trying
to get that flower up high. And then those that
are hanging down, they're the ones that are in the
rocks or trees, so they want to get somewhere away
from where they are to make it more obvious where
the flower is.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Yes, well there, yes, some of the epiphytes, some of
those growing on branches still send their flowers up into
the sunlight.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Can you ask you epiphytes?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Is that the word?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yes? Can you explain that word a little bit for
the kiddies.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Especially epiphyte means an orchid growing on a branch and
the tropics tropics, so.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And that's different than when we think of things like mistletoe.
I was like Christmas mistletoe, it grows in other trees,
but it actually is more it's a parasite using the
tree as oppose, the orchids aren't doing that, They're just
utilizing it for their roots to hold onto. So then
when they do that, where do they get their nutrients.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
From water getting bushed through rainfall?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Could some of it be the fungus. I'm still on
the fungus thing in my head.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
It's all about the fungus everybody, you know, But I'm
kind of wondering like symbiosis, right, I mean it's a
communal thing.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I like that concept.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
So in times of drought or when there are not
as many nutrients available, the fungus of course is giving
off the nutrients to the plant, whereas the plant gives
off sugars to the fungus after it's able to photosynthesize.
That's why just symbiosis. So it's not only working one way,
it's working the other way as well.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
That a very communal aspect right meal prep for Yeah, food,
our food. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
That's really cool, you know because last episode we talked
about human conflict with that.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
A litle fans and living together.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, and some of the issues going on.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I know one of them they mentioned was wildlife trafficking
and handfright. We talked about this in the past. That
correct me if I'm wrong. This is one of the
most traffic plants in the world, right, orchids as a whole.
I mean, obviously they're beautiful, like the one above me
is gorgeous, But that's what's impact of these plants, right, sadly? So, yes, yeah, Well,
how many orchids are there?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Actually?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Overall in the world.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
They have there was about twenty eight thousand species of orchids,
oh wow, and then about eight hundred general oh wow,
so different types of so many.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And I think we were talking about this earlier. But
some are on the endangered species list.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Correctly, right, there are only about eight percent that have
been assessed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Speaker 6 (10:50):
So we have a lot of work to do.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So what does that mean that for someone who does
not know what usan red list is and being assessed.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yeah, So the IUCE and Red List assessment is all
species worldwide, animals, plants, fenguai, all those different species, and
they do assessments for those species to figure out their
endangerments status.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
So almost got to go out there and do a
headcount basis correct, right. Sometimes for some species plants or animals,
they have to go back then and go, Okay, we
need to do that again five years from now to
see have they gone up or down?
Speaker 6 (11:20):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
But what we find in five years time sometimes you
go back and there's nothing there.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Ye, well, and some haven't even been assessed yet, right,
And then there's that, So then you don't even know
their status. So what we do here is we consider
if they're in a biodiverse region such as Palau, which
we do some conservation work in Palau, is that we
treat them as endangered because they probably are, they just
haven't been formally assessed yet.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
So what are some of the factors that our audience
might be able to support or help with, or what
sort of education can we offer them to better understand
We just mentioned trasking, meaning people going out there taking
harvesting them illegally to sell them somewhere is one of
the biggest threats for them. Some of the other things
going on that orchids are facing.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Today, habitat destruction. They're very sensitive to environmental changes too,
so when temperature and climate change, right, orchids, So they're
kind of one of the first species that you know,
are assessed.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
And yeah, what makes me think like the canary and
the coal mine kind of aspect, right, Like the references
you know, like a canaro kind of show the negative
effect of an ecosystem, so human doesn't get affected by it,
but it makes me think like an amphibian, like a.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Fro the mountain, your leg of frogs. Several seasons back,
they were saying that amphibians are one of the first
to really show that ecosystem is starting to tilt the
wrong direction. So you're saying that's kind of the same
thing for orchids too, that right, Yeah, they're the first
one to indicate things aren't going right here because they're
starting to have issues.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
And then so many with deforestation as well, so many
Eppa fytes we mentioned they grow in trees, so when
those forests are cut down, then the orchids.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
There's no home.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
Yeah, it doesn't have a home anymore either.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
So you mentioned can you talk a little bit about
that specifically? This is a Southeast Asia kind of area.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
In your Guam in Asia.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, what are some of the issues orchids in that
particular area? Why the focus for conservation of orchards?
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Yeah, yeah, We've been working in Palau for ten years now.
We started. I went there in twenty fifteen with Stacey Anderson,
our first trip there, and we did a micropropagation workshop
for orchids and also propagation of seeds and collecting of
seeds of the native diversity there. It's a very biodiverse region.
You think a lot of times of the marine life there.
(13:25):
A lot of people think of that scuba diving, but
the diversity on land is just as impressive. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I was lucky enough to go with some of the
plant team to collect some native plant seeds from northern
California and it was a really cool experience to see them.
I was laughing as a whole trip. You guys are
on a hike through the forest.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
And you were bing here.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
The plant people kept their eyes down looking at the plants.
I was the only one looking up, you know, But
it shared the passion of everything, right, But I'm curious
how does one collect the seeds of an orchid? Hi, Frank,
didn't you say it was more of a dust?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
It's see?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Can you like a vacuum cleaner?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
It was good to say. Forgive me for the word,
but can you dumb down a little bit like what
I brought?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
So that's a little visual for the dust seed. I'm
showing a seed captured dried seed capsule of goryanthe oi
cap and you can see the dust inside the little.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
It kind of looks for everyone.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
It looks kind of like a seed pod, right, maybe
like two and a half inches, and it looks like
it burst open. Just describing a little for the listeners.
And I see there's a bunch of whitish yellowish, really
fine like makeup. Oh yeah, I saw this.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I would.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
There's a joke in there somewhere, you know, But but no,
you're right, you're right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
You're trying to connect to the audience the.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
Really find Yeah, so that's archid seeds.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So those little flexion there, those are the actual seeds.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Wow? Is there a number to that? In my head?
I keep thinking seem like a singular?
Speaker 5 (14:50):
So someone really counted the seat in a potentrum seat
pot and they came up with three millions, so up
to three million three individual seat. Now, for the plant,
it's energy conserving to do it that way because they
don't need to pack any nutrients in. Right, if you
eat coin, or if you eat a pee or a pen,
ninety nine percent of that is going to be starch
(15:11):
and sugars, carbohydrates. None of that in orchids. So that's
where the fungus comes in again. And the fungus breaks
down lipids and fats, turning them into monosaccharides glucose. That's
how it works. So in the human body it's the
(15:31):
liver and the kidneys that do it when we lose weight,
when foot gets burned. Yeah, yeah, And in nature it's
a fungus doing that.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
So with three million seeds per seed pod, yeah, I'm
thinking the odds are pretty good.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Orchid should be everywhere. That's how I was just gonna say.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
But clearly that's not the case. So where do we
go from three million individual seeds in one seed pod
to yeah, maybe one or two are going to grow
if we're lucky.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Oftentimes, the relationship between the fungus the or seed as
high as specific So the fungus cannot be too strong
because it's put destroy or the sea cannot be too
weak because then it's blone to trigger gemination.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
So it's not really like parasitic in nature. In my head,
you know, it's not taking too many resources from the orchid.
It's definitely more of a symbiosis kind of thing. I
don't know if you know this answer or not, but
my brain's like, why did this happen? Like is there
evidence of when do the organism shift into needing a
fungus to survive. Perhaps it's always been that way, but
it makes me wonder maybe the lack of resources and
they just adapted themselves to living in these like low
(16:35):
nutrient rich kind of ecosystems.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I'm thinking, like carnivorous plants something kind.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
Of similar in nature.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
They would have to land near the mother plant in
order to germinate, where that micrys of fungi is.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Oh oh okay, when when blown oh wow, so that'd
be a bummer. Then if the seedpod cracks open on
a breezy day, they're all blown down away from the
mother plant, and so the fungus isn't going to be
available where they land.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Hoping to find the fungus. So fungi are sumed to
be on out surfaces everywhere. The only time we ever
see them is when they've got fruiting bodies, but mushrooms
or mold. However, the microhyzer the roots is everywhere, just
not inside for us, so chances are it may find
(17:18):
the fungus in nature, and some areas seem to be
prone to have that more than others. Look at Palau
growing on every tree, growing in the field, growing on
old boxed mines, which is really soiled when not even
trees spun and grow. But some of the specta clutters do.
They are some of them are really conquering species, but
(17:41):
then retract as soon as the environment changes.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
And you guys have to sort of like recreate this
kind of concept, the symbiosis here in San Diego. Zoo, Hey,
I think I've seen you in your fancy little lab
go going into that micropropagation lab.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Is that what it's called, right, Yeah, I know it's funny,
but it's a serious lab. Go. I mean, you guys,
there's some visuals.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I was just gonna literally ask you that what are
you doing? With these by the way, tell me, tell
me so.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
In the lab, you replace the fungus, and you do
that by taking sugar, simple sugar, adding it to aga,
putting in a bunch of other stuff, different sources of nitrogen,
and then sterilize your seat and sow the seed in
the sterile enbindment Lamina flowhood is what it's called. You
get germination and then you perform replates. You keep those
(18:28):
orchids growing. And that's Pafiopedilum amignacum, really nice bright yellow
species from southern China, critically endangered in its natural habitat.
And we've got some plants here that came to us
I think in nineteen ninety two, and we're able to
grow out the next generation from seed.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So for those who aren't watching the video, what he
has is a jar that looks like a average like
maybe mason jar size. The bottom inch looks almost like
a bluish gelatin sort of and that's where the sugars
are in or the growth media charcoal in there sho okay,
gives a color oka and so. And then in that
the rest of the jar is this beautiful orchid with
its roots going everywhere.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
It's like I'm guessing like a recipe each plant a
little bit different kind of style and a pinch of this.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yeah, I'm just kind of breaking in down. Let's go
a little bit.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
But no, I'm sure it's really complicated for every species, right, yes.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yes, And Hindfried's figured out the secret sauce for a y.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
It's probably a later question. I was like, how did
you get into this?
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But you have a basically what I'm saying, I am
not a puzzle person, sir, And I don't think I
have the patient to sit there and do that kind
of like detailed work that I've been seeing you too.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
But I imagine it's very and I've seen you work
and you're so focused when you do that.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
I don't like to do puzzles either, Okay, okay, oh wow, Yeah, Well.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I've got a question. I remember once before in the
Orchid House Tour, it was mentioned that there is a
species of orchid that everybody knows about. Probably have some
of it in their kitchen, might have some of it
in their freezer in the form of ice cream.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Kah.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
I asked just a bit about the vanilla bean, which
isn't a true bean. Now you had showed us earlier
the seed pod. That's essentially what the dried version of
that from the proper species of orchid. It's a certain species, correct.
I don't know all the details. So just so our
audience can feel a little more connected to what we're
talking about today, share some insight about that. That vanilla bean.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
I've never heard either one of you.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
So vanilla planifolia from the state of Fera Cruz. I
think that's where it started out in Mexico. It was
imported into Madagascar. I'm in Madagascar. It bust discovered that
you can hand pollinate the flowers and they got it
going commercially, so.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
The ones in Madagascar, though the true species originated from
South America, from Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, and so now they're
propagated to the level that people have this in their lives.
But here we are talking about orchids and how all
these challenges and everything. Is this just a heartier species
that they figured out to do this with, or is
it nature of how they have figured to propagated in
(21:12):
the greenhouse allows.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Them to do what they need to do to make
that much well. The do or kids do grow from cuttings. Okay,
so that's an easy one to propagate.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So the way you said it makes me think other
orchids don't grow from cuttings very well, that's.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Christy is saying no.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
And I will mention one of our first plants here.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh yeah, Oh that's a cool looking one.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
This is epened UNDERM. E. Lens. So this was one
of the first ones we hand pollinated in our orchid
house and grew from.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
A seed and long tends should describe it a little like,
we're not a flower on it yet, but it has
almost like a bamboo tendral kind of to it, right.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Yes, yes, it's a habit is a little bit more
like bamboo almost as far as like a small ground bamboo. Yeah,
where it has kind of like long stems with leaves
going off of it in strap shaped leaves. This particular individual,
so our orchid specialist that was in the orchid house
for twenty nine years, Jeanet Garrity, and when I was
first in the orchid house as a plant propagator when
(22:13):
we first started the micropropagation lab, she mentioned that this
was one of the high priority species of growing more
of Oh really, because we only had one in our collection.
It was found in the late nineteen seventies from trees
that had fallen and it was rescued from that area
in botanic gardens. And then now it's believed to be
(22:34):
extinct in the wild.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Oh wow, really, so we only.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Had one individual, so we hand pollinated. We got another
individual out of that, which is unusual. Usually you get
hundreds or none. Really, there was one individual that germinated. Yes,
and you hear that one on and that one's in
the orchid house now. And then the mother plant actually
was virused, so we have what do you mean by that?
So orchids can get a virus in collections, so we
(23:01):
have to make sure we're virus testing. So Heinfrie does
that a lot with volunteers, virus testing and making sure
our collection is clean from viruses. So it's good that
we have now babies. This is a later baby. This
is from twenty sixteen, but the other one was from
two thousand and six, I believe, And that one's too
big to bring over here.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Fough moving a little bit in conservation, but in a
way it's so connected. But I'm thinking about wildlife trafficking,
and I'm sure there's some listeners right now wondering, well,
I love orchids, I want them in my house, but
I don't want to negatively impact populations in the wild.
Can you give us some tips for our listeners, like
what would you recommend to them if they wanted to
have an orchid in their home or maybe you're discouraged that.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Well, what's your opinion on that? What do you guys
have to say about it?
Speaker 5 (23:42):
Well, obviously, if those plants Trader jows are not a problem,
they're all lap propagated. And if you buy orchids, just
make sure they're from a good source. Yeah, ask where
they're from, a nustry that you trust.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Oh, that's a good point to be responsible consumer, like
we talked about. Yeah, yeah, exactly, kind of the same
exact gang.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Is all orchids are on SIS. They're side is regulated,
so which means that you can't bring orchids into the
country without having proper permits.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Yeah right, Yeah, it good reminded to you when you're traveling.
You know, Oh your money speaks right, Yeah, say that
again for you.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Yeah, don't put one in your suitcase.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Not put it in your suitcase.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
We'll get confiscated and we're a plant rescue center, so
any orchids. We just got a confiscation last month, and
many of our orchids came to us by border confiscations.
We started as a plant rescue center in nineteen eighty eight.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Oh wow, that's great.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
And so what we do is a plant rescue center
is house those individual orchids that came across into the
country without the proper permits, and then we keep them
in our collection and then we are able to propagate them.
Heindfried's done a great job propagating a lot of those
pathio pedlums that came into US as border confiscations. So
we're trying to just get more of them so that
(24:55):
propagate have more babies that we can share with other
Botannica gardens that are plant rescue centers.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Now, you had mentioned the one you had picked up
earlier that it is basically extinct in the wild. Are
there other species of workers here at the San Diego
Zoo that are extinct in the wild.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Heinfried's going to talk about a few of those.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Oh yeah, right, sir, spill the sea.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
Well, there is Paffio pedilum jewellery eye from the Southern
States of India, one of the most isolated Paffiopedilum populations
discovered for the first time around the turn of the
century eighteenth into nineteenth hundred century. People went in cleared
out the stand, rediscovered for a second time in nineteen
(25:34):
seventy and then there is even an article rediscovering Pafio
Pedilum jewellry I where the author of that article at
the same time had a nursery and exported plants from
India to Nairobi, Kinya, and from Kenya to Europe and
to the United States. So that second stand in nature
(25:57):
is extinct. Once in a while you'll hear how there's
one growing in the forest or so, but nothing affirmed,
no solid evidence, rightid evidence. So those two big populations
are gone. And that's Pafio piedilum jewelry a. Pafio Pedilum
taigrinum used to grow in Myanma and China, and from
(26:19):
what I'm hearing at the moment, it's growing in China.
No sighting in Miyanma for a while.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Wow, is there certain regions in the world where they're
really getting hit really hard.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I'm hearing Asia a lot.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
South Southern Pacific area there's a lot of issues going
in orchards in particularly allow As an example.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
And Indonesia as well. Yes, Borneo. So there are plants
like Paffiopedilum stoniai that's really rare, and paffio Pedilum sandrium.
They grow in areas. One grows in an area limited
to eight square kilometers, the other one grows in area
(26:57):
limited to four square kilometers with one subpopulation. The other
one I don't think even has been assessed since twenty fourteen,
so the area of distribution is real this month. If
you then have protests going in taking plants out, doesn't
end well.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
No, not at all. Wow, sitting here listening to you
speak about this, your depth and breadth of knowledge is
amazing both of you. Obviously, if there's a listener out
there who's like, I love plants too, and they're like
maybe there are hobbies but they want to get into
it as a profession, or they're coming up in college
and they can't figure it out, but they know they
are plants. How did you get into what you do?
(27:35):
Because it's not just I'm going to take care of
plants in a greenhouse. You're in a lab. Also, you're
doing so much work. How does one get into this
line of work?
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Is that got?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Really?
Speaker 1 (27:44):
What your back?
Speaker 5 (27:47):
My backstory is that I got a book about orchids
when I was ten years old, Oh really, and the
wee later had my first orchid courtesy grandma, and they've
always been around a.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Little hind fried with aic is a grandma. That's my story.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
And then my mom was a nurse and she showed
me how to do the sterid work, like first of
all in steam over a pot, how to keep your
kitchen steroid doing it and then eventually soapbox. So I
did that sewing when I was sixteen because you could
get instant media was a company in Frankfurt on courser
(28:26):
Eickenheimer Launch Trasser. That's where I bought my instant media
and then just went to town.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Okay, obviously this is a home brew situation for you.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Yeah, I mean there's a president.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Would there be a line of education or a route
someone could go if they don't have a grandma giving
them an orchid, if they don't have a mother who's
a nurse, I know, right, Family support goes a long way, obviously,
but is there a line of education that would help
bring someone into this world.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
An apprenticeship in the nursery and you specialize in orchid
nursery with a lab adjacent lab to learn what you're doing.
And then if you want to study biology, buttony, study
Boligi buttony now because.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
They can ask you, what about you? What's your origin story?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
So when I was in high school, I was involved
in FFA agriculture.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Education really too.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
He went more than ammal war. Apparently you went the
plant route.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
But yes, I did do poultry judging and that was
that's another podcast episode.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Different sites focused on the plants, right, But that's great.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Right, Yes, So I found horticulture science, oh wow, to
be my passion. So we had horticulture judging contests and
then I realized you could have a career in this.
So I went on to school at Purdue University and
got my undergrad in horticulture science and my master's in
agriculture Extension education, and then moved out here twenty three
years ago and found a job at the San Diego
(29:49):
Zoo in the nursery.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So you started off in the nursery and you've just
kind of worked your way up here. I remember we
worked there in the past when I was back in children.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Really yeah, wow, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
You know, it's a cheesy line, you guys, but I
always like to hype up horticulture and everything that you
guys do, because when you walk through the zoo and
I'm into my zone, you know, and the lights flickering
through the trees, and I think, like, no, just to
the animals that we have here, which are amazing, but
it's really the plants that create this beautiful vibrance.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
See this vibe that we got here at San Diego
Zoo and it's a fari park and you guys do
such an amazing job.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
And I just really want to encourage all the listeners
that when you go to the zoo in the park,
I always tell them stop for a moment, take a breath,
and look around, especially the plant life because.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It is incredible.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Like one of my favorite areas is Africa rocks, like
the points that they are really great.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
I'm curious for you guys at the zoo.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Oh yeah, do you have favorite spot that you'd recommend
for Oh, carnivorous plant suit, you don't forget that. Any
other spot for you guys, It can be those two,
but any other spots you are a big fan.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Of that, you'd recommend progression can Yeah, we brought that
one before.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Nice place to go in a hot summer day.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Yeah, it's a whole different ecosystem on a hot day.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
So good.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah, I've read some books over their fern canyon is gorgeous.
Hind Friday especially.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Straight up.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Yeah, and a reminder, guessing, come right again, just visit
the website and you can see the plant days and
friend you were saying, there's also like a bus tour
that happens as well.
Speaker 6 (31:13):
Yes, the third Friday of the month, every third Friday.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Of the month, a specific bus tour. Is it called
the plant tour orchid tour?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Botanical bus Touranical eleven and eleven?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Pretty sure. If you become a member, you get to
sing in the mail called the Journal that also has
a calendar once a year that it has a plant
dates marked on it for you already. Well, yes, website
website too, yes of course, but I'm just thinking if
you're gonna come for the plant tours the animals membership.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Joe, No, the neighbors Plant Greenhouse is open.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
He plants run over here to you whenever are orchids
sometimes available any species, just so in case our guests
are curious during plant sales.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
Yes, heinfreed's been hard at work.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh yeah, are you working on that?
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Next Friday, next plant is for the first time we'll
offer in vitro little seedlings oh that our guests can
de flask and put on medium. Oh wow, so see
how that goes.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
So that was an opportunity to be a participant in
the work you do, at least experience how exactly that is?
So cool? I'm going to come for that.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Oh that's great.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Well I think there's yeah, one more question that one
more question orchid wise, do you have a favorite orchid?
Speaker 4 (32:30):
And why?
Speaker 3 (32:30):
I want to know, because you know, we have favorite
animals like his is a venture on. Mine's a crested
kata gotta. And if it's not an orchid, that's okay.
So how about I'll make it easier.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
You have a favorite plant that really just like pops
up in your head.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
I'll start.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
I remember when I was in Palau, this first time
I've ever seen orchids just stripping from the trees, and
we were looking really hard for podium frasinides, okay, and
it was way up in the tree and we actually
found one. It's a spotted flower, yellow with red spots,
and it's just beautiful. And just to see that in
the wild. And then with exit you conservation, we're able
(33:03):
to bring some seeds back and sew them here and
then share our findings and help out with conservation and
propagation and palau as well.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
That must been so overwhelming seeing that out in the wild.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
I remember when I saw condos for the first time
in a while, I just I teared like a blubbering baby.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Everyone else in the car, not zoo people, they were
just laughing at me, but it was so impact. That's
really cool. How about you, hein Fred, Do you have
a favorite?
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Not really, No, not really a favorite. I love all
of them when they're in flower. I started collecting because
I really like Katlea Dowhana, Katla Rex and c Clia Marie.
But no, they're all beautiful and they're own right whenever
they're flowering. Some have beautiful leaves, others have beautiful flowers.
I couldn't commit myself to only one I wanted.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Do you remember the type of orchid your grandma ebe
when you were a kid. Do you remember.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Katla labiata hybrid. Yes, oh that's how it started.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Is there any final words of wisdom that you want
to tell our listeners before we enter today's awesome orchid
conversation or something you wish you want them to know.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I would say, just to plants in general, So just
be curious and to look at the world around you
and do research. And you know, I naturalist is a
good way to do too. And we talked about with
the oaks. We have the oak Watch. Ye, so there's
lots of ways that you can be involved with nature
and learn about the plants around.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
You and go that way.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
Whatever you hand fried, don't over a wata your or kids.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Admittedly I didn't want to say, as some embarrassed I
could never keep one alive in my house.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I'll tell you right now I think.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
Don't use ice cubes.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Don't use ice cubes.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Never use ice use ice cubes. If people do that, well,
it's even printed on the labor it it's the greatest
gimmick because shoot, Dumba's right, six weeks later you have
to bind new ones. So never use ice cubes and
don't over wata.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
Okay, no ice cubes don't over water. You heard it today,
folks from the specialist here in San Diego Zoo.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, thank you both so very much for taking time
and allowing us to come in and be in your
space here with your plants. It's amazing, so I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Thank you, Yeah, thank you, thank you much for giving
us the chance to introduce ar kids to the public.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Oh, it was our pleasure, Like orchid knuckles. Awesome, guys,
that was great. Thank you so much. Oh man, I
learned so much. Rick, that was amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
I mean, it's just a reminder about how much the
San Diego Zoo wild Lifelants does for plants and that
tip to our horticulture team. I know you and I
have highlighted them before last year from bamboo and we
talked about the oaks as well. But I think spaces
like this greenhouse people don't even know exist they walk
by it because it's not open every day to.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
The right, but we learned.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
We learned again the publican access visit the website, but
it's every third Friday. Come to the Orchid House. There
may be a plant sale going on and it's open
ten to two. And also one of my favorite places.
Carnivorous Area is open ten to one, and we also
have botanical plant tours happening at eleven and Newts and
that's on the bus, right, that's on the busy.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Definitely come here every third Friday. And that was really
really cool.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
And I think you know you'd mentioned during the interview too,
just how important it is to understand the plants because realistically, yes,
we're a zoo, we have the animals, but all of
us rely on plants, not only for air but for energy, Like, yeah,
they transform the sun into things we can use for food.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
I no, I mean, I'm sure you and I know,
but there's like seven hundred thousand plants that live here
at the San Diego so it's definitely worth visiting.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
And my friend, I do love the zoo, but I'm
extra excited because.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
There's a slight possibility that we're going to be going
to the Safari Park to the next episode and maybe
talking about little feathery friend right, well, you.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Know you want to talk about.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I know they haven't really decided yet the powers to
be but if I say it now, you know and
really get it on camera.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
But do you even like birds?
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Do I? Love birds. Sure, I've been choked out of
my seat. No, but I'm excited what we might talk.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
About the thick bill parrot, which is a remarkable parrot
that is local to the United States and in Makeles.
So I am crossing my fingers and my feathers that
we can talk thick bill ferrots next time for a
safarr or Amazing Wildlife.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Look, how excited I'm the now thinking about it.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
And if for any reason we don't get to talk
about it in the upcoming episode, we'll talk about it
perhaps in the following episodes.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Whatever the case maye, it's gonna be a pretty exciting time. Well, everyone,
I'll mark away.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And I'm Rich Schwartz. Thanks for listening and for watching.
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to s d zw a
dot org. Amazing Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our
supervising producers are Nikia Swinton and Dylan Fagan, and our
sound designers are Sierra Spreen and Matt Russell. For more
(37:41):
shows from iHeartRadio, check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Ruby.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
What does this world?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'll mark a went and this This is Amazing Wildlife,
where we discover unique stories of wildlife from around the
world and uncover fascinating animal facts. This podcast is in
production with Iheartradios, Ruby Studio and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance,
an international nonprofit conservation organization which oversees the San Diego Zoo.
Where we are in this beautiful greenhouse and the San
Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It feels like I'm in jungle right now.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Don't say thanks to getting there right. We've got the
humidity up. We're surrounded by plants, and it's funny that
intro talks about amazing wildlife and unique stories of wildlife
around the world, but we're kind of veering off of
the actual wildlife people might think about when it comes
to animals. True, and we're surrounded by all these awesome plants.
We're currently sitting, So anyone who can't.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
See the video, oh yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We are sitting in one of the greenhouses in the
San Diego Zoo, one of my favorite spots on It
is humid in here is human. It is a nice
field of the air just is so nice because we
are surrounded by all of these plants totally. But it's
not just plants you might find walking into your local.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Nursery, no, no, I mean, there's so much vibrancy of
life at the San Diego Zoo. And I've got to say, like,
of all the plants, I'm looking at a beautiful orchid
above me right now, I'm so distracted, you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Queue the jungle music exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
But to your point, you know, we have wildlife care
specialists for mammals and birds and reptiles and insects, et cetera,
et cetera.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
We have a lot of plants specialists too.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That we're really silked to be able to talk about
today with some right now, right right.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
And you know, as people might know from the title,
we're talking about orchids, right.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Here in southern California, you can walk into a store
like Trader Joe's or the Florial Department of other Stories,
and you see all these orchids. They're just perfectly flowering.
But there's so much more to them than just being
something you can purchase as a gift or put on
your centerpiece. There is so much going on with orchid conservation. Yes,
there are so many really amazing facts about different species
of orchids, and you and I, of course, as we
(01:58):
always say, we could talk about this or we could
have answers, right, Yeah, so we have with us, of course,
some wonderful experts here in the San Diego Zoo working
with our plants a horticulture department. But why don't you
go ahead and introduce yourselves with your title so our
audience understands who you guys are and why we're talking
to you today.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yes, my name is Christy Palm, horticulture manager. You're San
Diego Zoo Wildlife clients.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
My name is Sandred Block. I'm the specialist and senior propagator. Yeah,
the San Diego sou.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Know right, Yeah, that's a pretty impressive title, my friend. Actually,
I was just thinking back to you, by the way,
before we get going. When you and I first met
hind Frida, it was during the Year of the Tiger.
We were at the Safari Park and I was doing
some videos you did for social media, trying to get
some tigers obviously, and then I ran into you and
you're in the corner that you had all these people
asking you these questions because you had some of the
most remarkable plants orchids, right, and the passion that you
(02:49):
had that day was amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So that's why I'm really happy you're here with us today.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Of course you too, Christian, No, but I just get
excited that we show but with all that passion, So
let's just talk about orchids, right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And I did real quick too. Last time we had
Christia on the show was last season. We're talking about this,
that's right, oak tree, oak trees, Yeah, and all the
work being done to propagate that and save them. So
welcome back, and I'll let you take it from here.
What would you say is some of the more important
things you want our audience to know about orchids?
Speaker 4 (03:18):
Yes, So our orchid house here that we're in right
now has been around for fifty years, so we're celebrating
our fifty year anniversary this year, that exact, yes, yes,
And also our micropropagation lab is celebrating its twentieth anniversary.
So a micropropagation lab is essential for propagating orchid species.
(03:38):
So orchids have a natural relationship with micro rhizo fungi
in order for them to germinate.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
That's a fancy word, right there.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, so you're saying they live in community with another organism,
basically your psiosis.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Yes, oh, okay, okay, yeah, So in order to get
them to germinate, they have to have that symbiotic relationship. However,
the orchids that we have from all around the world,
we don't necessarily have that fungus available. So to get
around that, you can propagate orchids in vitro in a
micropropagation lab.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
So our micropropagation lab was started twenty years ago with
a five thousand dollars grant from the Association of Zoological Horticulture.
So I've come a long way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So we know orchids are found everywhere on the world
except for Antarctica. So to propagate them properly you would
need fungus from their native region.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
But we've been able to use science essentially to kind
of go around fungus hunting, yes, and be able to
propagate them or basically meaning we're growing more right here
in the San Diego area.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Oh wow, that's great and cool. I mean guests can
actually visit the orchid house, can't they. There's certain days
in the month, right that guests can come here.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What are those days? Exactly?
Speaker 6 (04:43):
The third Friday of each month, third Friday each month
from ten to two.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Ten to two guests can come here to San Diego Zoo,
enter the Orchid House and just explore we're we're in
right now, the vibancy of all this plant life, right, yes, Oh,
that's exciting.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yeah. In our orchet house, we have seven hundred and
sixty nine botanical taxa here, so we have the fifteenth
largest globally of our collection and seventh in the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And botannical taxi meaning different species.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Right, species, right, we focus on species conservation here.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
This is probably a dumb question, so I apologize, but
I always like to say, assume there's someone in the
world has no idea what we're talking about. When we
say the word orchid, can you describe it a little
bit for us, like what makes it unique?
Speaker 6 (05:24):
Just for a guess, yes, Hindreed, Oh yeah, okay, yeah,
for explain.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
That there are certain characteristica that make an orchid and orchid.
First of all, there are live in symbiosis with microrhyzil fungi.
They all have dust seed, meaning the seed is an
embryo with cellulose skin testa lacking any endosperm, non nutrients,
hardly any starch, mostly lipits and fat, which cannot be
(05:52):
used by the emerging seedling directly. A lot of orchids
from the tropics and subtropics have a layer of cells
around the roots which enables them to stick to surfaces
such as trees or rocks. That's called the laman, So
that's specific for orchids. All orchids have symmetrical flowers cygotmorph is,
(06:15):
but the name for that tists, so they reflect in
the mirror if you hold it in the middle. All
orchids have three sea prets and three petals, whereas one
is modified in the form of the lip. That's for
all orchids.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, I mean the same exact the boy sorr if
you're really excited, But you said some are adhering to
trees right in the wild.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Are some on the ground depending on the ecosystem as well.
Speaker 5 (06:40):
Yeah, yes, that's how Apparently they started out as terrestrials
ground orchids, and then actually they learn climbing on trees.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I'm kind of the ground. I'm on the go on top. Oh,
that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yes. So one thing I've noticed again I'm going to
go back to what I think our audience might see
more afterwards, is going into the store and seeing or
it's for sale and you notice that there's a steak,
and they're usually clipped up to that steak growing in
the wild obviously no and staking them out to do that.
And I think we do that because it displays the
flower up high. It looks more attractive than if it
was dangling down. But talk a little bit about the
(07:14):
flower structure, because as we sit here in this greenhouse,
there are some that have vertical shoots going up and
the flowers are standing up. There are others where things
are hanging down, like the ones that's about Marco right now.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
This one.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
What is that adaptation or the evolution of deciding how
or where or why the flower is the way it is.
Speaker 6 (07:31):
Pollinators, well, obviously.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
It gets it depends where in the ecosystem, different kind
of pollinators I'm assuming, But is there the preferred pollinator
or just insects as the whole kind of the main
ones are trying to track.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Well insects and for it. So if you go into
the neotropics, South America, Central America, Mexico. Yeah, a lot
of hummingbirds, oh coldinating orchids, and they adopted the our
shape and color. So now all of a sudden they
turn orange and red and the flower is tubular shaped
(08:08):
and puffyr pedtulums like the target of our collection. Most
of the Chinese puffy patulums that been studies would be
pollinated by bees of flies, and it's always about food
or broods. So orchids mimic certain color patterns to attract insects.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Oh really, Oh that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So one I could assume and the use that I'm
looking at across the way, they have flowers sticking up.
They're probably usually grow on the ground because they're trying
to get that flower up high. And then those that
are hanging down, they're the ones that are in the
rocks or trees, so they want to get somewhere away
from where they are to make it more obvious where
the flower is.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
Yes, well there, yes, some of the epiphytes, some of
those growing on branches still send their flowers up into
the sunlight.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Can you ask you epiphytes?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Is that the word?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Yes? Can you explain that word a little bit for
the kiddies.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Especially epiphyte means an orchid growing on a branch and
the tropics tropics, so.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And that's different than when we think of things like mistletoe.
I was like Christmas mistletoe, it grows in other trees,
but it actually is more it's a parasite using the
tree as oppose, the orchids aren't doing that, They're just
utilizing it for their roots to hold onto. So then
when they do that, where do they get their nutrients.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
From water getting bushed through rainfall?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Could some of it be the fungus. I'm still on
the fungus thing in my head.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
It's all about the fungus everybody, you know, But I'm
kind of wondering like symbiosis, right, I mean it's a
communal thing.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I like that concept.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
So in times of drought or when there are not
as many nutrients available, the fungus of course is giving
off the nutrients to the plant, whereas the plant gives
off sugars to the fungus after it's able to photosynthesize.
That's why just symbiosis. So it's not only working one way,
it's working the other way as well.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
That a very communal aspect right meal prep for Yeah, food,
our food. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
That's really cool, you know because last episode we talked
about human conflict with that.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
A litle fans and living together.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah, and some of the issues going on.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I know one of them they mentioned was wildlife trafficking
and handfright. We talked about this in the past. That
correct me if I'm wrong. This is one of the
most traffic plants in the world, right, orchids as a whole.
I mean, obviously they're beautiful, like the one above me
is gorgeous, But that's what's impact of these plants, right, sadly? So, yes, yeah, Well,
how many orchids are there?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Actually?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Overall in the world.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
They have there was about twenty eight thousand species of orchids,
oh wow, and then about eight hundred general oh wow,
so different types of so many.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And I think we were talking about this earlier. But
some are on the endangered species list.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
Correctly, right, there are only about eight percent that have
been assessed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Speaker 6 (10:50):
So we have a lot of work to do.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So what does that mean that for someone who does
not know what usan red list is and being assessed.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yeah, So the IUCE and Red List assessment is all
species worldwide, animals, plants, fenguai, all those different species, and
they do assessments for those species to figure out their
endangerments status.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
So almost got to go out there and do a
headcount basis correct, right. Sometimes for some species plants or animals,
they have to go back then and go, Okay, we
need to do that again five years from now to
see have they gone up or down?
Speaker 6 (11:20):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
But what we find in five years time sometimes you
go back and there's nothing there.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Ye, well, and some haven't even been assessed yet, right,
And then there's that, So then you don't even know
their status. So what we do here is we consider
if they're in a biodiverse region such as Palau, which
we do some conservation work in Palau, is that we
treat them as endangered because they probably are, they just
haven't been formally assessed yet.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
So what are some of the factors that our audience
might be able to support or help with, or what
sort of education can we offer them to better understand
We just mentioned trasking, meaning people going out there taking
harvesting them illegally to sell them somewhere is one of
the biggest threats for them. Some of the other things
going on that orchids are facing.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Today, habitat destruction. They're very sensitive to environmental changes too,
so when temperature and climate change, right, orchids, So they're
kind of one of the first species that you know,
are assessed.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
And yeah, what makes me think like the canary and
the coal mine kind of aspect, right, Like the references
you know, like a canaro kind of show the negative
effect of an ecosystem, so human doesn't get affected by it,
but it makes me think like an amphibian, like a.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Fro the mountain, your leg of frogs. Several seasons back,
they were saying that amphibians are one of the first
to really show that ecosystem is starting to tilt the
wrong direction. So you're saying that's kind of the same
thing for orchids too, that right, Yeah, they're the first
one to indicate things aren't going right here because they're
starting to have issues.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
And then so many with deforestation as well, so many
Eppa fytes we mentioned they grow in trees, so when
those forests are cut down, then the orchids.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
There's no home.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
Yeah, it doesn't have a home anymore either.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
So you mentioned can you talk a little bit about
that specifically? This is a Southeast Asia kind of area.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
In your Guam in Asia.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah, what are some of the issues orchids in that
particular area? Why the focus for conservation of orchards?
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Yeah, yeah, We've been working in Palau for ten years now.
We started. I went there in twenty fifteen with Stacey Anderson,
our first trip there, and we did a micropropagation workshop
for orchids and also propagation of seeds and collecting of
seeds of the native diversity there. It's a very biodiverse region.
You think a lot of times of the marine life there.
(13:25):
A lot of people think of that scuba diving, but
the diversity on land is just as impressive. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I was lucky enough to go with some of the
plant team to collect some native plant seeds from northern
California and it was a really cool experience to see them.
I was laughing as a whole trip. You guys are
on a hike through the forest.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
And you were bing here.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
The plant people kept their eyes down looking at the plants.
I was the only one looking up, you know, But
it shared the passion of everything, right, But I'm curious
how does one collect the seeds of an orchid? Hi, Frank,
didn't you say it was more of a dust?
Speaker 5 (13:54):
It's see?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Can you like a vacuum cleaner?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
It was good to say. Forgive me for the word,
but can you dumb down a little bit like what
I brought?
Speaker 5 (14:02):
So that's a little visual for the dust seed. I'm
showing a seed captured dried seed capsule of goryanthe oi
cap and you can see the dust inside the little.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
It kind of looks for everyone.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
It looks kind of like a seed pod, right, maybe
like two and a half inches, and it looks like
it burst open. Just describing a little for the listeners.
And I see there's a bunch of whitish yellowish, really
fine like makeup. Oh yeah, I saw this.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
I would.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
There's a joke in there somewhere, you know, But but no,
you're right, you're right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
You're trying to connect to the audience the.
Speaker 5 (14:38):
Really find Yeah, so that's archid seeds.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So those little flexion there, those are the actual seeds.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Wow? Is there a number to that? In my head?
I keep thinking seem like a singular?
Speaker 5 (14:50):
So someone really counted the seat in a potentrum seat
pot and they came up with three millions, so up
to three million three individual seat. Now, for the plant,
it's energy conserving to do it that way because they
don't need to pack any nutrients in. Right, if you
eat coin, or if you eat a pee or a pen,
ninety nine percent of that is going to be starch
(15:11):
and sugars, carbohydrates. None of that in orchids. So that's
where the fungus comes in again. And the fungus breaks
down lipids and fats, turning them into monosaccharides glucose. That's
how it works. So in the human body it's the
(15:31):
liver and the kidneys that do it when we lose weight,
when foot gets burned. Yeah, yeah, And in nature it's
a fungus doing that.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
So with three million seeds per seed pod, yeah, I'm
thinking the odds are pretty good.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Orchid should be everywhere. That's how I was just gonna say.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
But clearly that's not the case. So where do we
go from three million individual seeds in one seed pod
to yeah, maybe one or two are going to grow
if we're lucky.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
Oftentimes, the relationship between the fungus the or seed as
high as specific So the fungus cannot be too strong
because it's put destroy or the sea cannot be too
weak because then it's blone to trigger gemination.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
So it's not really like parasitic in nature. In my head,
you know, it's not taking too many resources from the orchid.
It's definitely more of a symbiosis kind of thing. I
don't know if you know this answer or not, but
my brain's like, why did this happen? Like is there
evidence of when do the organism shift into needing a
fungus to survive. Perhaps it's always been that way, but
it makes me wonder maybe the lack of resources and
they just adapted themselves to living in these like low
(16:35):
nutrient rich kind of ecosystems.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I'm thinking, like carnivorous plants something kind.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
Of similar in nature.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
They would have to land near the mother plant in
order to germinate, where that micrys of fungi is.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Oh oh okay, when when blown oh wow, so that'd
be a bummer. Then if the seedpod cracks open on
a breezy day, they're all blown down away from the
mother plant, and so the fungus isn't going to be
available where they land.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Hoping to find the fungus. So fungi are sumed to
be on out surfaces everywhere. The only time we ever
see them is when they've got fruiting bodies, but mushrooms
or mold. However, the microhyzer the roots is everywhere, just
not inside for us, so chances are it may find
(17:18):
the fungus in nature, and some areas seem to be
prone to have that more than others. Look at Palau
growing on every tree, growing in the field, growing on
old boxed mines, which is really soiled when not even
trees spun and grow. But some of the specta clutters do.
They are some of them are really conquering species, but
(17:41):
then retract as soon as the environment changes.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
And you guys have to sort of like recreate this
kind of concept, the symbiosis here in San Diego. Zoo, Hey,
I think I've seen you in your fancy little lab
go going into that micropropagation lab.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Is that what it's called, right, Yeah, I know it's funny,
but it's a serious lab. Go. I mean, you guys,
there's some visuals.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I was just gonna literally ask you that what are
you doing? With these by the way, tell me, tell
me so.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
In the lab, you replace the fungus, and you do
that by taking sugar, simple sugar, adding it to aga,
putting in a bunch of other stuff, different sources of nitrogen,
and then sterilize your seat and sow the seed in
the sterile enbindment Lamina flowhood is what it's called. You
get germination and then you perform replates. You keep those
(18:28):
orchids growing. And that's Pafiopedilum amignacum, really nice bright yellow
species from southern China, critically endangered in its natural habitat.
And we've got some plants here that came to us
I think in nineteen ninety two, and we're able to
grow out the next generation from seed.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So for those who aren't watching the video, what he
has is a jar that looks like a average like
maybe mason jar size. The bottom inch looks almost like
a bluish gelatin sort of and that's where the sugars
are in or the growth media charcoal in there sho okay,
gives a color oka and so. And then in that
the rest of the jar is this beautiful orchid with
its roots going everywhere.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
It's like I'm guessing like a recipe each plant a
little bit different kind of style and a pinch of this.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yeah, I'm just kind of breaking in down. Let's go
a little bit.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
But no, I'm sure it's really complicated for every species, right, yes.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yes, And Hindfried's figured out the secret sauce for a y.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
It's probably a later question. I was like, how did
you get into this?
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But you have a basically what I'm saying, I am
not a puzzle person, sir, And I don't think I
have the patient to sit there and do that kind
of like detailed work that I've been seeing you too.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
But I imagine it's very and I've seen you work
and you're so focused when you do that.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
I don't like to do puzzles either, Okay, okay, oh wow, Yeah, Well.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I've got a question. I remember once before in the
Orchid House Tour, it was mentioned that there is a
species of orchid that everybody knows about. Probably have some
of it in their kitchen, might have some of it
in their freezer in the form of ice cream.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Kah.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
I asked just a bit about the vanilla bean, which
isn't a true bean. Now you had showed us earlier
the seed pod. That's essentially what the dried version of
that from the proper species of orchid. It's a certain species, correct.
I don't know all the details. So just so our
audience can feel a little more connected to what we're
talking about today, share some insight about that. That vanilla bean.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
I've never heard either one of you.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
So vanilla planifolia from the state of Fera Cruz. I
think that's where it started out in Mexico. It was
imported into Madagascar. I'm in Madagascar. It bust discovered that
you can hand pollinate the flowers and they got it
going commercially, so.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
The ones in Madagascar, though the true species originated from
South America, from Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, and so now they're
propagated to the level that people have this in their lives.
But here we are talking about orchids and how all
these challenges and everything. Is this just a heartier species
that they figured out to do this with, or is
it nature of how they have figured to propagated in
(21:12):
the greenhouse allows.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
Them to do what they need to do to make
that much well. The do or kids do grow from cuttings. Okay,
so that's an easy one to propagate.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So the way you said it makes me think other
orchids don't grow from cuttings very well, that's.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Christy is saying no.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
And I will mention one of our first plants here.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh yeah, Oh that's a cool looking one.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
This is epened UNDERM. E. Lens. So this was one
of the first ones we hand pollinated in our orchid
house and grew from.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
A seed and long tends should describe it a little like,
we're not a flower on it yet, but it has
almost like a bamboo tendral kind of to it, right.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Yes, yes, it's a habit is a little bit more
like bamboo almost as far as like a small ground bamboo. Yeah,
where it has kind of like long stems with leaves
going off of it in strap shaped leaves. This particular individual,
so our orchid specialist that was in the orchid house
for twenty nine years, Jeanet Garrity, and when I was
first in the orchid house as a plant propagator when
(22:13):
we first started the micropropagation lab, she mentioned that this
was one of the high priority species of growing more
of Oh really, because we only had one in our collection.
It was found in the late nineteen seventies from trees
that had fallen and it was rescued from that area
in botanic gardens. And then now it's believed to be
(22:34):
extinct in the wild.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Oh wow, really, so we only.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Had one individual, so we hand pollinated. We got another
individual out of that, which is unusual. Usually you get
hundreds or none. Really, there was one individual that germinated. Yes,
and you hear that one on and that one's in
the orchid house now. And then the mother plant actually
was virused, so we have what do you mean by that?
So orchids can get a virus in collections, so we
(23:01):
have to make sure we're virus testing. So Heinfrie does
that a lot with volunteers, virus testing and making sure
our collection is clean from viruses. So it's good that
we have now babies. This is a later baby. This
is from twenty sixteen, but the other one was from
two thousand and six, I believe, And that one's too
big to bring over here.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Fough moving a little bit in conservation, but in a
way it's so connected. But I'm thinking about wildlife trafficking,
and I'm sure there's some listeners right now wondering, well,
I love orchids, I want them in my house, but
I don't want to negatively impact populations in the wild.
Can you give us some tips for our listeners, like
what would you recommend to them if they wanted to
have an orchid in their home or maybe you're discouraged that.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Well, what's your opinion on that? What do you guys
have to say about it?
Speaker 5 (23:42):
Well, obviously, if those plants Trader jows are not a problem,
they're all lap propagated. And if you buy orchids, just
make sure they're from a good source. Yeah, ask where
they're from, a nustry that you trust.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Oh, that's a good point to be responsible consumer, like
we talked about. Yeah, yeah, exactly, kind of the same
exact gang.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Is all orchids are on SIS. They're side is regulated,
so which means that you can't bring orchids into the
country without having proper permits.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Yeah right, Yeah, it good reminded to you when you're traveling.
You know, Oh your money speaks right, Yeah, say that
again for you.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Yeah, don't put one in your suitcase.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Not put it in your suitcase.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
We'll get confiscated and we're a plant rescue center, so
any orchids. We just got a confiscation last month, and
many of our orchids came to us by border confiscations.
We started as a plant rescue center in nineteen eighty eight.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Oh wow, that's great.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
And so what we do is a plant rescue center
is house those individual orchids that came across into the
country without the proper permits, and then we keep them
in our collection and then we are able to propagate them.
Heindfried's done a great job propagating a lot of those
pathio pedlums that came into US as border confiscations. So
we're trying to just get more of them so that
(24:55):
propagate have more babies that we can share with other
Botannica gardens that are plant rescue centers.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Now, you had mentioned the one you had picked up
earlier that it is basically extinct in the wild. Are
there other species of workers here at the San Diego
Zoo that are extinct in the wild.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Heinfried's going to talk about a few of those.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Oh yeah, right, sir, spill the sea.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
Well, there is Paffio pedilum jewellery eye from the Southern
States of India, one of the most isolated Paffiopedilum populations
discovered for the first time around the turn of the
century eighteenth into nineteenth hundred century. People went in cleared
out the stand, rediscovered for a second time in nineteen
(25:34):
seventy and then there is even an article rediscovering Pafio
Pedilum jewellry I where the author of that article at
the same time had a nursery and exported plants from
India to Nairobi, Kinya, and from Kenya to Europe and
to the United States. So that second stand in nature
(25:57):
is extinct. Once in a while you'll hear how there's
one growing in the forest or so, but nothing affirmed,
no solid evidence, rightid evidence. So those two big populations
are gone. And that's Pafio piedilum jewelry a. Pafio Pedilum
taigrinum used to grow in Myanma and China, and from
(26:19):
what I'm hearing at the moment, it's growing in China.
No sighting in Miyanma for a while.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Wow, is there certain regions in the world where they're
really getting hit really hard.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I'm hearing Asia a lot.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
South Southern Pacific area there's a lot of issues going
in orchards in particularly allow As an example.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
And Indonesia as well. Yes, Borneo. So there are plants
like Paffiopedilum stoniai that's really rare, and paffio Pedilum sandrium.
They grow in areas. One grows in an area limited
to eight square kilometers, the other one grows in area
(26:57):
limited to four square kilometers with one subpopulation. The other
one I don't think even has been assessed since twenty fourteen,
so the area of distribution is real this month. If
you then have protests going in taking plants out, doesn't
end well.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
No, not at all. Wow, sitting here listening to you
speak about this, your depth and breadth of knowledge is
amazing both of you. Obviously, if there's a listener out
there who's like, I love plants too, and they're like
maybe there are hobbies but they want to get into
it as a profession, or they're coming up in college
and they can't figure it out, but they know they
are plants. How did you get into what you do?
(27:35):
Because it's not just I'm going to take care of
plants in a greenhouse. You're in a lab. Also, you're
doing so much work. How does one get into this
line of work?
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Is that got?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Really?
Speaker 1 (27:44):
What your back?
Speaker 5 (27:47):
My backstory is that I got a book about orchids
when I was ten years old, Oh really, and the
wee later had my first orchid courtesy grandma, and they've
always been around a.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Little hind fried with aic is a grandma. That's my story.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
And then my mom was a nurse and she showed
me how to do the sterid work, like first of
all in steam over a pot, how to keep your
kitchen steroid doing it and then eventually soapbox. So I
did that sewing when I was sixteen because you could
get instant media was a company in Frankfurt on courser
(28:26):
Eickenheimer Launch Trasser. That's where I bought my instant media
and then just went to town.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Okay, obviously this is a home brew situation for you.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Yeah, I mean there's a president.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Would there be a line of education or a route
someone could go if they don't have a grandma giving
them an orchid, if they don't have a mother who's
a nurse, I know, right, Family support goes a long way, obviously,
but is there a line of education that would help
bring someone into this world.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
An apprenticeship in the nursery and you specialize in orchid
nursery with a lab adjacent lab to learn what you're doing.
And then if you want to study biology, buttony, study
Boligi buttony now because.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
They can ask you, what about you? What's your origin story?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
So when I was in high school, I was involved
in FFA agriculture.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Education really too.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
He went more than ammal war. Apparently you went the
plant route.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
But yes, I did do poultry judging and that was
that's another podcast episode.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Different sites focused on the plants, right, But that's great.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Right, Yes, So I found horticulture science, oh wow, to
be my passion. So we had horticulture judging contests and
then I realized you could have a career in this.
So I went on to school at Purdue University and
got my undergrad in horticulture science and my master's in
agriculture Extension education, and then moved out here twenty three
years ago and found a job at the San Diego
(29:49):
Zoo in the nursery.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So you started off in the nursery and you've just
kind of worked your way up here. I remember we
worked there in the past when I was back in children.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Really yeah, wow, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
You know, it's a cheesy line, you guys, but I
always like to hype up horticulture and everything that you
guys do, because when you walk through the zoo and
I'm into my zone, you know, and the lights flickering
through the trees, and I think, like, no, just to
the animals that we have here, which are amazing, but
it's really the plants that create this beautiful vibrance.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
See this vibe that we got here at San Diego
Zoo and it's a fari park and you guys do
such an amazing job.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
And I just really want to encourage all the listeners
that when you go to the zoo in the park,
I always tell them stop for a moment, take a breath,
and look around, especially the plant life because.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It is incredible.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Like one of my favorite areas is Africa rocks, like
the points that they are really great.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
I'm curious for you guys at the zoo.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Oh yeah, do you have favorite spot that you'd recommend
for Oh, carnivorous plant suit, you don't forget that. Any
other spot for you guys, It can be those two,
but any other spots you are a big fan.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Of that, you'd recommend progression can Yeah, we brought that
one before.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Nice place to go in a hot summer day.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Yeah, it's a whole different ecosystem on a hot day.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
So good.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah, I've read some books over their fern canyon is gorgeous.
Hind Friday especially.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Straight up.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Yeah, and a reminder, guessing, come right again, just visit
the website and you can see the plant days and
friend you were saying, there's also like a bus tour
that happens as well.
Speaker 6 (31:13):
Yes, the third Friday of the month, every third Friday.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Of the month, a specific bus tour. Is it called
the plant tour orchid tour?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Botanical bus Touranical eleven and eleven?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Pretty sure. If you become a member, you get to
sing in the mail called the Journal that also has
a calendar once a year that it has a plant
dates marked on it for you already. Well, yes, website
website too, yes of course, but I'm just thinking if
you're gonna come for the plant tours the animals membership.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
Joe, No, the neighbors Plant Greenhouse is open.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
He plants run over here to you whenever are orchids
sometimes available any species, just so in case our guests
are curious during plant sales.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
Yes, heinfreed's been hard at work.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh yeah, are you working on that?
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Next Friday, next plant is for the first time we'll
offer in vitro little seedlings oh that our guests can
de flask and put on medium. Oh wow, so see
how that goes.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
So that was an opportunity to be a participant in
the work you do, at least experience how exactly that is?
So cool? I'm going to come for that.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Oh that's great.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Well I think there's yeah, one more question that one
more question orchid wise, do you have a favorite orchid?
Speaker 4 (32:30):
And why?
Speaker 3 (32:30):
I want to know, because you know, we have favorite
animals like his is a venture on. Mine's a crested
kata gotta. And if it's not an orchid, that's okay.
So how about I'll make it easier.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
You have a favorite plant that really just like pops
up in your head.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
I'll start.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
I remember when I was in Palau, this first time
I've ever seen orchids just stripping from the trees, and
we were looking really hard for podium frasinides, okay, and
it was way up in the tree and we actually
found one. It's a spotted flower, yellow with red spots,
and it's just beautiful. And just to see that in
the wild. And then with exit you conservation, we're able
(33:03):
to bring some seeds back and sew them here and
then share our findings and help out with conservation and
propagation and palau as well.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
That must been so overwhelming seeing that out in the wild.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
I remember when I saw condos for the first time
in a while, I just I teared like a blubbering baby.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
Everyone else in the car, not zoo people, they were
just laughing at me, but it was so impact. That's
really cool. How about you, hein Fred, Do you have
a favorite?
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Not really, No, not really a favorite. I love all
of them when they're in flower. I started collecting because
I really like Katlea Dowhana, Katla Rex and c Clia Marie.
But no, they're all beautiful and they're own right whenever
they're flowering. Some have beautiful leaves, others have beautiful flowers.
I couldn't commit myself to only one I wanted.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Do you remember the type of orchid your grandma ebe
when you were a kid. Do you remember.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Katla labiata hybrid. Yes, oh that's how it started.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Is there any final words of wisdom that you want
to tell our listeners before we enter today's awesome orchid
conversation or something you wish you want them to know.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I would say, just to plants in general, So just
be curious and to look at the world around you
and do research. And you know, I naturalist is a
good way to do too. And we talked about with
the oaks. We have the oak Watch. Ye, so there's
lots of ways that you can be involved with nature
and learn about the plants around.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
You and go that way.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
Whatever you hand fried, don't over a wata your or kids.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Admittedly I didn't want to say, as some embarrassed I
could never keep one alive in my house.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I'll tell you right now I think.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
Don't use ice cubes.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Don't use ice cubes.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Never use ice use ice cubes. If people do that, well,
it's even printed on the labor it it's the greatest
gimmick because shoot, Dumba's right, six weeks later you have
to bind new ones. So never use ice cubes and
don't over wata.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
Okay, no ice cubes don't over water. You heard it today,
folks from the specialist here in San Diego Zoo.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, thank you both so very much for taking time
and allowing us to come in and be in your
space here with your plants. It's amazing, so I really
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Thank you, Yeah, thank you, thank you much for giving
us the chance to introduce ar kids to the public.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Oh, it was our pleasure, Like orchid knuckles. Awesome, guys,
that was great. Thank you so much. Oh man, I
learned so much. Rick, that was amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
I mean, it's just a reminder about how much the
San Diego Zoo wild Lifelants does for plants and that
tip to our horticulture team. I know you and I
have highlighted them before last year from bamboo and we
talked about the oaks as well. But I think spaces
like this greenhouse people don't even know exist they walk
by it because it's not open every day to.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
The right, but we learned.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
We learned again the publican access visit the website, but
it's every third Friday. Come to the Orchid House. There
may be a plant sale going on and it's open
ten to two. And also one of my favorite places.
Carnivorous Area is open ten to one, and we also
have botanical plant tours happening at eleven and Newts and
that's on the bus, right, that's on the busy.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Definitely come here every third Friday. And that was really
really cool.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
And I think you know you'd mentioned during the interview too,
just how important it is to understand the plants because realistically, yes,
we're a zoo, we have the animals, but all of
us rely on plants, not only for air but for energy, Like, yeah,
they transform the sun into things we can use for food.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
I no, I mean, I'm sure you and I know,
but there's like seven hundred thousand plants that live here
at the San Diego so it's definitely worth visiting.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
And my friend, I do love the zoo, but I'm
extra excited because.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
There's a slight possibility that we're going to be going
to the Safari Park to the next episode and maybe
talking about little feathery friend right, well, you.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Know you want to talk about.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I know they haven't really decided yet the powers to
be but if I say it now, you know and
really get it on camera.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
But do you even like birds?
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Do I? Love birds. Sure, I've been choked out of
my seat. No, but I'm excited what we might talk.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
About the thick bill parrot, which is a remarkable parrot
that is local to the United States and in Makeles.
So I am crossing my fingers and my feathers that
we can talk thick bill ferrots next time for a
safarr or Amazing Wildlife.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Look, how excited I'm the now thinking about it.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
And if for any reason we don't get to talk
about it in the upcoming episode, we'll talk about it
perhaps in the following episodes.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Whatever the case maye, it's gonna be a pretty exciting time. Well, everyone,
I'll mark away.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
And I'm Rich Schwartz. Thanks for listening and for watching.
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to s d zw a
dot org. Amazing Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our
supervising producers are Nikia Swinton and Dylan Fagan, and our
sound designers are Sierra Spreen and Matt Russell. For more
(37:41):
shows from iHeartRadio, check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hosts And Creators
Rick Schwartz
Marco Wendt
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