Native orchids

[IdahoOrchid]

Find out which orchids are native to your state

Orchids of the United States

Steven

[Brutal_Dreamer]

This site is now posted in the Useful links section of the forum.

Cheers,
BD

[Cjcorner]

I went to the site and the pictures of the plants for Florida don't come up....maybe they don't have the pic's up yet or something.
Connie

[Shaydra]

I had the same problem, Connie. I looked at both Michigan and Nebraska. Some pictures came up, but most didn't.

[IdahoOrchid]

There are not pics for all the orchids on that site. I have not looked, but maybe there is a way to submit them?

[Cjcorner]

phew....it's not just me then???? lol
Connie

[Mahon]

That is a good site to give you an idea about what orchids are native to what state...

If one can acquire Dr. Luer's two volume series on the native orchids of the US, that is the ultimate alternative to that website and other US native orchid books. There is P.M. Brown's field guides on the US native orchids, but they do not hold valuable information or descriptions of the flowers.

Both of these volumes are very rare, and are quite expensive in good to perfect condition. The Native Orchids of The United States and Canada Excluding Florida is the rarer of the two, and harder to come across. Both volumes were a complete loss in profit, so many of the books were given away by Dr. Luer and his son George. Books that remained in Florida without being protected have browned and stained from the heat and humidity. Books kept in low humidity up north have faired well. The paper used for both volumes was not of good quality, and Luer has suspected that the books will not last much longer if kept in Florida. His two copies are fairly well kept, but have not escaped the humidity...

The Native Orchids of Florida (Vol. I)
The Native Orchids of The United States and Canada Excluding Florida (Vol. II)


-Pat

[IdahoOrchid]

Just did a search on "The Native Orchids of The United States and Canada Excluding Florida" and it can be yours for only $95. I paid that much for a bonsai book that is low in circulation.

[Mahon]

I found a somewhat good copy for $85.95 just now, but finding a perfect copy is even rarer. I'd definitely suggest grabbing it at either price, because of the book's valuable information! I have 3 sets of this series (and an extra Vol. I ), one set in absolute perfect condition which cost me about $600, and the others are in very good condition.

I am still astonished from Luer telling me that they started giving the books away because it was a complete failure! What sets Luer's series apart from other US native orchid treatments is that Luer visited EVERY species in both volumes. Many of the pictures were taken by Dr. Luer, and some were taken by his son George, and I assume Bert.

Here's how a typical species (this one happens to be Hexalectris warnockii) is treated in Dr. Luer's
The Native Orchids of The United States and Canada Excluding Florida


It's very well organized, and easy to read. Some of the generic names have changed since then, but the plants have not.
The distribution map is typical of many of Dr. Luer's 'Icones Pleurothallidinarum', and is especially helpful in his native orchid series.

-Pat