There is a small sidebar article in the April edition of Orchids Magazine on page 250. It looks more like a notification than an article. Roddy Gabel of the US Fish and Wildlife Authority contributed it. He says that one nursery in Peru called Peruanino S.R.C. LTDA is exporting this species in flask with the blessing (and export documentation) of the Peruvian government and if all US paperwork and procedures of CITIES are followed it is possible to legally import this plant into the US. Keep your receipts and documentation.

If you get Orchids, you might want to read the whole thing. It is a little longer than the above.

P.S. I just edited the spelling of the name "kovachii" of the original subject heading above to correct it. I just copied the name of the article as it was printed in Orchids Magazine. They got it wrong... They wrote "Importing Phragmipedium koavchii" and I copied their mistake.

Well, it's about time! :joy: Does anyone know if it's a fast or slow grower?

wow, great news, I hope the US officials know. As a fellow gov't employee, I know that communication from the top, down to the worker may take years.

The article was actually written by the guy from US Fish and Wildlife. It was my understanding that the US gave permission to import some time ago, but Peru was holding out. Great news indeed! Wonder who will have them first! :confused:

That is good news Heather, but it still depends on what level of mgt the author's at, but this is encouraging. I let my membership run out for a couple of months and just rejoined AOS last month, so maybe I will get this issue.

(I just happen to have my copy w/ me today)
He is the Chief, Fivision of Scientific Authority, USFW.
His email is Roddy_Gabel@fsw.gov, if anyone wants to ask him personally! :D

Roddy is a nice guy too. He is a long standing member of the National Capitol Orchid Society and an orchid collector. He has been out to my greenhouse half a dozen times. Likes small species. Very knowledgable. He may even be a member of this forum incognito. Bwahahah!

It seems that what he reported in Orchids was that the USA CITES authority checked with their counterpart in Peru to see if they were really allowing the export. The response to the inquiry was copies of the export permits they had granted...this suggests that somebody has already imported the flasks and that the US was making sure that the permits were legitimate.

sounds great Al, especially since he is an orchid guy and with the heavy use of email in the Federal Gov't he should be able to get the info out.

PARTY TIME!!!!
I've been saving my pennies for this very opportunity, thought it would be at least another year. I haven't checked for the website, anyone know how much for a flask?
Can't wait to colchicine treat some...something about 4n kovachii makes my heart beat faster. Time to anticipate some price shock...off to do some googling...
Jon :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party: :Party:

Hello to all Cyprepeoido fanatics! I am from Moscow of Russia in orchids since 1979 and sending here the adress of the peruvian firm with kovachii flasks on board :poke: :poke:

Address: Allamanda 142, Surco, Lima 33, Perú
Telefax: (51-1) 344-4113 E-mail: contact@peru-flora.com
Visit our web: www.peru-flora.com


LIST OF FLASKS
Laboratories:
1.- Santa Clara, Lima (warm and intermediate growing)
2.- Palca, Tarma (Cool growing)
We produce in several types of flasks; the most common ones are: A- Rounded glass with 25 to 30 plants average, B- Rounded plastic with 25 to 30 plants average, and C- 230 mms long (9 inches) glass with 50 to 60 plants average. Please send us an email to contact@peru-flora.com to check availability and release time of the crosses.

Flasks of Phragmipedium kovachii correspond to the crosses between the legal plants that we were allowed to collect by INRENA and the Peruvian government. Please refer to the pictures and descriptions in order to choose the cross you want. Flasks will be released since February 2005, and will travel with all the official permits and documents, both from the Peruvian government and CITES.

:welcome: to the forum, Paphic! That is really very exciting news and I can't wait to have a kovachii in my collection!

Well I think They are really out there - -- OH what a difference it will make to our beloved Phrags ??????????????
Nothing will change for me schlimii is still the greatest
Billie

Welcome Paphic - unfortunately that link to peru-flora doesn't seem to work and I couldn't dredge them up googling. Anyone have any ideas?

that link did not work for me either :cry:

Couple of quotes I found from Bob Wellenstein of Antec fame....

…the flasks were openly offered to all interested takers in early January at US$ 520 to 580 per 25-30 plant flask. USF&W completed their vetting inquiry about a month or so ago and informed growers who had asked that they would accept these flasks as legitimate.

Two nurseries were granted permits, and you most likely heard from Alfredo Manrique, who is yet to offer flasks. The information he provides on the plant:

Habitat located between San Martin and Amazonas Departaments at 1800 to 1950 mas in a subtropical cloudy forest, mostly rocky with a humid subtropical clima year round, summer temps more than 24 C, winter around 16-24C Annual rainfall 1000-1500 mm, winds to 60 mh. Soil analysis from collection site pH 7.9 EC 0.41 dS/m Caco3 85.7% MO 1.5% P 1.9 PPM K 60 ppm water quality 6-6.5 20ppm

Greenhouse culture (in Lima):
mix perlite, bark, volcanic rock or gravel, charcoal, and white moss or sphagnum. Maximun temperature 30C and minimum 12C, humidity at 92%, constant air circulation and 60% shade. RO water only with weekly fertilizing with 15-5-15 and 10-50-10 adding calcium and magnesium supplement.

So, it sounds as though Manrique (who I am fairly sure is who Glen Decker is working with (and in this same thread I found, it was mentioned that he thought he'd be the first to have flasks from Manrique, which is what he indicated to me in Nov. when Peru was not allowing export) hasn't released flasks, and Peru-Flora has. I'd make a good bet that OZ and Windy Hill will have them shortly also, if they don't already.

I wonder who will be offering kovachii flasks first here in the US! They better be affordable and not cost me an arm and a leg! :cheeky:

Here's the list of flasks offered earlier this year by a Peruvian nursery:

LIST OF FLASKS

Phragmipedium Flask with 25 plants

751 Phragmipedium kovachii “Goliath” x “Jewel” US$ 550
752 Phragmipedium kovachii “Goliath” x “Roseline” US$ 560
753 Phragmipedium kovachii “Jewel” x “Tupac Amaru” US$ 530
754 Phragmipedium kovachii “Jewel” x “Roseline” US$ 530
755 Phragmipedium kovachii “Roseline” x self US$ 580
756 Phragmipedium kovachii “Tupac Amaru” x “Goliath” US$ 550
757 Phragmipedium kovachii “Tupac Amaru” x “Maximus” US$ 510
758 Phragmipedium kovachii “Maximus” x “Goliath” US$ 520
759 Phrag czerwiakowianum “Manco Inca” x Phrag kovachii “Maximus” US$ 500
760 Phrag wallisii “Rapunzel” x Phrag kovachii “Goliath” US$ 520

1-“Goliath” Large plant and huge flower with very heavy substance. Flower is 7 ½ inches across (190 mms), on a tall stem. Color: Dark pink to purple. This flower is going to be for sure the pattern to increase the size of the rest of Phrags.

2-“Jewel” A Jewel. Beautifully rounded and shaped, excellent substance in a flower that is 4 ¾ inches across (120 mms). Very wide petals, so far they are the widest ones, compared with all the pictures of Phragmipedium kovachii on internet. Small plant. Color: Very dark purple.

3- “Roseline” Also a Jewel, very light pink with white spreading from the back (which is completely white). Flower is 4 ¾ inches across (120 mms) with very wide petals, almost as perfect as in “Jewel”.

4- “Tupac Amaru” Flowers with rounded petals and excellent substance. Flowers are 5 1/8 inches across (130 mms). Color: Reddish to dark purple, a little bit darker than in the picture.

5- “Maximus” The best texture of all our plants and flowers The picture was taken when the flower was already pollinated. Very waxy flower of 6 ¼ inches across (160 mms) on a short stem. Not as large as the “Goliath” but still it is spectacular enough to produce excellent hybrids. Color: Average purple with red pouch.

http://img105.exs.cx/img105/1682/new14su.jpg

Wow seems like a trip to Australia has doubled the price :?:

BTW, I think I dreamt that thing about the kov x besseae flask.

I take it back, someone has kov. x bess. I found where I read that. Must be the other nursery in Peru (Manrique's.)

Okay, no more sleuthing for today. :wink:

Soil analysis from collection site pH 7.9 EC

Whoa, that soil is very basic, quite the opposite from what I expect. :shock:

Anyway you would think it may take 3 to 5 years for the price of P. kovachii
to stabilize? What to you guys think? It may actually depend on how
fast that thing grows.

Also I suddenly realize theres quite a lot of variation on this plant. The
var 'Goliath' seems to be the plant were most familiar with. Could be
the type specimen?

Just dawned on me the timing of flasks arriving. Think we'll be seeing this available at the NY show?

I don't think there will be many, if any available there. I do, however believe there will be vendors putting people on waiting lists for seedlings.

Jerry Fischer has posted on OGD that he now has them but has signed an agreement not to sell them for two years.

Maybe that means Jerry will be giving them away as bonus plants with large orders.

Here's the message, I just got from OL, via OGD:
From: Orchids Limited <orchids@orchidweb.com>
Subject: [OGD] Phrag. kovachii

Announcement: Orchids Limited is the first nursery in the United States to receive the first Legal seedlings in Flask of Phrag. Kovachii. Jerry Fischer took a trip to Peru and after a lot of preparation and intense amounts of paperwork fromINRENA and the exporter we successfully hand carried the flasks back to the US. We had to sign an agreement with INRENA that the seedlings would not be sold for 2 years, which we will honor fully. This is exciting and we can't wait till they grow large enough to flower. The seedlings are from Manolo Arias of Peru.

Jerry Lee Fischer

Okay....GO!

:wink:

It may take 10 years before I can afford one :cry: