Ray Rands

[Heather]

Has an ad in Orchids Magazine this month (p.m 547) for blooming size Phrag. species from $4.50-11.00. Including lindenii and wallisii, gigantea, schlimii, richteri, ecuadorense, and pearcei. $45 minimum not including shipping.

 

[bwester]

I noticed that too. Just doesnt seem right.

 

[Rick]

Has an ad in Orchids Magazine this month (p.m 547) for blooming size Phrag. species from $4.50-11.00. Including lindenii and wallisii, gigantea, schlimii, richteri, ecuadorense, and pearcei. $45 minimum not including shipping.

Gigantea is a new name to me. What is it?

 

[likespaphs]

i thought gigantea was a grande hybrid

 

[kentuckiense]

Strange. Anyone know why?

 

[likespaphs]

actually, the only thing i found was a Grande cultivar called 'Gigantea'. the name of the hybrid is Giganteum

 

[Rick]

I have a vague recolection (I don't have a clue where it came from) that gigantea was another pearcei/ecuadorense variant.

 

[Heather]

I could be way off here but I once had a conversation with pete involving the information that fox valley had two additional caudatum type phrags available-exstaminodium and some larger variety called gigantia.

 

[lienluu]

From Phragweb.info

http://www.phragweb.info/phragmipedium/species/display_species_phrag.asp?phrag_id=51

Various varieties can be found in the literature. Most of them are based on difference in flower size and flower colour.

The following varieties are mentioned in the literature:
var. Albertianum Rchb. f. in Lindenia IV, page 63, Plate 174. - With sulphur-yellow flowers.
var. aureum in Lindenia V, page 100
var. giganteum Carr. in Lindenia II, page 99, Plate 96. - With very large flowers with long petals and with strong growth.

 

[Rick]

Thanks to both Heather and Lienluu

 

[bwester]

So, has anyone ever ordered from this guy before?

 

[lienluu]

So, has anyone ever ordered from this guy before?

Yes. He has very nice plants and at one time had one of the greatest slipper orchid collections. He sold off a large portion of his slippers a number of years ago, including all of his name sake, P. randsii.

He has been running ads in the AOS Orchids for as long as i can remember, i don't think he's ever missed an issue in the last 15 years!

 

[Rick]

So, has anyone ever ordered from this guy before?

:rollhappy: Rand's is a pretty legendary name in the orchid world.

 

[bwester]

whats up with the "Dr. Toot sez" thing?

 

[gore42]

A couple of months ago, I ordered a few of the Phrag. ecuadorense fma. colombia from him. They were supposed to be blooming size plants, but they arrived much smaller than I expected. Maybe this is supposed to be a compact species, but not this compact, I'd guess.....

I don't know whether this is typical for him, but I was suspicious enough that I haven't ordered from him since. I may give him another shot, though.


As Ever,
Matthew Gore

 

[SlipperFan]

Wow! If it were only true that there was a Phrag. that would bloom on that size a plant!!

Or are you just fooling us with an oversize measuring stick???

 

[silence882]

whats up with the "Dr. Toot sez" thing?

I second this question. I've seen it in a lot of the older AOS and OD ads that he ran. Anyone know?

--Stephen

 

[Heather]

Did he register the Paph. 'Dr. Toot'? He must have...but that still leaves the question - who IS Dr. Toot??

(I'm having deja vu, The Usual Suspects was just on here....)

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

From what I hear, he is an ex-hippy...which should explain Dr. Toot.

Many of my divisions came from my mentor that got them from him back in the 70's. Most of my awarded divisions came from him originally as seedlings from those. I recently got some Vandas and Dens from one of his specials, and they were excellent.
That phrag is small, but appears to be a division.

He is someone in the orchid world I definitely must meet one day.

Jon
________
Ford Cargo (Europe) History

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I have not ordered frequently from Rands, but his plants are generally good quality...although he has a tendency to play fast and loose with names...he was the one who claimed that my primulinum purpescens was a new subspecies, "liltii"....(he was my source also...and I still have the plant...). He became quite notorious in the late 80's for advertising a collected, 2 growth roth for $5000 in the AOS Bulletin...(rumor had it someone purchased the plant, at that price.....and it died...) the criticism was probably a major factor in the AOS adopting its "no collected plants" policy.......Take care, Eric