Welcome
Welcome to the Sacramento Orchid Society’s website. We hope you find the information here useful. We’ve made some changes recently so please explore the site thoroughly. You can check out our events page for information on upcoming events.
About the Sacramento Orchid Society
The Sacramento Orchid Society was founded in 1947 as an educational organization dedicated to providing information on the cultivation of orchids to the greater Sacramento community.
Members and non-members alike are welcome at our FREE Monthly Meetings that feature expert speakers from around the world, our members Show & Tell which is like a mini orchid show each month, opportunities to buy and sell plants, and a delightful measure of fellowship and good times. You will also find out about upcoming events and opportunities to support our society.
The Society's very active membership grows an almost unimaginable number of orchid species and hybrids on windowsills, patios, in yards, under lights, and in greenhouses.
Orchid Of The Month
November 2024
| Mexipedium xerophyticum | ||||
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| By Dave Sorokowski | ||||
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History Mexipedium xerophyticum was originally described as Phragmipedium xerophyticum in 1990. It was separated to its own genus after DNA analysis (Albert and Chase, 1992). Since taxonomists dislike monotypic genera, we often see it referred to as a Phragmipedium. However, it is quite clear that this is a unique genus. When this species was discovered, there were only seven individual plants found in the habitat. The location is a single limestone outcrop in Oaxaca, Mexico. An expedition in 2009 determined that a fire had destroyed all but one of the original plants, but six more specimens were found nearby (Perez Garcia, 2011). |
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Habitat This species is a lithophyte (it grows on rocks). It is found on vertical rock walls with northern exposure (Perez Garcia, 2011). Its growth habit has been described as similar to many Paphiopedilum in the Parvisepalum section such as Paphiopedilum micranthum. The region has a very wet summer season and a distinct dry season from winter into spring. You can find more details here. |
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Threatened Status According to Perez Garcia (2011), Mexipedium is considered a species in Danger of Extinction on the Official Mexican Regulations for species at risk. No small seedlings have been observed in situ, only mature plants. The range where they have been seen is about 1 hectare and the area is prone to fires. This is clearly a species with a very unstable wild population. It is my opinion that this species was already in the process of going extinct in nature when it was discovered. The habitat is so small and fragile and there are so few plants. The limestone outcrops will, over time erode and the habitat will be lost. Whether it would take decades, centuries or millennia its extinction seems inevitable. Fortunately, Mexipedium has been reproduced artificially for many years now. However, I am not aware of any efforts to reintroduce plants to the wild. |
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Other interesting notes Victor Albert has successfully sequenced the genome of this species. His work is not yet published. |
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Where can I get one? Our goal is to always have seedlings of this species available. There is a good supply in the pipeline at all stages of development. You can find them here. We occasionally have divisions of our stud plants available. Drop us a line if you are interested. |
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References Albert, V. A.; Chase, M. W. (1992). “Mexipedium: A New Genus of Slipper Orchid” (Cypripedioideae: Orchidaceae)
Pérez García, Eduardo A. (2011). “The Rediscovery of Mexipedium xerophyticum” Slipper Orchid Alliance Newsletter Vol. 12 (1):10-13.
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