Bulbophyllums and Their Allies: A Grower’s Guide. Emily S. Siegerist. Timber Press. 2001. $34.95.

Orchid plants are often grouped into “alliances” which are plants that can crossbreed with each other. Bulbophyllums and their allies forms one such group. These are the most unique flowering plants I have ever seen. They remind me more some weird creature of the darkest seas than of a flower.

Bulbophyllum means “leaf bulb”. The flowers contain both female and male parts. It is fertilized by carrion flies. I found the author’s description of the plant and pollination mechanisms rather interesting.

We know that nothing in nature is without a reason. The colors and odors of flowers are lovely to look at and smell, but their real purpose is to attract pollinators to the flower. The movement of the labellum, the fluttering of the palae on sepal and petal tips, catches the attention of the flies, bees, birds, and so forth that are necessary to transport the pollen from one flower to another. For instance, the lovely fragrance of white flowers that is so evident in the evening attracts the night-flying moths that Darwin correctly theorized were the pollination of some angraecums. The pollinators land on the labellum, inadvertently have the pollinia adhere to their bodies, then move on to the next flower where the pollinia becomes attached to the stigmatic surface and the process repeats itself. [Page 15]. The above quotation demonstrates both the strengths and the weaknesses of the language found in this book. Obviously, everything is explained using scientific terms. Unfortunately, many readers do not understand those terms and will need to be constantly looking to the glossary in the back of the book. Perhaps the real problem is that this is a book for the dedicated orchid grower. It does not seem to be a book intended to attract people to this hobby.

There are so many plants in the Bulbophyllum genus that they are divided into sections. Membership in a particular section is determined by specific leaf, rhizome, pseudobulb, or flower characteristics. If you need to understand which section your Bulbophyllum belongs to, read chapter 3 carefully.

Chapter 3 discusses growing conditions for these fussy plants. The author notes that no one will be able to successfully grow every plant in this genus in the same conditions. She emphasizes the importance of matching plants to your conditions, a rule that can apply to growing any plant, not just Bulbophyllums. Generalized information is provided about temperature ranges, required light intensity, air circulation, humidity, and other cultural factors.

The plants are divided into one leaf per pseudobulb, two leaves per pseudobulb, plants moved from the Bulbophyllum to another genus, and related plants are each given a chapter of their own. I found the descriptions in these chapters inadequate to ever permit someone to try to identify their plant using this book as a guide. In fact, this makes the book very disappointing since the main purpose of purchasing a book on a single plant genus is usually for the purposes of identifying plants and learning about their individual care needs. This book definitely falls short.

Orchid producers will enjoy the final chapter on hybrids. You’ll learn about the history of some early hybrids and cultivars. If you seek to create your own hybrids, you’ll find this chapter interesting.

Who Should Buy This Book?

In my opinion, this book is only suitable for the dedicated hobbyist specializing in Bulbophyllums. It is not "reader friendly" because of the writing style and the lack of photographs scattered throughout the book.

There is a section of colored plates illustrating a few of the species mentioned in the text. This book must be used with another orchid book containing far more pictures if the newcomer to orchid collecting is to find it valuable. It is rare for me to be disappointed in a book about orchids, but this, unfortunately, is one of those times. My advice? Save your money unless you specialize in this particular genus.