Orchid Conservation Chelsea strikes gold again

by Benjamin Crain.

For the second year in a row, Orchid Conservation Chelsea won a gold medal on the world’s showiest floral stage — the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show, held from May 19^th to the 23^rd.  This year’s iteration of the exhibit, which highlights global orchid conservation, was entitled Orchids of China — Beauty and Conservation.  As such, the diverse team comprised new members from China, including researchers and orchid specialists from Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Gardens, Shanghai Fengchu Horticultural Technology Company, and Dongfang Jianjan Orchids Industry.  Also included on the team this year were several members of the IUCN In Situ Orchid Conservation Sub-group, including the team’s Science Chair, Dr. Lawrence W. Zettler from Illinois College as well as Dr. Benjamin J. Crain from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the Smithsonian’s North American Orchid Conservation Center, and Dr. Stephan Gale from the Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden.  Additional team members from across the globe represented a total of around 25 organizations at the exhibit, all of whom work and collaborate on orchid conservation through various approaches to research and outreach activities.

This year’s effort was unique in that it included two distinct components.  The main exhibit focused on presenting the unique orchids of China in a natural landscape setting that highlighted the geographical diversity of the country and its lush forest habitats.  In this display, several distinctive orchid species were highlighted, perhaps the most intriguing one being Gastrodia elata (Potato Orchid), which was apparently the first mycoheterotrophic orchid ever displayed in the show’s 113-year history.  This species forms a rather large below ground tuber that has long been harvested (often illegally) for its edibility and purported medicinal properties.  The exhibit highlighted the impacts of illegal orchid poaching and the role of diverse conservation efforts to prevent the loss of exceptional species like G. elata in the wild.  Other species showcased in the main exhibit included several species of Bulbophyllum and Paphiopedilum in addition to swaths of Dendrobium officinale (Iron-Bark Dendrobium), Ludesia discolor (Jewel Orchid), and Bletilla striata (Chinese Ground Orchid).  This specific component of the display won a gold medal from the RHS, the second in a row for Orchid Conservation Chelsea.

The second exhibit produced for the show took on a more historical/cultural theme to orchid conservation by highlighting how broadly impactful orchids can be in society.  This display, entitled A Chinese Scholar’s Study, showcased serval cultivars of Cymbidium faberi, a classic species from a genus that is considered one of the ‘noble four’ in Chinese culture.  These orchids were eulogized in some of Confucious’ writings and were selected to demonstrate the wide-ranging influences orchids have on human culture.  Notably, the exhibit won a Silver-Gilt award from the RHS and two individual plants won a prestigious Award of Merit and a Cultural Certificate – the first time such an award was given to an orchid ‘on the spot’ at Chelsea.

In sharing orchid conservation stories from China and around the globe, the exhibits collectively aimed to educate and inspire visitors, stressing the importance of protecting orchids in their natural settings and emphasizing the critical role of science, horticulture, and education in preserving these plants for future generations while inspiring those generations to do the same.  And while the flower show was the culminating event for Orchid Conservation Chelsea, it was precluded by an orchid symposium at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, where students, researchers, horticulturists, and educators from around the world gathered to present new and exciting research while strengthening and initiating global collaborations.  The symposium concluded with the presentation of the Eric Young Trophy to the group, who won the honor for their gold medal winning display from the previous year at Chelsea.  As in the previous three years, Orchid Conservation Chelsea’s educational displays have generated considerable interest and awareness on a global scale for all orchids around the world, half of which are now considered vulnerable to extinction.  Hopefully, the new experiences and team members from 2026 will facilitate an even stronger showing for orchid conservation at Chelsea and in nature for years to come.