Tropical Gardeners' Delight - APROVACA Orchid Center

This morning during a delicious breakfast at Artash (a neat little breakfast/lunch place in El Valle) with our friend Aaron, Tom and I had the pleasure of meeting Cathy and Dave, a couple from Wisconsin. Cathy and Dave were visiting Panama, and El Valle, for the third (or fourth?) time... guess they are pretty fond of this place!

After breakfast, Tom and I chatted with our new friends for a while, and ended up catching a ride over to APROVACA Orchid Center with them. Tom and I are taking our time about seeing the sights of our new home, so we had not yet visited APROVACA. Since Cathy and Dave had already visited the orchid center and had other sights to see, they dropped us off with promises to see us again someday in El Valle.

 

According to the center's website, APROVACA "is the Spanish acronym for The Association of Orchid Producers of El Valle and Cabuya. Founded in 2001, we are a small grassroots association dedicated to the conservation of native Panamanian orchid species in danger of extinction. The local orchids are facing two main problems: deforestation and poaching. The trees in the surrounding mountains are being cut down, and since most orchids are epiphytes (meaning they grow on trees), this practice deprives orchids of their natural habitat. The act of poaching orchids to take home or sell at market has also been a major problem in El Valle de Anton. Although illegal, it is still commonplace. "

Upon our arrival and payment of $2.00 each, we were greeted by our guide, Liza, an Austrian volunteer on holiday. Liza works for an eco-tour company in her "regular life" and was an engaging and knowledgeable host. Many of the workers at the center are volunteers, while some are paid workers, and they all share an interest in preserving these unique and beautiful plants. The center has recently added some hostel accommodations as an additional profit center - it is only $12.00 per night to stay in one of these rooms.

Our tour started off with an explanation of how orchids are classified in the horticultural realm. Orchids are perennial herbs, and can either be tuberous or epiphitic. In warm and humid climates, many orchids are epiphitic, which means that they do not need to be rooted in soil. Instead, they have a special epidermis which absorbs moisture and nutrients from the air. This is why orchids do so well in El Valle's cloud forest climate - the air is moist, and the breezes keep the air around the plants circulating. In some cases, orchids are parasitic, and will make their home on a host tree and draw nutrients from that host (which may even be dead).


Liza showed us this little "nursery" of sorts for miniature orchids. The variety was astounding. Orchids that are kept in pots must always have plenty of circulation for the roots, hence the holes in all of the pots. Moisture is carefully controlled, with mulches of shredded coconut husks, bark and even bits of Styrofoam.

Here is an example of an orchid growing happily on its host tree. Those long dangling things are developing leaves.
 
 

Who knew that vanilla is an orchid species? Well, I didn't... until now.  Below is an example of a vanilla plant, winding around its host tree.
 
 

APROVACA is about more than orchids - there are many other types of plants that are indigenous to the region on display. It was a pleasure to stroll the paths and learn the names of the plants in our new home.

 

 

That tall plant with the large red flower is called "ornamental ginger."
 
 

Below is a good example of a parasitic type of orchid. The host tree is dead. However, this orchid will have no worries about surviving. Those long, carrot-shaped bodies are storehouses of nutrients that the plant has collected.
 
 

 

This plant grows near our house, and it's one I had never seen before. I was really happy to learn its name (Nazareno), and that it produces lovely flowers.
 
 

The center has a small plot of vegetables, as well as medicinal plants. The herbs and medicinals are offered for sale. We happily acquired lemongrass and rosemary (called "Romero" here). There are mangoes, ornamental bananas, pineapples...
 
 

gourds...
 
 

 

...and this interesting plant, called a calabash! In Africa, the spongy guts are used to make soup Here in Panama, the plant is cut in half, hollowed out and each half is used as a bowl or planter:
 
 

 

Ferns of all kinds are abundant and grow quite large in El Valle.
 
 

Below is an example of  one of many types of bromeliads that inhabit the center. Bromeliads are members of a plant family known as Bromeliaceae The family contains over 3,000 described species in approximately 56 genera. Like orchids, many bromeliads are epiphytic. The most well known bromeliad is the pineapple! The family contains a wide range of plants including some very un-pineapple like members such as Spanish Moss (which is neither Spanish nor a moss). Other members resemble aloes or yuccas while still others look like green, leafy grasses. Many have brilliantly colored flowers, like this one:
 
 

 

Believe it or not, gardeners of North American climes, this is a caladium!
 
 

All types of birds and butterflies like to hang around APROVACA. This bird is called a "sangre de toro" (blood of the bull), and I was thrilled to learn its name. We have been feeding a group of these in our yard since we moved to El Valle. Extremely common here, they are also very beautiful.
 

 

Colorful hibiscus flowers attract the hummingbirds...
 
 

A tour of APROVACA can last an hour or several. For very serious orchid aficionados, this center is a treasure trove of information. Even for everyday gardeners like us, it is a must see for visitors to the cloud forest of Central Panama, who desire an understanding of the plant life of the region.

Lady's Slipper