Oct. 7, 2024 Meeting – Eric Sauer – Maxillarias

Our  Fall season continues on its warm trend without even a hint of the crisp weather in sight. One way or the other, this is bound to change.

In the meantime, the GROS will welcome Eric Sauer from RV Orchids in Centerville, Ohio, just outside Dayton. He will speak on “Maxillarias” – an Alliance consisting of 12 genera with about 720 species distributed throughout the Neotropics. There are two centers of distribution, one in Andean South American and the other in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. 1

Eric has been growing orchids for over 30 years under the greenhouse name of River Valley Orchids and specializes in South American Species with a focus on Brassia, Maxillaria and Phragmipedium. He has spoken internationally and across the United States.

Eric has had culture chapters published by Guido Braem in his book on Paphiopedilum and in his book on Phragmipedium. He also has a feature article on Maxillaria in Orchid Digest and several of his Maxillaria photos were published in Eric Christenson’s book on Maxillaria.

He has received over 100 awards from the American Orchid Society and has four orchids named after him including two species from Ecuador. He is the current president of the Miami Valley Orchid Society and the president of the Mid America Orchid Congress. Eric also serves as one of the award photographers for the Cincinnati Judging Center. His “real” job is as a registered landscape architect serving as the planning manager for Five Rivers MetroParks in Dayton, Ohio.

Eric will be bringing plants to sell at the meeting. He will be updating the listing in the next couple days on his website for pre-orders, but the list that is online now is relatively new also – there will just be a few minor changes and additions.

If you’d like Eric to bring your pre-order with him, please contact him via his website ASAP.

The Show Table will be back, of course, so don’t forget to bring in your flowering orchids. Please note – since Eric will be bringing orchids to sell at the meeting, members are not permitted to bring in their own plants to sell or trade.

1Info. courtesy the American Orchid Society.

The doors open at 6:00 p.m. for plant sales and generalized schmoozing. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

photo of Maxillaria saueri, copyright ©Eric Sauer - All Rights Reserved

Maxillaria saueri. Photo ©Eric Sauer – All Rights Reserved

Map to the Louis S. Wolk JCC