Feb. 2, 2026 Meeting – Deb Boersma – “Stanhopea tigrina: The Tigress of the Mexican Plateau”

As the western New York winter continues on its merry way, freezing and thawing us in its routinely capricious way, the GROS will feature another Zoom meeting for February as Deb Boersma presents her talk on Stanhopea tigrina – a Mexican orchid species.

Central and South America have a rich diversity of Stanhopea species, but it is the eastern slopes of the Mexican plateau that is home to an alluring species, Stanhopea tigrina. This species’ exotic appearance and captivating size have rewarded it as both the most awarded and the most hybridized of all the Stanhopea species. Deb’s presentation describes the floral morphology as it relates to the pollination process and the fragility of this relationship between the pollinator and the pollinated; hence the cultivation and hybridization plays an important role in the preservation of the species. Hybridizers have been using this species for decades in the pursuit of stunning and awardable progenies. 

Deborah’s interest in orchids was sparked by a trip to Hawaii and has been under their spell for over 30 years. She started with a few plants and her mixed orchid collection expanded exponentially with the construction of a greenhouse in 2014. She joined the Windsor Orchid Society in 2013 to gain more orchid knowledge and found herself in the Presidents position six months later. She is very active member of the WOS, involved in fundraising and publicity and has recently taken on the role as Show Chair.

Deb is an Accredited judge in the AOS judging program at the Great Lakes Judging Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan and enjoys presenting and educating audiences about orchids. She was the recipient of the Orchid Digest Diamond Award in 2016 and was an  invited speaker to the WOC Tainan in 2024.