Ron Parsons - The Lure of Miniature Orchids

Small orchids have long held an appeal to many people, particularly for their delicate beauty and fascinating variety. These days miniature orchids are taking on a new desirability as collections downsize and electrical costs increase. New species continue to surface and that appeals to collectors as well. This talk focuses on a nice cross-section of attractive and popular species that can fit in any collection. In 2014 Ron and co-author Mary Gerritsen published a two-volume set of books called “A Compendium of Miniature Orchids Species”, with a four volume, highly revised second edition released in 2021. This presentation is meant to complement these releases.

Ron Parsons has been growing orchids for nearly 49 years, and has been interested in the species for most of that time. He loves to photograph orchids and other flowers whenever he can, and does so as often as possible. Ron has more than 100,000 digital images, most of which are of orchids, and still retains a slide library that exceeds 100,000 botanical images. He has given more than 500 talks on various botanical topics, and has nearly 6500 published photos. Ron has co-authored four books on botanical subjects, all with Mary E. Gerritsen. The first two, published by Timber Press, are Masdevallias, Gems of the Orchid World and Calochortus, Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives. Their third book, a two-volume set, A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species was published by Redfern Natural History Productions in January 2014. In 2019 The American Orchid Society Guide to Orchids and their Culture was released, and is on its third printing. They have recently completed a fifth book, a much-revised second edition of A Compendium of Miniature Orchids Species. It is now in four volumes with 3100 photos (1800 of those are new), including those of more than 500 species not in the first edition. The set was released in early October, 2021.