LTC 286-2017 Fairchild Garden's Million Orchid ProjectMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC#
286-2017
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of he City Co
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: May31,2017
SUBJECT: Fairchild Garden's Million Orchid roject
You are cordially invited to attend a Ceremonial Planting of Florida Native Orchids to kick off the
City's participation in Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden's Million Orchid Project. The event will
take place at 1 O:OOam Friday, June 16, 2017 at the beautiful Calophyllum tree gracing the south
plaza at City Hall.
The Million Orchid Project seeks to reintroduce highly endangered Florida native orchids into
urban areas throughout Miami Dade County. South Florida was once an orchid paradise which
quickly dwindled in the late 1800s when flowering orchids were ripped from the trees and packed
into railroad cars; shipped to northern cities as potted plants. In an effort to keep the iconic and
beautiful native orchids from extinction, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden is working to
reintroduce the plants into our urban landscapes by propagating millions of seedlings for future
placement in street trees, parks and schools. The Million Orchid Project, facilitated by Fairchild
Tropical Botanical Garden, is a project intended to allow discoveries and research for developing
strategies to reintroduce the rare plant.
On September 2015, the City adopted resolution number 2015-29135 which approved funding
for the City to participate as soon as October 2015. However, the orchids were not available until
this fiscal year, 2017. The Orchid Installation plan will be divided into three (3) years with phases
in each year for successful planting and site assessment.
Staff is very excited about this opportunity to partner with Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden
and help bring this initiative to fruition by having orchids adorn the trees and palms throughout
our City and furthering the survival of these species.
Should you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Rodney Knowles
at (305) 763-7000 Ext. 6311.
Attachment
Cc: Eric Carpenter, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Department
John Rebar, Director Parks & Recreation Department
Phillip Rodney Knowles, Director Greenspace Management Division
Millie Mcfadden, Greenspace Superintendent
PROJECT OVERVIEW
South Florida was once an orchid paradise, with a rich variety of tropical orchids
growing naturally on the branches of every tree. In the late 1800s, as the Florida East
Coast Railroad extended southward, orchids were among the first natural resources to
be exploited. Flowering orchids were ripped from the trees and packed into railroad
cars, destined to be sold as disposable potted plants in northern flower shops. Orchid
populations dwindled rapidly, and now our iconic native orchids exist in such small
numbers that they have little hope of recovering on their own.
With the help of students, volunteers, and local communities, Fairchild Tropical Botanic
Garden (Fairchild) is working to restore some of South Florida's rare and endangered
orchid species into our urban landscape. For two years, the Micropropagation
Laboratory at Fairchild, and K-12 schools in Miami, have been generating large
quantities of native orchid plants from seed. We are now propagating eight species of
native orchids with the goal to re-establish them within South Florida's landscapes,
around schools, on street trees, and in city parks. The Million Orchid Project is unique in
its scale, its exclusive focus on public landscapes, and its involvement of the local
community from the beginning. Today, our region has countless suitable landscape
trees for orchid reestablishment in schoolyards, roadways, and other public spaces. We
expect to reestablish orchids in a wide variety of local urban settings, especially in the
places where people live, work, and learn.
At its core, The Million Orchid Project is a massive science experiment that allows us to
make important discoveries about how native orchids grow and reproduce. Additionally,
the science of The Million Orchid Project may help us develop more general strategies
for rescuing rare plants within a highly developed urban environment.
Orchid Installation Plan (3 yrs. -3 phases):
Site assessment and application approval:
-Preliminary site assessment to be conducted by Fairchild Garden staff
-Preparation of proposal package (following site assessment)
-Site approval and memorandum of understanding, contracts
-Sow seeds for planting years 2 & 3
-Schedule ceremonial planting
-Initiate formal plan for 3 yrs. distribution and installation
-Recruitment of community members/volunteers for plantings
*Recruitment to be coordinated by participating organizations
Ceremonial & Year 1 plantings (Jun. -Sept. 2017; 1000-1500 orchids):
-Ceremonial planting; typically 4hrs and 250-500 plants installed.
-Training of personnel by Fairchild garden staff during the ceremonial planting.
*Training will cover: installation, maintenance, and associated outreach and
research opportunities.
-Plant distributions for year 1; typically 2-3 additional deliveries of 250-500 plants*
-Yearly site assessment to be completed by Fairchild staff
Year 2 plantings (Jun. -Sept. 2018; 5,000-10,000 orchids):
-Plant distributions for year 2; 5-10 deliveries of 1000 plants*
-Yearly site assessment to be completed by Fairchild
-Develop long term goals
Year 3 plantings (Jun. -Sept. 2019; 5,000-10,000 orchids):
-Plant distributions for year 2; 5-10 deliveries of 1000 plants*
-Yearly site assessment to be completed by Fairchild
-Develop long term goal, monitoring (if applicable)
*Plants will be delivered by Fairchild Staff Participants are responsible for the installation
of all orchids following the initial ceremonial planting and training. Selection of species
and planting locations are subject to approval by Fairchild staff
Tree orchids:
Cyrtopodium punctatum (Florida cowhorn or cigar orchid)
Distribution: Florida to Mexico and south to Argentina
Flowering period: March-June (7 -1 0 years to maturity)
Growth habit: Grows on tropical hard wood trees. Native trees include buttonwood, live
oak, bald cypress, and cabbage palm. A mass of cigar-like pseudobulbs can grow up to
1.5 meters across and an individual plant can produce more than 500 flowers. In Florida
this orchid is highly endangered. Intense collecting pressure during the last century has
greatly impacted populations of this orchid and illegal collection continues to be a
threat.
Encyclia tampensis (Florida butterfly orchid)
Distribution: Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida.
Flowering period: May-August with a peak in June. (3 yrs. To maturity)
Growth habit: In Florida this orchid grows on a wide variety of native trees including
live oak, slash pine, red maple, gum, bald cypress, buttonwood, pop ash, and pond
apple. Forms dense clusters along horizontal branches.
Ground orchids:
Bletia purpurea (Pine pink)
Distribution: Florida, West Indies, Central America, and northern South America.
Flowering period: December to March (1 yrs. to maturity)
Growth habit: This orchid grows in open habitats or shade. Bletia purpurea is
considered threatened in Florida.
Oncidium ensatum (Florida Oncidium or Dancing Lady)
Distribution: Tropical America, the Bahamas and extends into southern Florida.
Flowering Period: All year; primarily May-August (1 yrs. To maturity)
Growth habit: Found in terrestrial habitats of rich humus in relatively dry hammocks, or
as epiphytes at the base of cypress trees in wet forests.
More species information available at: http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/