Calopogon is a genus of native North American orchids, which, according to Carlyl Luer, are found in damp meadows, pinelands, and bogs from Newfoundland to Cuba, and from the east coast to Iowa. It is probably among the most forgiving of all the terrestrial orchids to grow under artificial conditions. Because of its ease in culture, the charming beauty and long blooming period of the flowers, in varying shades of pink, this is a plant which can and should be cultivated by anyone interested in flowering plants- with or without a greenhouse, special lights or anything else, other than access to sun, readily available media, and a refrigerator- and even this could be omitted. The flowers are upside-down and the bristles on the lip gives them their name (Gr.: beautifull beard), see pollinators.

Calopogon tuberosus by Wilford b. Neptune, M.D.
For years I have enjoyed native orchids in their natural habitat, and although I have been growing a diverse collection of orchids in a greenhouse for more than 25 years, I never attempted to artificially grow any of the native orchids since the prevailing impression was that native North American orchids could not be successfully grown and should be left undisturbed in their natural habitat. I became interested in growing these after reading publications by Carson Whitlow from Cyp Haven, in Adel, Iowa; Bill Steele, from Spangle Creek Labs, in Spangle, Washington; Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm and Garden, in Renick, West Virginia; Philip Oyerly of Mt Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora, in Wilmington, Delaware; and direct observation of the results obtained by Dr George Newman, using artificial bogs, in New Hampshire, and Owen Robinson, whose nursery is called Raising Rarities, in Halifax, Vermont. Much of the work on culture and propagation of calopogons has been done by Carson Whitlow over the past several years, and I have essentially copied his advice.

I purchased five corms from him in 1992, and placed them in damp sand and peat inside a plastic bag and put them in a refrigerator, between 35 and 40F. They need vernalization of at least three months, following which they can be removed at any time. Although the corms are hardy to well below freezing, it has been my observation that the immature corms tend to rot if allowed to drop below freezing The subsequent bloom can be rather accurately timed, but I do not start the new growth cycle until the end of April, since I will then have adequate available sunshine, and the chance of frost is no longer great. They are planted in a plastic, geranium type pot, with one inch of either fine gravel, perlite, or plastic peanuts in the bottom. The planting medium is equal parts fine peat moss and coarse sand to which a handful of fine charcoal is added to a five inch pot in which five corms can be planted at twice their depth, like spring bulbs. The pot is then placed in a saucer which is kept full of water- if there is any question as to the quality, use rain water, distilled water, or water obtained by reverse osmosis. I place the pot in the cool greenhouse, and the corms usually show growth in one week. They are then placed outdoors, in full sun. Whitlow advises feeding them lightly once a month, until August. Since I believe most plants do better with more frequent feeding, I use 1/4 tsp/gal of liquid fish meal, and 1/4 tsp/gal of sea weed, once a week until August. The flower spikes usually show in another two weeks, and bloom will be well established by mid-June. Since the blooming can be accurately timed, one can readily prepare for upcoming events when flowers may be needed.

These plants self pollinate, and unless one wishes seed for subsequent propagation, all developing capsules should be removed in order to produce the strongest possible corm. The plants are left outside until frost kills the leaves, at which time the growths are cut off, all roots are removed, and the corms washed and again stored in the refrigerator for vernalization.

On June 6, 1993, I took my first pot of blooming Calopogon tuberosis to the AOS Judging Center, in White Plains, NY. There were five blooming plants, and one was larger and darker than any previously seen by the judges. This clone was awarded a CHM of 83 pts, and an AM of 81pts. I gave it the name 'Jane', for my daughter-in-law. Currently, I have seedlings, in flask, which are an outcross of 'Jane' x one of the other clones. These should be interesting. ( The flasking was done by Joe Palermo, The Orchid Man, in Schaghticoke, NY.)

Calopogon pallidus
Keep the medium always wet - also during dormancy - with rainwater (don't use tapwater). Preferably in an artificial bog but can also be grown in a large container. Waterlevel should be 15 to 20 centimeters below soil surface. Plant the tuber so that the growing point sits 1 centimeter below the surface. Soil is acidic, quarter can be sphagnum peat, a quarter part live sphagnum moss and the rest consists of washed grit and sand. You can top it of with live sphagnum moss and place them in full sunlight. They require a 3 month cold period for vernilisation, but don't let them freeze. Place them in a location at around 5°C, a fridge can do the job. Plants from a garden bog can be dug up and wrapped in live sphagnum. Even better is planting them in pots that are then placed in the bog, comes Autumn the pot can be taken out. Sphagnum grows fast enough to mask the pots in a few weeks. Place/plant them back when the last freeze has passed in Spring. Plants in potculture can be fertilised with 1/10 to 1/4 general pot plant feed every month up to August but you should flush the pots completely before application. Applying fertiliser in an artificial bog is not advised as it can influence other plants in the bog (often Sarracenia or Drosera) for a number of years.

Propagation can be readily done by one of three ways:

1. A strong corm, well grown, will frequently produce a secondary corm, and these will usually bloom the second year.
2. Large corms may have two eyes, but only one will usually grow. However, it can be divided, and reglued back together to prevent rot, and both eyes will grow.
3. Seed capsules may be harvested after frost. The seed should be planted in the usual way, and then cooled to 40F for three months. After germination, replate. After one year the corms will be the size of a pin head, and the leaves will fall and enter dormancy. The tiny corms should be replated and

cooled for three months at 40F. At the end of the second year the corms will be the size of a pea. At dormancy, remove the corms and store at 40F, until spring, and then plant in the usual way. The plants will usually bloom by the fourth year.

In-vitro propagation
There is a complete study available on this subject from a thesis by Philiph Kauth 1)

Calopogon uses deceit pollination 2) and the flower is oriented upside-down (lip on top) to achieve this. The insect (rather large species, mostly bumble bees) lands on the lip and tries to collect pollen from what appears to be anthers - they are fake hairlike protuberances. The lip drops because of the insect's weight, forcing the animal with its back onto the column. The back comes into contact with the real adhering pollinea and the pollinator brings it to the next flower. It's suggested that this mechanism of soft pollinea is a way to be allowed to be pollinated by hairy bees 3)

Calopogon tuberosus
Bombus vagans
Bombus fervidus (bumblebee)
sweat bee
Lycaena apixanthe (bog coppers)
Trichiotinus affinis

Reproductive success and inflorescence size of Calopogon tuberosus (Orchidaceae)
Firmage, David H., F. Russell Cole