The project to create hybrid orchid flowers of Madeiran origin, promoted by biologist Pedro SpĂnola since 2019, comes to an end with two more species, whose scientific names honour two more municipalities in Madeira, the ‘Dendrobium Machiqueiro’ and Rlc. Laurissilva do Porto Moniz, which are registered with the Royal Horticultural Society.
According to Pedro SpĂnola, this botanical initiative has now come to an end with the creation and official registration with the Royal Horticultural Society of the latter two hybrids that pay homage to the municipalities of Machico and Porto Moniz.Â
“Nothing brings me more encouragement and some hope for Madeiran floriculture than the empowerment of people. Giving a sense of pride, a ‘vain’ love to a plant with the name of your municipality is a way of drawing attention, bringing to the fore an extremely important theme, and that is of the genesis of what it is to be a Madeiran: the love of plants and their cultivation.”
Thus, Pedro SpĂnola stresses, “to speak floriculture is not just talking about companies, exports and numbers, but rather to speak of the thousands, without ‘weight’ and without ‘name’ that they preserve, cherished and continue to cultivate our gardens and that they never have a heritage as threatened as it is now, either by new trends for gardens, due to the aging population and little investment in the floriculture area.”
And he also confirms that “the objective of all this, which is done at personal cost, is to draw attention of the people, and of the authorities, for something that was once one of the main reasons for which tourists visited the region and also, reason for the joy of many who find peace in their gardens and plants.”
But he recognizes that there is a long way to go, and hopes that through his efforts, this can be a starting point for more investment in gardening and the people.Â
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Photo: JM/Pedro SpĂnola
