The AOS Houston Judging Center met on May 18, 2024, and judged 12 plants that were brought in by exhibitors. Of those, three were awarded as follows:

Paphiopedilum QF Mini ‘Pricilla Ann’, AM/AOS 81 pts, Award #20244122, presented by Stephen Gallagher

Exhibited by no other than our president, Stephen Gallagher. This was a single flower, base color white, stippled maroon.  Kudos, Stephen!

Microcoelia cornuta ‘Bateria’, CBR/AOS, Award #20244123, presented by Bryan Wu

16 flowers and 23 buds on seven inflorescences. To say the flowers were small is an understatement. The largest flower was 3/4 cm natural spread. Monopodial and leafless, the plant is from Madagascar. By AOS judging rules, all CBR species must be verified by the Species Identity Task Force (SITF) before the award becomes accepted. The exhibitor is our own Bryan Wu.  Kudos, Bryan!

Epicyclia Serena O’Neill ‘Elaine’, AM/AOS 81 pts, Award #20244123, presented by Derek Lowenstein

This Encyclia is not only colorful but nicely fragrant. It is one of my favorites. This plant is owned by Derek Lowenstein, one of our judges. The plant had 85 flat, star-shaped chartreuse flowers with a pink tri-lobed lip. Kudos, Derek! Advice: If you find a Serena O’Neill, buy it. It’s an easy grower in our climate.