Wheeler
Orchid Collection & Species Bank Orchid Facts
General
Information
The purpose of WOCSB is to conserve rare and endangered species of
orchids, disseminate them for preservation, and utilize the Collection for research and education.
Orchids are displayed in WOCSB with other tropical plants to give the visitor an impression of being
in a small tropical environment. A terraced "mountain" and waterfall hint at the cooler, high-elevation rainforest
environment and cloud-forest orchids that grow there. A display of tropical poison arrow frogs is
included, as rainforest conservation is about both plants and animals.
While orchid diversity and adaptations are amazing, it is the very
nature of their habitats that have provided for their diversity. Orchids
grow in specialized habitats: rainforests, treetops, stream banks, rainshadows,
cliffs and rocky meadows, even woodlands and wetlands. Orchids and their
pollinators are represented in nearly every habitat type on earth. It is the
loss of those habitats that are threatening the future of orchids and other
plants worldwide. Collectors have been known to over collect a particular
species, this extirpating it from the wild. Even our native terrestrial
species are threatened by habitat loss, primarily from agriculture and
urban development. It is collections such as The Wheeler Orchid Collection
and Species Bank that hope to serve as a genetic repository for species orchids,
that they may not become extinct.
Research at WOCSB hopes to help with orchid conservation, and seed propagation
of uncommon species is part of this effort.
Thank you for your visit. Your donation is always welcome and
can help improve the species diversity of this orchid collection. Please come
again.
Wheeler Orchid Collection and Species Bank
Welcome to the Wheeler Orchid Collection and
Species Bank. The Collection, referred to as WOCSB, was originally donated to Ball State University in 1971 by
W.O. and GoldieWheeler of Indianapolis. In 1982 , another large donation
(over 600 orchids) was given by Al Thanhauser of Connecticut.
As a designated Plant Rescue Center, WOCSB also receives occasional shipments
of orchids that are imported illegally. Known for its diversity, The Wheeler
Collection was well known as one of the finest of its type. The
Collection, currently comprised of over 1,200 plants, has continued to
emphasize conservation and education by maintaining over 85 genera, represented by over 500 different species and
over100 hybrid orchids.
Department of Biology
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
(765) 285-8839
(765) 285-8820