Welcome to the British Orchid Council's Web Site

The British Orchid Council - BOC - is the UK orchid world's umbrella organisation, bringing together amateur and commercial growers and the scientific community in a single forum.

Membership currently comprises forty national, regional and specialist Orchid Societies, the British Orchid Growers' Association (BOGA, the UK orchid trade organisation), national Botanic Gardens maintaining significant orchid collections at Kew and Glasgow, the Eric Young Orchid Foundation, and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Habenaria medusa

©  Denys Morten - Winner of the BOC Photo Competition 2010

(click to enlarge in new window)

BOC is a registered charity whose main objectives may be summarised as promoting and broadening the knowledge of orchids, and encouraging excellence in their culture.  Its rôle is one of co-ordinating rather than governing the activities of its member organisations.

The regulations governing the BOC and its activities [23.4Kb .RTF file] . . .

 GOVERNINGINSTRUMENT

Council sponsors British Orchid Congresses around the country every 1 to 2 years, maintains a training programme of international standard for Show Judges, represents its members on both European and International bodies, and has a strong commitment to conservation.
 

Registered Charity No 1080540

The Appeal, based at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, is dedicated to funding research into the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of testicular, prostate and penile cancer.

Why is the Appeal so-called?  A little medico-botanical etymology will help . . .

The ancient Greek word for a male gonad, or testicle, is - orchis.  The resemblance to testicles of the tubers of several native Greek terrestrial orchids gave rise not only to the scientific name Orchis for one genus of those orchids, but also to the name Orchidaceae for the entire orchid family - all its 25,000-odd members.  To complete the circle, the medical term for surgical removal of the testicle, one option in the treatment of testicular cancer, is orchidectomy.

Please support the Appeal - click on their logo above to visit their web site

The Orchid Cancer Appeal and the British Orchid Council are two totally separate and independent organisations, not connected to each other in any way.  The only common feature is the use of the word "orchid" in their names.