The facilities include nearly 900 species
The Catalan Orchid Friends Association (ACAO) has inaugurated today the Espai Pere Arche, a new meeting and outreach space at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes, dedicated to the orchid family. The facilities bear the name of the association’s former president, who passed away a year ago, in tribute to his work in the world of orchids.
The event, with a deeply emotional tone, was attended by representatives of the Carl Faust Foundation, ACAO members, Pere Arche’s family, and friends from the botanical world. The new space houses nearly 900 specimens of orchids arranged in original ornamental structures: a small waterfall, a fountain, a pond with fish, as well as trunks and branches from which the plants hang.
A project with deep roots
ACAO was founded in December 1995, when a small group of orchid lovers, after several informal meetings and visits to gardens, greenhouses, and private collections, decided to form an association. Since then, it has become a reference in Catalonia for the promotion, study, and conservation of these plants.
In 2023, ACAO and the Carl Faust Foundation signed an agreement under which the association would install its orchid collection at Marimurtra, adding it to the Botanical Garden’s inventory. Incorporating Pere Arche’s personal collection represents an exceptional enrichment for the association, of which he was a founding member and president between 2018 and 2024.
His passion and knowledge were essential in ACAO’s development. Pere Arche was a lover of orchids and a pioneer in this sector, recognized both nationally and internationally by growers, producers, and experts. He stood out especially for his deep knowledge of the Paphiopedilum genus.
Promotion and conservation
In addition to conserving and showcasing orchid species and hybrids —a botanical family with more than 25,000 natural species and around 60,000 cultivated hybrids—, ACAO promotes training courses, workshops, and outreach activities on substrates, cultivation techniques, taxonomy, and ecology. This new space will further facilitate the organization of technical sessions and meetings to deepen knowledge of these plants.
The Carl Faust Foundation, created in 1951 by the founder of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, aims to continue his work. Among its goals is the protection and promotion of Mediterranean biology studies, especially in botany, seeking cooperation and international relations to foster research and scientific outreach.
