Frank Fordyce, a pioneering orchid breeder whose striking organic breakthroughs made him a perennial icon in the flower world, died Aug. 17 at ValleyCare Medical Center in Pleasanton. He was 87.
During his six decades growing and selling orchids, Fordyce, a World War II prisoner of war who later helped open the now-defunct Livermore Orchid Ranch, created thousands of eye-catching varieties.
Regarded as one of the world's most gifted hybridizers of Cattleyas — the large orchids used for old-style corsages — he specialized in creating smaller versions of the plants that didn't require as much space.
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