Gerald wrote: > >Idle question please. > >It is my understanding that a plant entered for judging (Award and Show) >must be correctly identified > >What happens when a plant is entered under the 'old,' 'older' or even >'oldest' name? > >Jerry in IN >
Hello Jerry, Well, it depends on the helpfulness of the show registrars and the judges involved in the show. If you have very nice registrars and judges like we usually have at our CNYOS show (which will be October 4th+5th at the Beaver Lake Nature Center, Baldwinsville, NY), if submit a plant with a certain name and for sake of discussion it is two name changes old, the registrars will use online and computer resources to research the name to make sure it is correct, to the best of their knowledge at that second, and if there is an error it will be adjusted and entered with the proper name and the entrant notified. It will then be seen by judges, and if a name has changed again and a judge knows that the tag is wrong, then usually they will point it out and go ahead with judging. Especially if at the moment at hand all that is at stake is ribbon judging, then they want to encourage the general orchid populace to enter plants in a show, then there is often more forgiveness towards an incorrect tag. To be a jerk and bounce a plant at that point from any sort of judging would be a bit counter-productive to having someone feel good about their encyclia mariae (euchile?) getting a blue ribbon and deciding to put more plants in a show next time. If it is a species epithet (or genus) that is entered under an old name then it isn't really someone trying to misrepresent what a plant is, it's more of just the whole rolling genus name problem with new names being designated. What are the problems are people representing hybrids as species, or one hybrid similar to another but looking nicer than the named one and maybe more likely to get a real award, or just an error or misplaced tag in a nursery that says it is one but is really another, and no sort of misrepresentation at all. This is what I have gathered from listening to judges at shows while clerking and assisting with other details and awards photography. In the other direction, I guess there have been times and places where a show may be operating under the assumption that the plant owner must and has researched the name, and if they have it wrong then it is or can (or automatically will) be refused for any sort of judging, because it isn't listed as what it should be. In this case 'the rules' are determined to be the most important thing and if someone doesn't do their homework properly, then they fail and the plant is refused. Different shows can operate under different rules (some don't have AOS judging), and different personalities can affect what the outcome might be. 'It depends', is what it boils down to... I think it also can depend on how big the show is as well. If you have a large showing or are at a regional center and only AOS or large societies' awards are being given out and there isn't as much time for extra research or changing labels (or the people doing registration aren't concerned with the feelings of the entrants) then maybe there could be a 'tougher stance' towards errors. hope this helps, charles -- charles ufford oriskany, ny usa _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
