Re: [OGD] DNA and taxonomic revisions
Icones said: I think Kew's revision will not stand, but until enough people raise the issue with them, it will not change. DNA is not an end all, be all, it is just another tool. I am fascinated by the degree to which DNA-based typologies seem to map onto the general opinion of those who worked on morphology, field studies and common sense. That is, if one forgets the Linnean binomials and focuses on the clades, the two seem in remarkable agreement. Plainly, where the splitters have predominated over the lumpers, things are not so smooth and a large number of the Asian monopodial genera seem doomed. (What is it about the Vandeae that brings out the desire to divide and conquer? To my eye, the Paphs also seem over-segregated for either sense or utility, but at least they have remained a single genus until now - I think!) Equally, everyday convenience seems to require divisions where they are not strictly justified by cut here dotted lines: the ghastly lumps that are Dendrobium et al, and Bulbophyllum spring to mind. I have no real sense of how all this is being handled at the academic level. Plainly, a revolution is underway, and the spend on taxonomy has never, in absolute terms, been higher. There seem to be three levels to which this all has to answer. First, utility: do those who have to use the names find the distinctions which are made to meet their needs? Second, homology: do the distinctions which are to be made map onto what DNA, our eyes and field observation tells us? Third, change management: if someone revises a name, then how is this to be handled? The first and second of these are highly inter-twined, and relate to some of the points made above. Given a solution to the second issue - that of identifying the right dotted lines along which to cut - a rather ingenious idea has been wandering around for some years. This is to assign a database code to each such entity. This would pin together the various overlaps, synonyms and re-assignments that apply to this entity, so that for daily convenience it can be called a Qwerty uiop Smelly Nellie, but to serious taxonomy it is SD2345X190, or some such. If horticulturalists wanted to split or lump they can do so at will, as the code itself would be unchanged. (I may have this wrong, so the better-informed should correct me if this is so.) I am not aware of any high level review of all of this as it pertains to orchids. It would be helpful if there were to be anyone in the readership who can offer a steer on this. __ Oliver Sparrow +44 (0)20 7736 9716 www.chforum.org ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Wildlife Crime Unit [Scotland]
National Wildlife Crime Unit... launched in Edinburgh... 14 officers... In addition to international crime, they are expected to fight domestic wildlife crime... The international trade in protected endangered species is the third most lucrative criminal trade in the world [after arms and drugs] A dedicated website has been launched at www.nwcu.police.uk. ... Rare... orchids... The flowers most in demand come from south-east Asia and South America, such as the rare slipper orchid. The wild plant... sell to collectors for around £6,000 per plant. Earlier this year a doctor was jailed for trying to smuggle 126 orchids through Heathrow. Dr Sian Lim was jailed for four months. When the flowers are seized in Scotland they can be taken to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh for protection. article URL: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1547552006 ** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] help from rubbish / King's Lynn, Norfolk [UK]
funding from the Landfill Community Fund of Waste Recycling Group. The ... Fund gives landfill operators the opportunity to divert a percentage of their annual landfill tax bill into the communities and environments around their sites. ... project... at Roydon Common, where Norfolk Wildlife Trust wants to... re-establish colonies for three... endangered species of orchid which are found on the nature reserve. The species are the heath spotted orchid [Dactylorhiza maculata], the lesser butterfly orchid [Platanthera bifolia] and the... bog orchid [Hammarbya paludosa]. http://www.lynnnews.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?sectionid=991articleid=1826567 Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Kew Checklist
In a message dated 10/19/06 6:03:01 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't like the large Sophronitis concept and keep them separated. Sophronitis purpurata aches in my ears! Me too, although my amateur opinion does not count. I understood this swollen Sophronitis is a temporary expedient until the taxonomists finally decide where the Brazilian "Laelias" really belong. I'm puzzled about a spelling problem. There is a state of Brazil called Minas Geraes (General Mines) which is famous for orchids. There is a subspecies of Cattleya bicolor that they spell minasgaerensis. I should think it would be spelled minasgeraensis or minasgeraeensis. I asked Govaerts about this but haven't received an answer. Iris ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] From The Horse's Mouth
This just in re Tolumnia: We will be accepting this genus soon but I am awaiting the final decisions on some other groups for Genera Orchid. before I make them. Rafael ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Kew Checklist
Dear Iris, At the time of Barbosa Rodriges, the spelling of Minas Gerais, was Minas Geraes. Brazilian Portuguese was revised in 1943 and many spellings changed at the time. Among many other changes ph, y and ll were removed from Portuguese then. There are many species also called geraensis what refers to Minas Gerais too. There is a mistake in Kew indeed. That one's supposed to be. C bicolor subsp. minasgeraensis. Dalton At 11:51 19/10/2006, you wrote: In a message dated 10/19/06 6:03:01 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't like the large Sophronitis concept and keep them separated. Sophronitis purpurata aches in my ears! Me too, although my amateur opinion does not count. I understood this swollen Sophronitis is a temporary expedient until the taxonomists finally decide where the Brazilian Laelias really belong. I'm puzzled about a spelling problem. There is a state of Brazil called Minas Geraes (General Mines) which is famous for orchids. There is a subspecies of Cattleya bicolor that they spell minasgaerensis. I should think it would be spelled minasgeraensis or minasgeraeensis. I asked Govaerts about this but haven't received an answer. Iris Esta mensagem foi verificada pelo E-mail Protegido Terra. Scan engine: McAfee VirusScan / Atualizado em 18/10/2006 / Versão: 4.4.00/4876 Proteja o seu e-mail Terra: http://mail.terra.com.br/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Expected: Australian terrestrial orchids hybrids for resale
Dear all, This is to inform you that we expect to have a number of native Australian terrestrial orchid species available for resale later this year, as well as several of their hybrids. Material will arrive straight from Australia, where the growing season for winter-green deciduous terrestrial orchids is opposed to ours in the Northern Hemisphere. Full adjustment to a Northern Hemisphere Mediterranean-type growing cycle may be expected to take 1 to 3 years. People who are interested, are kindly requested to send for a price list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Although we will serve customers outside the European Union and are able to arrange phytosanitary certificates and CITES-permits, it should be realised that the latter will seriously increase the order total. For details please inquire. With kind regards, Simon M. Wellinga / SymPhyto - Laboratory for in vitro plant propagation Heerenveen, The Netherlands / EU ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Peru , 1 of 2 OGD Vol 8 issue 349
part 1 of 2 Many books could be written, about all that has happened with and around Phragmipedium kovachii,since its discovery four years ago. In 1990, Manual Arias Silva had a flaskingfacility. In 1996 he stated in a lecture that he had stopped his in-vitropropagation of orchids, due to certain difficulties he faced running a laboratory. In 2000, when I and two Peruvian friends had a three hours tour of the Arias orchid growing facilities in Lima, guided by Manuel, he showedus a tiny room, possibly used for flasking a long time ago, but non-functional then. InDecember of 2004,Manuel Arias told one of myPeruvianfriends that all the Phragmipediums he exported in 2004, with INRENA permits, were propagated by division from the large number of Mother plants he collected prior to the time CITES was enforced. In May of 2003, when Manuel Arias obtained INRENA permit 002 to collect his five legal Pk plants from the habitat for the purpose of in-vitro propagation, he did not have a functioning laboratory. Though Iinformed INRENA of several orchid laboratories in Lima that were perfectly capable of starting Pk propagation in 2002, they were not issued a permit.. It was not until November 2003that Manuel investedheavily in a new laboratory, by purchasing laminar flow hood units from Singapore. He thenstarted amassive program of in-vitro culture, after some members of his family, or staff, were invited to learn in-vitropropagation techniques in England. Peruvian species orchids propagated from seeds in November of 2003, will not be full size plantstoday, October 2006. Bill, it really does not matter todaythat Arias did some flaskingin the 80's. The Moores are correct, it is impossible for the 352 full size orchid species, offered for sale by Arias today, to have been started from seedsin their laboratory that opened less than three years ago. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Peru, 2 of 2 OGD Vol 8 issue 349
part 2 of 2 Alfredo Manrique, the first Peruvian selected by INRENA to propagate Pk in-vitro fromfive legally collected Pk plants and nowan expert Pk grower,fully agrees with the Moores that there simply is no way one can produce 800 flasks from fivelegal Pk plants in such a short time.What makes it even less likelyis the fact that Manuel Arias divided his five legal plants intotoo many divisions;limiting floweringseverely. The proof of thisis in the pictures taken of his Pk plants in the last two years by INRENA.What many do not know is that INRENA, since 2004,kept a picture archive of all the Pk plants collected legally, taking pictures of the plants two or three times a year. Peruflora or Peruanino have no orchid nurseries, they are exportersofManuelArias' orchids and in charge of the in-vitro lab. In 2002,as a non- Peruvian, I was concerned about the survival of the species and suggested toINRENA that they immediately start an in-vitropropagation program for Pk. I knew of several laboratories in Peru who actively propagated orchids in-vitro. Government wheels of progress turn slowly, it tookanother full year, till 2003, before artificial propagation of Pk was started. Iknow of one other non-Peruvian whoalso was concerned, Miss Angela Mirro, who generously donated the proceeds of her first painting ofPk to the Lima based Club Peruano de Orquideas, for the purpose of establishing a Pk conservation program. Some failures ofPeru in connection with Pk are that they didlittle to stop the total depletion ofthebig Pk habitats andthey hadno plans formarketing the Pk species in such a way that it would benefit the small vendors living in the Pk habitat area, who up to this day live on less than US$ 50.- per month and sell Pk plants illegally at US$ 7.- each. Peter ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
