The Orchidaceae are

Leo A. Martin leo1010@attglobal.net
Fri, 15 Jul 2005 18:00:16 PDT
> The Orchidaceae are one of the worst-offenders
 > in the plant kingdom when it comes to
 > changes in classification or taxonomy.

The orchids don't have any idea of what we are calling them and so far 
as I know no orchid plant has EVER been an author on a published 
recombination. It is the ORCHID BOTANISTS who are doing all the changing.

For that matter, the plants don't think of themselves as species. The 
pollinators aren't careful to fly only to flowers humans would consider 
of the same species. "Species" is a concept we made up to try and name a 
concept we observed.

By the way, at the upcoming Convention of the Cactus and Succulent 
Society of America in Scottsdale, one of the speakers will be Chuck 
Hanson of Arid Lands Greenhouses talking about succulent orchids from 
Madagascar. Of course, there will be an enormous plant sale, open to the 
public free with no need to register for the Convention. (The plants 
aren't free.) Some of these little Oeceoclades orchids grow in leaf 
litter with buried pseudobulbs and exposed leaves, so they might be 
considered bulbous or hypogaeal.

http://www.cssainc.org/convent.html

Leo Martin
Phoenix Arizona USA


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