Species Orchids?

[JennS]

So, I have been trying and trying to find a good definition of what a "species" orchid is. I mean, I know that means it is a naturally occuring orchid in nature and not a hybrid, but how can I determine which 'chids are species?

I originally thought if there was just one listed name it was a species, but don't "they" rename hybrids to also have just one name?

So...how do I know which ones are species? I really tried to figure it out for myself, but have not! Can someone provide some examples of which are species?

Also, are any of these a species? Phal. Violaceae, Trichoglottis Brachiata, or Neofinetia Falcata? Thanks to anyone who can offer any help!

[Jorch]

The three you listed are all species. FYI, if you are referring to a species, the species name should be in lower case, such as Neofinetia falcata, Phal. violacea, etc.

Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia is a site that I recommend for the list of species.

[JennS]

Originally Posted by Jorch

The three you listed are all species. FYI, if you are referring to a species, the species name should be in lower case, such as Neofinetia falcata, Phal. violacea, etc.

Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia is a site that I recommend for the list of species.

So, on this site they only list species? Does that mean Den. Anosum (superbum) is one? I found this site before, but didn't know if it listed only species. And, what about Den. unicum? Thanks everyone again!

[jkofferdahl]

What Jorch says is correct, of course. However, it goes further than that. Yes, technically one could say that a species plant is one that occurs naturally, but species plants are hybridized with other plants of the exact same species to try to breed toward a certain characteristic in the plant; while technically these are also species, they're also technically hybrids, especially after multiple generations. Look, for example, at all of the variance and breeding that has occurred in Neofinitia falcata or Phal. pulcherrima, where some have actual hybrid names after the species name. Though these have never bred outside of the species, the breeding has been very intentionally directed. And then there are naturally occurring hybrids, such as Phalaenopsis intermedia (or Phal. X intermedia), which will be listed alongside the species plants despite being a hybrid.

Orchids seem to take a deep joy in keeping us confused.

[whygreenberg]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

Orchids seem to take a deep joy in keeping us confused.

Or, more likely, we seem to take deep joy in keeping the orchids confused. After all, the taxonomic system is a human-created system. Sorry, couldn't help the philosophical intrusion, but don't want to hijack and skew this thread further.

[Royal]

To answer the original question, a species will be (if identified correctly) written as said above, with the genus capitalized and the species lower case. But also, if it's in print it should be in italics and if hand written it should be underlined. That's the accepted rule, but many just write all names the same. So, if everyone followed the rules we'd know that if it's in italics or underlined it's a species.

Just to clarify, a species is a naturally occurring, distinctly unique member of a group of plants (genus) Members of the same genus share certain characteristics, but a species is unique. Some hybrids do occur naturally, but they are still known as hybrids.

Also, variation occurs in nature too. Sometimes you see a patch of wildflowers and one is kind of different. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a new species. It's just a genetic variation of the same species. These are usually identified with the variety name after the the genus and species (as in Cattleya luteola var. alba, or whatever.

I agree that selective breeding has forced certain species to seem to have changed. I don't agree that they are essentially hybrids. Many fruits and vegetables have been selectively bred for centuries. I like the big tomatoes better, but I still call them tomatoes.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

I agree that selective breeding has forced certain species to seem to have changed. I don't agree that they are essentially hybrids. Many fruits and vegetables have been selectively bred for centuries. I like the big tomatoes better, but I still call them tomatoes.

But the big tomatoes have a different cultivar name than the little ones, or even the medium-sized ones. I like German Shepherds but am not overly fond of Pekinese, but both are called "dogs".

See? Orchids, like other creatures, confuse us.

[whygreenberg]

Perhaps they only confuse us because we, naturally, try to make order out of the chaos that is nature. We attempt to force the chaotic panoply of nature's never-ending variety into some kind of coherent system. And when things don't neatly fit into that system, it does indeed become confusing. And fun, if you ask me. The continual revising by taxonomists of the names of genera is really entertaining. After all, Anacheilum cochleata is still the same plant, even though it's been named Encyclia, Prosthechea, and Anacheilum.

[Royal]

Well said, Yvan.

[jbigio]

the short answer is found as stated in the way the name is writen all species even if reclasified are lower case letters. if you do a search on the web and the name comes up with a capital it is a hybrid example of a species would be B. lasiochilum a hybrid example is M. Caroline Spoerl-Carpenter (velifera x tovarensis) this also would be considerd a primary hybrid since both parants are lower case so they are both species. hope this helps
Joe