Tarzane misslabeling?

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Has anyone gotten mislabeled tubers from Tarzane? I'm not sure if I mixed up tags (I highly doubt it, but it could've happened)

This plant that I have tagged as Dactylorrhiza romana looks like a Serapias. I did have a Serapias cordigera (which I lost), but my order from Tarzane didn't include a Serapias, and even if I mixed my tags, this one looks too green to be cordigera. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[Roberta]

I got one labeled "Orchis anatolica" which turned out to be a very nice Ophrys. So yes, there were errors. I suspect that Tarzane Group is at the mercy of their suppliers... tubers pretty much look alike. I sent an email with photo asking if they could give me an ID of what I actually got, haven't received a response yet. They're currently closed, mourning the passing of their 18 year old dog Tarzan (company namesake) so it may be a bit before they respond.

Youir plant looks a lot like Serapias bergonii.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I got one labeled "Orchis anatolica" which turned out to be a very nice Ophrys. So yes, there were errors. I suspect that Tarzane Group is at the mercy of their suppliers... tubers pretty much look alike. I sent an email with photo asking if they could give me an ID of what I actually got, haven't received a response yet. They're currently closed, mourning the passing of their 18 year old dog Tarzan (company namesake) so it may be a bit before they respond.

Youir plant looks a lot like Serapias bergonii.

I haven't emailed yet because I saw the sad news about their recent loss.

Hopefully, they have some sort of policy for these situations, like store credit. I hate being fussy with small businesses, but $30 per tuber is a lot, and as beautiful as Serapias bergonii is, it's not necessarily a plant that I find attractive enough to take space in my growing area.

I also think it can be problematic if a plant that likes a calcareous mix is mislabeled as one that likes it acidic, or other conditions. Luckily Serapias bergonii likes it calcareous, as does Dactylorhiza romana. I have it in a semi-shaded area as I read that Dactylorhiza romana grows well on the shady edges of forests. Apparently, this particularly Serapias likes it too, as it has bloomed quite nicely.

I guess the downside of a more niche category of orchids, such as terrestrials, is the unreliability of suppliers. Hopefully, these will become more frequent in cultivation!

[Roberta]

Yeah, I emailed him before I heard the sad news. So I don't expect, or need, a response in any huge hurry. I do think this is a supplier problem. I don't think that he grows these out first - that would require holding them for a year at least, and the additional difficulty would be that some of these may actually not do so well in south Florida. I'm just glad to have a source in the US. Hopefully he can lean on his suppliers a bit.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Update - Email from Tarzane:

Just a little update that Tarzane is a class act in handling their customer service. They provided me with a $20 off code to use towards my next purchase, which I used during their last release. I had actually paid $14 for the plant plus shipping, since I purchased it during a late season sale they held, so no loss on my end.

They also helped me ID it, they say it is a toss between bergonii and vomeracea, with bergonii in the lead as it is a bit smaller than vomeracea. Good enough for me!