Orchid Genera Abbreviations.

[WhiteRabbit]

So, while I don't think there can be objection if members want to compile this list, I do wonder about no-longer recognized /accepted (but still in use) names / abbreviations. Perhaps, if this is to be done, the currently accepted / recognized name and abbreviation should be noted.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It'll take a while to note which ones are the current ones. That info's gotta be researched.

Of note is the confusing mess that are the plants that used to be clustered into the genus Encyclia. A good example are plants such as Encyclia cochleata and Encyclia radiata and other species that have a similar "cockleshell" type of lip, I'm not sure whether the current genus name applied to these plants are Anacheilium or Prostechia. I'm also not sure if the genus name Pollardia is still in effect to describe species such as Encyclia livida.

It was also problematic to figure out some of the orchids where they have been split. Some of them don't have abbreviations to their genus names that are easily searched out.

Those in the Pleurothallis group, Chondrorhyncha group, and Maxillaria group are currently the most notable.

In the Chondrorhyncha group, the genus names of Stenotyla or Ixyophora are difficult to find abbreviations for.

I also wasn't aware that Maxillaria split until literally a couple months ago. So far, the genera that I'm aware of in this split are Spilotantha, Maxillariella, and Camaridium, whether there are others, I'm not sure of.

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

Something else to note is that the genus Dockrillia, (formerly part of the super-genus Dendrobium), used to not be a widely accepted genus name. It was only accepted in Australia at one point in time. Now it is widely accepted as separate from the genus Dendrobium, although, some people still recognize plants in this genus as Dendrobium.

The same goes for the genus name Thelychiton, (these plants were formerly clumped into the super-genus Dendrobium). This name is also currently floating around in circles. It is accepted in Australia, but it has not caught on in the rest of the world. Examples of Thelychiton are species such as Dendrobium kingianum, (aka Thelychiton kingianus), and Dendrobium speciosum, (aka Thelychiton speciosus).

[MamaLiberty]

Oh my goodness. Seems I've stirred up a can of worms here. Such a tangle. Thank you all for your hard work on this.

[cbuchman]

There is a web site where you can pretty easily find the accepted name of an orchid (and some other plants too). It is the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and it is run by Kew Gardens.

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

For example if you put in Encycle cochleata it displays a list of similar names. Click one one of them and it tells you that the accepted name is Prosthechea cochleata. Continue to click around and you'll find more good information.

I just learned that this website is the one AOS judges are instructed to use to identify accepted names.