Whats the problem with NOID plants?

[Reeses]

Bulbofett, I LOVE your username!!

[pipsxlch]

The plants don't care whether they're officially named or not.

I prefer named for the reasons given here.
- if I choose to do anything with it the fact it's named helps. If I advance to wanting to breed it's really necessary to rehome the offspring and justify the expense, if I want to try for a title it's necessary again, if I want to sell it so many won't buy without I.D. Even as a gift 'orchid people' may not want it if it's NOID.
- a name can be traced back to the species, which could help with culture. For instance, things with a lot of (was) Sophronitis don't generally do well in my hot climate, even though catts in general thrive. Knowing it's high percentage Sophronitis lets me know to avoid it.
- being able to find it down the road should you lose yours or someone else loves it. Another example, I saw a NOID den at a show, joined the club with the display and asked everyone if the owner of said plant would be willing to talk to me and if they'd be willing to consider selling back bulbs down the road. No one I spoke with, president on down, would tell me anything even no. If it had had a name, I could have looked on my own.

So there's nothing wrong with NOIDs, it's just most fanciers eventually move in the direction of wanting a name. And hey NOIDs are usually cheaper, so more bang for your buck.

[ddivey36]

Originally Posted by Reeses

Bulbofett, I LOVE your username!!

Me too!!

[WhiteRabbit]

Nothing's wrong with noids

[snowflake311]

All good points. A few of you say you want to know the name so you can replace it. Personally if I loose a plant it is a cue for me to try a different one. But that is just me.

Yes I can see tracking the orchids history could be fun. knowing who and where your plant came from is nice.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by snowflake311

All good points. A few of you say you want to know the name so you can replace it. Personally if I loose a plant it is a cue for me to try a different one. But that is just me.

Depends on the reason why you lost it. If it never really thrived and slowly died, then yes I agree it's better to try something else. But when it's a plant that you've had for many years and that it grew and bloomed beautifully before dying, then it's nice to be able to replace it. For instance, I just went on vacation for a bit over 2 weeks for the holidays, and got back to find that 2 favorite Phals had lost all their leaves due to crown rot (maybe from having turned down the heating?). I was devastated, an if they don't survive, I'm going to try finding replacements.

[Cym Ladye]

Originally Posted by Reeses

......I got a tip from someone else on the board, I don't remember who...but they use "Noidus" as the species name! And then you can either make up the name, or use the name of what you think it is. So I have a NOID Onc. I got from Trader Joe's that now reads "Onc. Noidus 'Tsiku Marguerite'" because I think that's what it is, but honestly I have no way of knowing!

One way of correctly identifying a NOID hybrid is to use the abbreviation for the genus followed by hyb, the abbreviation for hybrid and then ign for "unknown". For a Cymbidium the tag would read Cym hyb ign. Then use a cultivar name of your own choosing - your street, a friend or partner, the name of your pet or whatever you want to make up. You might come up with the following: Cym hyb ign 'Yellow Bird'. Then all divisions you make of this plant will carry that name. If you ever do find out the cross name, it is wise to keep the cultivar name you chose as finding the actual name is almost impossible and should not be relied on.

Keep in mind for future reference that the terms "species" and "hybrid" are not the same. The first is found naturally in the wild, baseline so to speak; the second is a cross between species or more complex hybrids and assumed to be man-made.

[PaphMadMan]

The problem with NoIDs? They are making it harder and more expensive to get properly identified orchids of all kinds, and limiting the choices of what is available.

Many do get tagged with a name because someone thinks it "looks just like". Then the plant gets divided and distributed to people who have no idea it really is a NoID. An inferior plant gets passed off as something special, so no one even recognizes quality anymore.

The availability of cheap imported NoIDs is driving specialist orchid growers out of business. They used to be able to sell off excess plants or ones that aren't quite award or cut flower quality as potted plants, for a reasonable profit. Now that market is flooded with cheap mass market plants and they would have to sell at a loss to compete. A business that took generations to build, with an incredible collection of rare and special plants, goes out of business, and the collection is lost because no one can afford to maintain it.

And I could go on. NoIDs are the lowest common denominator, lowering the bar and driving down quality, and destroying orchid growing as a hobby and as a business.

[Leafmite]

[QUOTE=snowflake311;726716]All good points. A few of you say you want to know the name so you can replace it. Personally if I loose a plant it is a cue for me to try a different one. But that is just me.

My favorite noID Dendrobium was knocked over and re-potted upside down by the kids. Still, it tried to recover. Then the dog thought it was something to chew upon and that was the end of it. I still look at pictures of Dendrobiums trying to find the same one!

[plantbuddy]

Quote-"I understand if you want to Breed orchids or show them you want to know the full name. But for us basic orchid growers why place an importance on Pedigree. How many of us are really going to show and breed orchids?

I feel the same way about Dogs and dog breeding."[/QUOTE]Snowflake311.

Anybody who joins a local orchid society will eventually want to share and show their successes. Thus, a name is an asset.

I too have noids, however, there are dog owners, and there are dog owners. All some want is a lick, while others choose to conserve and breed.

In either case, the first thing you are asked about your dog is "What is it?"

Same goes for naming plants.

Experts have done a lot of work to develop the;

"International Code of Botanical Nomenclature" (ICBN), the "International Code of Botanical Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants" (ICBNCP), "International Code of Horticultural Nomenclature" (ICHN), and not least, the Royal Horticulture Society of Orchid Hybrid Registration.

Not only orchids, but every plant name is governed by these agreements, including your food.

They define rules for; commerce, patent rights, lineage, conservation, biodiversity, and identity. Without them, it would be a mess.

It's like a doctor knowing the vernacular of human anatomy and physiology, don't just point and guess.

Nothing wrong with growing and appreciating noids, but naming them as if they are valid hybrids or cultivars is a definite no-no.

Some people like their orchid collection nice and organized and botanically correct, call us...... crazy......