Perplexing Purpuratas

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by stitz

Thank you for the Holiday wishes, Mauro.

I recently read that L. purpurata is definitely being reclassified as Cattleya purpurata. I will make a note of the specific references here when I see it again.



--Stitz--

Am not so sure, Stitz...! Something must have been done not according to Kew's plan, because they (Kew) have put all these new combinations (Cattleya purpurata, Cattleya crispa, Cattleya briegeri and so on) in the synonymy. So, according to their list, the valid name for the genus is Sophronitis still. The publication renaming all Brazilian Laelias to Cattleya was done in 2008, Kew had more than enough time do reorganize no matter what databases... and didn't do it! Simply had all the new names put in the synonymy... I suspect why...!
Even AOS Orchids magazine has been in silence about this subject (and you will remember that they started discussing how simpler hybrid names would be...).
Taxonomically speaking, lumping all Brazilian Laelias to Cattleya, especially if you keep in the same group the bifoliate Cattleyas, is half a solution if you don't include in the same group the Central American Guarianthes and the modern Rhyncholaelias (former Brassavola) as well. But, by doing this, the new enlarged genus would have to be named Brassavola for precedence issues, and you would loose forever names like Cattleya and Laelia...

[golforchid]

Do not these folks have better things to do that reclassify and rename orchids? How about putting time, money and energy into habitat and thus species preservation? CITES limits only trade and thus has basically created commercial monopolies rather than preserve endangered species as it does not address the root causes of habitat destruction. Otherwise they will be renaming the deceased.

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by golforchid

Do not these folks have better things to do that reclassify and rename orchids? How about putting time, money and energy into habitat and thus species preservation? CITES limits only trade and thus has basically created commercial monopolies rather than preserve endangered species as it does not address the root causes of habitat destruction. Otherwise they will be renaming the deceased.

Would love to see this answered, Martha!!!