Laelia flava Lindl.

[Rosim_in_BR]

Sometimes (or perhaps often?) taxonomists make our lives difficult. Rupicolous Laelia is not an easy group by nature. There are so many different species in it and also a bunch of natural hybrids to make things naturally complicated. When dried and deposited in herbaria different species become so similar that it is impossible, or almost that, to separate them one from another. This poor yellow Laelia (or Sophronitis, or Hoffmannseggella), well known since more than a hundred and fifty years, was recently discovered to be in fact Laelia crispata. So, it would be now Sophronitis crispata, or Hoffmannseggella crispata. Whatever is the case, it seems that nomenclature is not stabilized. Again, I’m choosing to keep the old name for a while.
This is another Laelia with relatively large geographical distribution in the State of Minas Gerais. I remember seeing it in flower years ago, the hillside spotted of yellow balls emerging high above the tall grass. For the orchid lover, there’s nothing like such visions!
I have three or four plants of this species, this one barely getting mature. It will get higher than that.

[Tesa]

Hello from Germany,

Very interesting post. I´m not such a Laelia-specialist, but I know about these problems very much. Because I´m especially interested in mule-ear "Oncidiums" and there´s a lot of discussion about correct taxanomy. By the other hand sometimes I work for the herbarium in my hometown´s little natural museum and there is much to do.

Greetings

Tesa

[Rosim_in_BR]

Hi Tesa,
Well, it seems that we’re facing difficult times ahead as far as nomenclature of orchids is concerned. It is natural that with almost all orchids of the world already described taxonomists would turn their eyes to the family as a whole and try to have a better understanding of it under the light of the new, modern techniques. Laelia, Oncidium, Dendrobium… every orchid will end up under the magnifying lens of the science. That’s good, but not painless!
Mauro