Errr....the point of all that was supposed to be:

Since the cypripedioids have had so much time separated from each other they have had ample time to develop genetic stability and very strong genetic boundaries.

Also, there is the debatable subject of if they even ARE orchids, or a closely allied family...and what that might imply about their reproductive inflexibility either way.

-Cj

Interesting- how much work has been done on sequencing orchid genomes? Where is there more information?

Just google orchid taxonomy and genetics. To be honest, the genetic cladistics technology still has a few issues... Bias and poor outgroup selection can swing results all over the place. It depends on the structure of the study, selection of markers, etc. But at least you can see what the researcher did to come to a given taxonomic decision.

-Cj

FWIW, Tom Kalina (Fox Valley Orchids) has reported the growth (2.5 months, so far) of a phrag x mexipedium capsule, and that would be a first - if it's fertile.

Hot Damn thats actually a promising start even if it does not produce viable offspring on the first attempt....In the world of the waterlily breeders the holy grail of breeders was to produce a blue Hardy waterlily.
Since only tropical nymphaea had a gene for blue and it had been tried many many times to make the cross of a tropical with a hardy with absolutly no results, the conclusion was that chromosome numbers were not compatable and it could not be done ....untill last summer that is and hot damn someone that just wouldnt listen decided to cross this tropical blue with that hardy, what do you know a cross that had failed numerous times produced a few viable seedlings that are now the first cross ever of tropical nymphaea with hardy mymphaea....lol in truth this was not the first time in fact the tropical yellow mexican waterlily had been used many times with many hardy nymphaeas to establish deep yellows in hardy strains.

Some how that cross between a tropical and a hardy was not given its due rights and was ignored when the discussion of is it even possible came up....and lol the race to create a blue hardy form compleatly buried the accomplishment of Joseph Bory Latour Marliac and his very first creation was ignored and in fact is still being disregarded by almost everyone in the nymphaea breeding camps.... work done way back in 1877 by the very first waterlily breeder to ever hybridize them,and indeed a cross of a tropical mexican species with a european hardy type....


LOL sorry for the long winded post but Nymphaea have been my passion for almost 40 years and I did my research on them just as avidly as the more enthusiastic and better educated Ob members do with Orchids,and this is just as exciting since I once did have hardy ladyslippers and lol someday will get some of the newer hybrids to enjoy ....and the thought of the crosses and variation this could possibly introduce is realy exciting.

I wonder what selenipedium x cypripedium might do....

-Cj

A hardy slipper x tropical slipper? Does that mean Phrag x Paph? I guess it does.

But I really don't like either term being applied. Phrags aren't necessarily hardy and Paphs aren't necessarily tropical.........interesting.

I think they mean paph or phrag x cyp.

actually it is in reference to cypridiums as in yellow hardy ladyslippers ect. crossed to tropical slipper types ....

Ah ok, I still don't like the terms but I will deal with it......;-)