Ida peruviana var. peruviana
 

I is a personal satisfaction to lead this former Lycaste to bloom. I had tried Lycastes one or two times before, unsuccesfully because my temperatures don't help, but decided to try again a few years ago. I also have Lycaste macrophylla developing what I believe is a bud (too early to know!). Lycaste skinneri also seems good and Lycaste fimbriata not so good.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/...f57f521e_t.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/...46bf6ef7_t.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3446/...7277d2e6_t.jpg

Very nice Mauro! :nod:

I really like that :drool:

I like that too.

Very pretty!
Great job Mauro.

Beautiful! Nicely done. Mauro.

Kim

This one definitely appears to be one from the fimbriata group, Mauro. Does it not get cool enough in your area of Brazil for idas to flourish? I have Ida fimbriata and although it grows okay in our summer heat, it certainly does seem to enjoy cooler weather of fall and winter (luckily, that's also its flowering period, so there's not much worry of it dropping buds). Do the flowers on your plant have an evening scent? The only thing that I don't like about idas (at least the ones I've grown) is that I can't keep their leaves from developing ugly black blotches and spots. They don't seem to negatively impact the plants' health, and I'm sure it's probably something that I must be doing (or perhaps not doing) that's to blame. Do your plants experience anything like that?

Steve

Nice one Mauro!

Dear Mauro,

As it turns out the name Ida is invalid. The name Sudamerlycaste was published earlier by Fredy Archila. This has been clearly shown by the International Plant Name Index at Harvard but unfortunately RBG Kew says Sudamerlycaste isn't valid. Kew is playing politics and protecting the author of Ida. The name Sudamerlycaste is longer but actually more descriptive.

Eric

That's interesting, Eric. Can you explain, please, why sudamerlycaste (which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue quite as easily as ida) is more descriptive? Thanks!

Steve

Thanks, Eric. They have a useful site despite it all, but unfortunately this is not new with Kew!

Mauro,
Congratulations on flowering Lycaste!

As for the genus name questions, I gave up decades ago. As an example, I continue to maintain the label on a plant of mine as Colax jugosus. I refuse to accept the "recent" renaming of this genus in my collection. That is my prerogative.

--Stitz--

Nomenclature has become a spiny problem, I agree, Stitz. I believe most of us simply does not know what to use anymore with so many genera and/or species! Of course, synonyms are not invalid names, they are just this synonyms. For our horticultural proposals, synonyns, while valid, can be freely used and the plant must be recognized as identified no matter where it is, especially if followed by the species author's name!

Hey Steve,

It means South (sud) American (amer) Lycaste. A good name to separate them from the Central American speces which are still Lycaste.

Eric

Mauro,
Thank you very much for your follow-up post. It is important for us to understand this.

--Stitz--

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

It appears to me that Kew accepted the Sudamerlycaste name. I can live with that in the future.

--Stitz--