Brassavola - Cuculatta vs Appendiculata
 

So these two varieties of Brassavola, the Cuculatta and Appendiculata, look pretty dentical to me in pictures, yet the latter is somewhat pricier.

I gathered that maybe it can display more color. Or is it possible that the blooms are larger?

I think that appendiculata and cucullata are synonymous... but I could be wrong. Taxonomy is far from being a strong point for me. If I'm incorrect, someone with much more knowledge in that area will I'm sure weigh in.

Well that makes sense to me. It’s just that I have found both on a single online shop, for different prices! Curious...

:thanx:

IOSPE lists B appendiculata as synonym for B. cucullata ... Orchidwiz lists appendiculata but has no information about it - again indicating that it is really something else (cucullata) That online vendor probably saw an opportunity to sell the same thing under different names.

Or a different size? Or the vendor is just reselling, and two different wholesalers came with a different tag?

Or it could be one of those "rare orchids" as seen on eBay. :biggrin:

---------- Post added at 10:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 AM ----------

PS Roberta, that's also a species identified differently back in the mid 1800s by several different "discoverers" of new species at different times in different areas, e.g., Nicaragua vs Mexico. Is that also part of the why that makes us scratch our heads at taxonomists? They agree to disagree on so many things, and switch back and forth?

It drives taxonomists nuts too. Which name was assigned earliest? That's the one that becomes official. But there are other species (and groups of them) that are even murkier... where there is variation among individuals as well as geographical spread, it gets wild... The European terrestrials like Ophrys have been spilt and lumped and then some. And I have a Bulbophylum that has gone by (and been sold as) Bulb. blumei, Bulb. masdevalliaceum , and Bulb maxillare (the last being the accepeted nom gu jour )

I don't remember all the differences, but part of it is that both have different bloom seasons and I believe B. appendiculata has 12 pollinia instead of 8 like cucullata (don't quote me though).
In fact, most B. cucullata in the U.S. are in fact B. appendiculata.

It's like how almost all V. miniata in the states are actually garayii.

Kew is the only source that you should pay attention to for valid plant names. They say appendiculata is valid: Brassavola appendiculata A.Rich. & Galeotti | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science

Both are valid species. Tough question is, what is the correct id for any given plant?

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