New orchids nomenclature
 

It's possible to know (if exist) where I can found a scheme that list the old and the new orchids nomenclature?

Thanks

Ciao

That's a difficult question since taxonomy is constantly changing. You basically need to view the taxonomy of each species over time, and it depends on what point in time you choose. My Orchidwiz program shows the various changes for many species, and some of them have a dozen or more different names.
The Kew checklist will give you the latest names and synonyms:

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist Series

input a name, then hit the synonym tab at the top.

Old nomenclature and new nomenclature are sometimes VERY hard to keep up with and keep track of. I am having a hard time right now with some of the Specklinia species, as Pridgeon and Luer have treated them differently, and that they were once Pleurothallis... :roll: One has molecular "proof" to back it up, but yet, we can't argue that DNA analysis is accurate at this time, so Luer's morphological treatment is also proof... :hmm

Anyways, which group are you looking for regarding a change in nomenclature? ;)

-Pat

Thank you very much Phantasm for the useful link.
It's very hard to be updated with the new nomenclature and the risk for the newbie is to buy the same orchid with two different names and have a duplicate in its collection. I believe that the orchid sellers should sell the orchid with the most known name (ex. Cattleya skinnery) and the last one (ex. Guarianthe skinnery).
What do you think about that??

Not a bad idea, but I'm sure it's not going to happen. This nomenclature problem pretty much forces us all to keep up with the taxonomy, and depending on how you view that, it can be a good thing....

Most growers are focused upon one thing: sales. Bottom line, they're out to make money (otherwise, why would they truly have a business?). They may also share the same interest in growing orchids and the science of orchids. The sellers will usually stick to the older, more commonly used names. Not many people sell Laelia tenebrosa under the proper Hadrolaelia tenebrosa, or even the misunderstood placement of Sophronitis tenebrosa; the sellers are out there to sell something that someone is looking for, so they make it easier. I haven't even seen that many growers who "re-name" their Brassavola digbyana to Rhyncholaelia digbyana...

As for Cattleya skinneri, it should be changed now to Guarianthe skinneri... the Guarianthe are VERY similar to Cattleya, but yet, they don't seem to fit in with the Cattleya concept... ;)

-Pat

Bumping this OLD thread to re-ask the original question. Does anyone know of a collection of all (or most) of the significant name changes all in one place? Since I'm late to the game, I'd like to be able to find when and why certain taxa where lumped or split. Line chart? Phylogenic tree?

Here is the reclassification of some cattleya - page 3
http://www.orchidforum.org/www.orchi...November07.pdf
I have yet to find a site that lists all of the changes :(

I don't know of any one place to visit for these changes. Basically you need to follow the trends pretty regularly as they are changing with the weather. After the lumping of many species into Sophronitis, now many of them including the Sophronitis are lumped into Cattleya.

Also, stay tuned for genus changes in masdevallia and the lumping of odontoglossum into oncidium among others.

If you learn the species names fairly well and the reasons for the taxonomic changes then at least you will know what the genus and specific epithet is describing what plant.

I find that the man made genera are much tougher to keep up with and it is easier just to stick with the old names. As it is, most people won't change their tags until the dust settles....