V. "Fries with Ketchup and Mustard"

[yug]

I've argued with 'highly-informed' orchid folk before - only from a very informed position, though - and have been proven to be correct on almost all occasions. I just use lots of tact, and it helps if you can use some of their own past writings / sayings to show that they may already support your position. The most recent was a former orchid club president - very knowlegable & generous - in his late 80's. This gentleman had been an AG science instructor in earlier years, and was very well informed on ag topics. He was telling me I didn't know what I was talking about when we were discussing types of papayas. I told him I had seen a few male ones, but they were rather rare, and that a few blocks from where I (and he) lived I had seen another one recently. He told me I didn't know what I was talking about, and he doubted I even knew what one looked like. He said it was probably something else that I had mistaken for a papaya. I told him where to look. About a week later he called me and said I was right; it was a male. If I wasn't sure, I'd not have said so. Just like with this vanda.

So, regarding the JVB issue, try to find any photo of a straight JVB that is not like what I described - lateral petals twisted back almost like a V. tricolor, and leaves spaced pretty far apart where they join the main stem. I'd love to see one that does not look like that, but it really isn't all that important since it couldn't be proven without a genetic test anyway, and most folks would think that is too much bother.