There is a P. spicerianum in the possession of a prominent Japanese collector that apparently has an unusually flat dorsal (relative, no doubt, to the usual funnel-shape) and I believe that plant is in the ancestry of the cross in question. If there is any basis for questioning whether the Zone's spicerianums are true species plants, it has to be based upon the inclusion of that specific plant in the family tree. To argue that this group is actually hybrid you must first prove that this specific ancestor is a hybrid. That would be difficult, since it is unlikely the owner would be willing to offer his plant for inspection, given its probable value. Certainly, the plant is roundly accepted to be Paph. spicerianum.
The judge himself has declared the staminode as the decisive factor in making his declaration. I won't try to explain his rationale, but that is where he anchored his claim.
The Zone plants don't have what you would call particularly flat dorsals. They may be large, but so are the rest of the floral segments.
Actually, I've talked with nearly everyone concerned, and definitely have heard both sides of the story. The judge who declared the cross to be a hybrid told me months ago that he was writing a paper to clarify and support his position. He deserves credit for that, because he risks being scrutinized at the procedural level. Awards can be granted provisionally, subject to confirmation from an orchid identification center like Selby. Assuming any of the plants were awardable, that might have been the best approach.
