Phrag hybrids with besseae and dalessandroi

[terryros]

Phrag besseae was accepted as a species by Kew in 1981. For a number of years, Phrag dalessandroi was considered as a separate species but was accepted as besseae var. dalessandroi in 1997 by Kew.

I count about 28 hybrids that were registered with Phrag dalessandroi as a parent. Let’s take the situation of greatest interest to me right now. Phrag Peruflora’s Cirila Alca (kovachii x dalessandroi) was registered in 2007 by Peruflora, but Piping Rock registered Fritz Schomburg (kovachii x besseae) the same year. If dalessandroi is just a var. of besseae, should both of these hybrids have been registered? If not, I assume the first one registered gets the naming rights and the other is a synonym?

My issue right now is that Phrag Ekolu (Peruflora’s Cirila Alca x dalessandroi) was registered by Piping Rock in 2011. Phrag (besseae x Fritz Schomburg) was registered as Robert-Jan Quene’ in 2013 (named by Robert who did the cross at Orchids Limited). However, If besseae and besseae var. dalessandroi are really the same species, are these really the same hybrid?

Why does it matter? I have coming into bloom in the next week or so (Peruflora’s Cirila Alca x besseae ‘Rob’s Choice’) made by Orchids Limited. If besseae and dalessandroi are the same species, and Peruflora’s Cirila Alca and Fritz Schomburg are the same hybrid, what the heck is the correct name of my plant?

The dance can get dizzying.

 

[silence882]

The orchid registrar at the RHS decides what species are acceptable for registration. As new species are found they will add the names to the acceptable list. If new research reveals that names were being used incorrectly, the registrar will change the names of acceptable species (e.g. what happened with the caudatum complex). If new research reveals that a current name is a synonym, the registrar will stop accepting that name.

The registrar is not necessarily interested in what taxonomists think the levels of the various taxa should be. It is most concerned with what makes sense as far as hybrid registration is concerned. If two taxa that most taxonomists consider variants of the same species behave markedly different when hybridized, it may be in the interests of the registrar to keep them as separate species for the purposes of registration.

It sounds like right now the registrar recognizes besseae and dalessandroi as distinct species for the purposes of registration. If this is the case, then Perflora's Cirila Alca x besseae has not been registered yet and remains an unnamed hybrid.

If you want to be sure about which species are acceptable you can send an e-mail to the contact on the registration search page.

--Stephen

 

[terryros]

Thank you very much for that useful information.


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