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Old 30-01-2003, 03:25 AM
Andrew
 
Posts: n/a
Default What is a Dendrobium?

My server/newsreader doesn't seem to be loading Solo Voyager
and Kathy Barrett's replies so I'll give a combined reply to
both.

Australian orchid genera are in the middle of a series of
taxonomic revisions. Genera like Caladenia and Corybas have
been split as have many species. Dendrobium seems to have
got caught up in this as well although it probably was
somewhat necessary. David Jones and Mark Clements are quite
well known in Australian orchid research and are amongst the
taxonomists carrying out these revisions.

The revision was published in an issue of last years
Orchadian (the ANOS Journal). Most of what I've heard has
been filtered through the Victorian ANOS group's journal. I
haven't actually seen the issue (hence my question). The
problem is the Orchadian is not a peer reviewed journal and
the article was not a formal manuscript. It was published as
a precursor to the formal revision and according to the
article the manuscript is to be formally published in the
future. The publication was rushed so that the revision
would be published prior to that of another group.
Regardless of the dubious nature of the publication, local
growers and botanists seem to think the revision will be
accepted.

KB: Dockrillia is now pretty much an accepted genus in
Australia. However, under the RHS Dockrillia hybrids are
still registered as Dendrobiums. This will surely be the
case for hybrids of the revised Dendrobium species.