Kathy, you will find Jones's book both engrossing and frustrating. His index
is a real pain (badly thought out and set out - you'll know what I mean when
you start using it) but once you get into it the book is the encyclopedia on
Australian species. You don't have to agree with him on the name changes
but I have noticed that they are slowly being accepted by many growers in
Australia particularly the experts at my ANOS group.

I am sure Eric's talk will be most entertaining! I'd love to be there to
hear what he says was the highlights and lowlights! Pass on my regards to
him.

John


"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
I agree. Most helpful. I find Dendrobiums very confusing. I looked up D
speciosum on teh SBOE web page and found they have several varieties, as
well as others, so I spent some time googling habitats and ranges just so I
can get the geography straight in my mind. Or attempt to get the geography
straight in my mind. I fear I suffer from California-itis, anything to the
east of the Sierra and west of the coast is of no importance. Rather like
that old 'New Yorker' cover showing the world revolving around Manhattan.
http://www.saulsteinbergfoundation.o...ewofworld.html I
bought Jones' book and havn't opened it yet. I guess that's what I'm doing
this evening... well actually Eric Hunt is talking to our society about the
Borneo trip, so tomorrow...

K Barrett

"John Varigos" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for the biology lesson Dave. You certainly have done your
homework.

Nice shot too!

Cheers

John

"Dave Gillingham" wrote in message
...
As you can see from the pic of the tag, the original of this plant was
collected
on Mt Tamborine (in the coastal mountains a little SW of Brisbane) by
Hilda
Curtis in 1925.

At that stage of our native orchid classification there were numerous
examples
of the same plant collected by different botanists in different parts of
its
range and, quite independently, given different names. Also, same name
given to
genuinely different orchids that seemed similar at the time. So
reviews, such
as those I've bleated about at times, are indeed necessary.

I can't really sort out the history of the name D nitidum, but it's
confusing.
It has been applied to a northern variety of speciosum; to a northern
natural
hybrid, possibly speciosum var curvicaule x gracilicaule; to the SE
Queensland
natural hybrid now known as x gracillimum (speciosum var hillii x
gracilicaule)
to name a few. Then there's the new Jones species Thelychiton nitidum
which he
names the "Atherton Cane Orchid".

Never the less, the general consensus is that this plant is in fact
another D x
delicatum (speciosum var hillii x kingianum). There's certainly none of
the
coloured blotching on the outside of the sepals that is characteristic
of a
gracilicaule component (though the canes are long & skinny like
gracilicaule -
much longer than any kingianums I've seen - but with a slightly swollen
base as
might come from kingianum. And it definitely has the glorious kingianum
perfume.
Dave Gillingham
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