Iris,
Stop and think about the time it would take to identify all the plants you are talking about. If you want an accurate verification of the name of the species it could take hours per plant to do this, unless it is a common plant and there is an expert on that genus present. Even if you used volunteers to do the initial identification and then had an expert verify the results, it would still take a lot of time.
I do know from a plant pest clinic that is run here that even the identification of a common disease or insect can take a while to do. You have to manage each sample as it is delivered. You have paper work you have to keep track of on each sample, and you have to correspond with the person who set the sample. Any system like this costs money to operate, and even if it is run by volunteers will require equipment and storage space, postage, etc.
If Selby is like most gardens I visit they live off volunteers. The professional staff is over worked and under paid. In these days of reduced budgets they just have time to do their jobs, they do not need to train and manage a new set of volunteers.
I agree it would be a great service if they could do it, but do you want to make the contributions to Selby to pay for it? Do you want the AOS to increase dues to a level where they could subsidize the project? Would you pay $100 a year for your AOS Membership?
If you have a plant being given a species award, pay the fee, if I cared that much about getting an award, the $25 would be a bargain.
At 10:41 AM -0400 5/20/04, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In a message dated 5/20/04 6:03:57 AM, Andy Easton writes: AOS supports Selby in many ways over many years.
In what way? Financially?
<<$25 for an orchid ID, a bargain in anyone's language.>>
Doubtless. But is the average grower going to spend $25 to get the correct
name for an orchid he acquired for $2 in raffle tickets? That's why I suggested
that Selby sell "books of tickets" to orchid clubs. I think most serious
growers would be willing to spend $12.50 for the ID. And if a species is awarded,
there is the problem of paying $25 for the ID on top of $35 for the award.
There are other taxonomists available who don't charge, but when I tried that, I
couldn't get an answer that satisfied the judging center.
Iris
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