Andy, that's exactly what I suspected. In order to get a species into the AOS system, you award it the first time you see it.
It therefore follows that the less the AOS judges know about a species, the more likely it is to be awarded. And if the AOS judges know nothing about a species, it will automatically be awarded. Thanks for the confirmation, Andy. What I'm still puzzled about is the vacuum aspect. We're not talking about a species that is obscure. This is a species that is common and widespread, grows like a weed in the wild (though not in cultivation), has been illustrated in virtually every general guide to S.E.Asian orchids ever published, has been described in every recent geographic treatment of S.E.Asian orchids, and has been described in lavish detail in a fairly recent revision of the genus in a publication that is still available. Reference to any one of these readily-available sources would have alerted the judges to the fact that the plant was sub-standard, yet they awarded it. Aren't the AOS judges aware of what is going on in the outside world ? This plant would not have been awarded (not even a CBR) in this part of the world because the judges would have known better. They'd have asked the grower to return the plant in better condition in a couple of years time. If our judges were to get what Andy calls a "first sighting" of (say) Cypripedium acaule, they wouldn't rush out and award it just because it is new. They'd do their homework first, find out what the prevailing standard is elsewhere, then set a local standard based on the best external one. Local orchid-growers seem to be justified when they complain that standards here are higher. Andy says he has "no knowledge of Singapore judging", which is an astonishing admission from an AOS judge. Surely one of the duties of a judge is to keep themselves informed about current awards and prevailing standards around the world ? In light of this confession, I'm REALLY interested to hear how Andy plans ensure a consistently high standard of judging at the next WOC. Or does he assume that his local standard + system is automatically the best ? The Acriopsis-award story suggests otherwise. Peter O'Byrne in Singapore _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
