Steve,
My comments follow yours.
I'm interested in this discussion but have been uncomfortable with the
distinction being drawn between the use of alba and albino. Several
people have suggested that alba be restricted to plants with white flowers
and that seems quite reasonable although it certainly hasn't been
consistently followed in horticultural circles (After all white flowers
are mainly a horticultural concern. The fact that formal botanical
nomenclature allows the use of such terms seems to me to reflect the
heroic period of exotic species collection more than 100 years ago, and
the fact that careers could be built on naming the most exotic and rare
varieties. No data, just a speculation). What I don't get is the
assertion that the term albino has nothing to do with white, but has
somehow become restricted to mutations that affect a single group of plant
pigments, the anthocyanins. One could, of course define albino that way,
but that's putting a rather arbitrary and new definition to the word (just
think about the use of albino in mammals that never make anthocyanins).
I think Guido over enphsized the anthocyanin portion, because "albino" means
"Defincient in pigment". Note that it has nothing to do with the resultant
color, but what is lacking. Alba, albus, and album are describing the color
of the flower or other object that you are trying to describe. These are two
different concepts that deal with different things.
You are very correct that even the most learned of botanist, taxonomist,
amateurs (myself included) etc....have not adherd to these definitions for
whatever reasons. In my opinion however, that is no justification to
continue to do so. I would suggest that anyone interested obtain a copy of
William T. Stearn's "Botabical Latin" Fourth Edition, as it is the most
recognized and accepted authority on the subject.
So I thought, let's see if botanists do use albino that way. Maybe some
do, but a search of the scientific literature revealed that albino is
frequently used these days to mean white plants, ie plants or seedlings
without chlorophyll. The context is tissue culture regeneration, often
after gene transfer into the plants.
Here again they are using a term that describes something is lacking, and it
is, however, equating it to white, is incorrect. It may be white (or several
other colors) but that is not what albino means. BTW the ones that I have
seen that fits into this catagory are not acually white, but shades of
cream. I would like very much to have the references that you found, because
I suspect that they are using the term correctly and it may be the
interpritation that is incorrect.
OK, that's not the context that we've been discussing, but it illustrates
that albino, like many other scientific words means different things to
different people.
I am not sure about this until I read the papers myself. I agree that there
are people that think albino means white, but there are people that think
the world is flat or the center of the Universe, but just because they
believe that, does not make it so. Now, with sufficient incorrect useage and
a good length of time, definitions can and do change, but that is usually in
living languages not dead ones. I suspect that was one of the minor reasons
Latin was chosen.
If possible, in the context of flower color, I'd prefer using words that
describe the color itself, eg alba, flava, aurea, rather than changing the
meaning of albino to describe plants unable to produce anthocyanins.
I agree that using the proper term is best, I certainly try to do that
myself. I really don't think Guido was suggesting changing the meaning of
albino, he just was over emphszing the anthocyanin part. After all if a
flower lacks anthocyanin, that it normally has, it is an albino. Likewise
for other colors.
icones
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_______________________________________________
the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD)
[email protected]
http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
