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Martin wrote:
Subject: [OGD] Phragmipedium caudatum and wallisii
Can anyone tell me how to distinguish between these tow species? Martin Hi, Martin---
I find it quite easy to distinguish between
caudatum and what has been called wallisii. Wallisii
will have the dorsal and synsepal veined, with few
cross-veins---caudatum will have a strongly tessellated dorsal sepal
and synsepal. The rim of the pouch of wallisii is flared while
the rim of the pouch of caudatum is not as flared and has an area
of cilia on the rather flat edge, also. Pouch shape is different, too,
with wallisii having a more elongated, slipper-like pouch while
caudatum's pouch is more rounded. I also find wallisii
to be an easy grower, not particularly subject to rot, while caudatum
is a more finicky grower, and quite subject to rot. Although color is not
a criterion to distinguish between species, wallisii is quite light,
with a cream-colored pouch with spots showing through from the inside, whereas
the pouch of caudatum is much darker, typically with lots of
veining. Both have rather tall foliage, in contrast to the darker Central
American species popowii, aka warscewiczianum.
The lumpers will tell you that all the long-tailed
phrags are one species, but the splitters among us recognize 5 species or
subspecies, depending on the taxonomist you choose to follow.
Since some of the various award systems have only fairly recently
recognized different species among the long-tailed phrags, there
are many "species" which are really hybrids of plants that were thought to be
simply color or geographic variants. And of course there are the hybrids
made with those variants and other phrags..... For more information on the
long-tailed phrags, see the articles I co-authored with Guido Braem and
Robert-Jan Quiné in Richardiana, the Australian Orchid Review
and the Colombian journal Orquideología in 2004-2005. If you do
not have access to these journals, I can send you a copy; also, the articles
will be published this year in in the US in the Slipper Orchid Alliance
Newsletter. Just for the splitters, we recognized 5 species:
caudatum, warszewiczianum (aka wallisii), lindenii,
popowii (aka warszewiczianum) and exstaminodium.
Cheers---Sandy Ohlund, in northern Indiana, USA
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