>Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:15:30 -0400 >From: Mark Whitten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [OGD] Kew Moncot Checklist
> >Icones wrote "The Kew Database is not perfect by any estimation ( and I >think Kew would agree), however, it is the best tool we have to work >with and if everyone is working to improve it, we will ultimately get a >database that reflects the current consensus of the majority of orchid >people (please note I did not say taxonomist)." > >I agree; the Kew Checklist is a work in progress, and can benefit from >informed input from everyone, rather than complaining about its >imperfections. Jim Ackerman has nearly completed a taxonomic revision >of Tolumnia for Flora of the Greater Antilles, and I've asked him to >email this to Rafael Govaerts at Kew. We have a good start on a >molecular phylogeny of Tolumnia, and so far it shows that Dr. Braem's >segregates ( e.g., Gudrunia, Hispaniella) are embedded within Tolumnia >(sorry, Guido). I don't know whether the Kew Checklist will wait until >Genera Orchidacearum Vol. 5 is published before making some of these >changes. > >I would disagree that we should strive for a "database that reflects the >current consensus of the majority of orchid people (please note I did >not say taxonomist)." The majority of people may not be as up-to-date >on current research on a group of plants, and so I don't think that mob >rule is the way to construct a classification system. After all, the >majority of U.S. citizens do not believe in evolution, but at least so >far the college textbooks have not been rewritten to do away with >evolutionary theory. I fully agree with Mark. (and Mark, there is no reason to be sorry). By the way, just about everyone accepts my Hispaniella. There is just a problem re. the acceptance of Olgasis and Gudrunia. But it may well be that they don't accept Gudrunia because they can't pronounce it. And re. Evolution. They must have been taking lessons at the Vatican. There, Evolution was never explicidly condemmed either, except that you have to state that Adam was created by God as he was and did not evolve from lower matter. Everything else does not really seem to disturb them ... Now where are all the feminists gone?? (cfr. "Negotiating Darwin" a great book about the Vatican and evolution.) Guido _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
