In OGD V8 #76, Nik asked for opinions on wether or not his Bulbophyllum jacobsonii and B. plumatum are the same species. The link he gaveis now working:
http://zanaf.dyndns.biz/Bulbophyllum/Bulb_plum_jacob.htm Nik, looking through your Bulbo page I spotted "Rhytionanthos plumatum var. flava". This is incorrectly named. It should be: Bulbophyllum thiurum Vermeulen & O'Byrne, published in: Gard. Bull. Sing. 57 (2005) 133-137. The species, which is in Section Cirrhopetalum, was known from only one population in Endau Rompin National Park. That population was totally wiped out by commercial orchid collectors in late 2004 or early 2005, and the plants were placed on sale at the WOC in Dijon. This sad tale illustrates (once again) that the main threat to many desirable, showy and rare orchid species is commercial collection, not habitat destruction. In a nutshell; orchid-enthusiasts exterminate the plants they profess to love. Regarding your belief that Bulbophyllum jacobsonii J.J. Sm. is a different species to Bulbophyllum plumatum Ames; based on the evidence of your photo, I am not convinced. You have one plant with long lateral sepals and a second with shorter lateral sepals. In both plants the lateral sepals are visibly rough-textured, but in one this is more pronounced than in the other. These are differences of degree and are not necessarily characteristic structural differences. Your photo does NOT show us the parts of the plant where taxonomically-significant differences would be apparent; ie the petals & the column. Until you've shown us clear differences in these parts of the flower, I will remain unconvinced. BTW, there is a major error of fact on your page: Bulbophyllum plumatum Ames is not endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. The form on the left in your photo was described as B. plumatum by Ames, and the Type came from the Philippines. This is the form that occurs in the Philippines, Malaysia and Sumatra and was described by J.J.Smith as B. jacobsonii. I don't think I've seen the (long-tailed) form on the right before. Are you sure it originated in the wild and not in a nursery ? Cheers, Peter O'Byrne in Singapore _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
