Taxo troubles. Chaos ahead.

[Diana Kulaga]

Get ready for mass confusion. I rec'd the following today from Alex at OrchidWiz. I can post this as originally rec'd if you like. I converted it to plain text for this ng, so the links are not showing. Aren't orchid people insane enough on our own without the Taxos piling on?

DK

OrchidWiz Alert: Name Changes

We would like to bring to your attention a recent change in genus names in the International Register of Orchid Hybrids maintained by the RHS. The change stems from the separation of Rhyncholaelia from Brassavola; Guarianthe from Cattleya; the change from Brazilian Laelias to Sophronites; and the separation of Schomburgkia into Myrmecophila and Laelia.

The changes to Laeliinae species caused a massive domino effect throughout hybrid nomenclature, impacting many thousands of crosses. The transformation is drastic and inescapable. To give you some examples of popular hybrids affected:

Brassolaeliocattleya Goldenzelle in now Rhynchosophrocattleya Goldenzelle (click link to see) Sophrolaeliocattleya Hazel Boyd is now Guarisophleya Hazel Boyd Cattleytonia Why Not is now Guaritonia Why Not Laeliocattleya Trick or Treat is now Sophranthe Trick or Treat Cattleya Chocolate Drop is now Cattlianthe Chocolate Drop Brassocattleya Maikai is now Brassanthe Maikai Brassolaeliocattleya Momilani Rainbow is now Thwaitesara Momilani Rainbow Brassolaelia Morning Glory is now Brassonitis Morning Glory Brassolaeliocattleya Golden Tang is now Marriottara Golden Tang Epilaeliocattleya Don Herman is now Epicatanthe Don Herman Otaara Jane Fumiye is now Peetersara Jane Fumiye The new nomenclature in effect obsoletes all currently-published orchid databases. OrchidWiz has already incorporated the changes into Encyclopedia

4.01 (the September update) which will start shipping in the next few days. The new version will include thousands of new registrations as well as the June AQ. Please note all existing awards, contributed photos and other historical data will remain under the old names which will be "aliased" (linked) to the new names.

If you subscribe to the Annual Maintenance Plan you will be receiving the update in the mail within a week or two. From now on we are holding all new orders of 4.0 (or upgrades to 4.0) until the new software ships.

We thank you for your patience on this matter. If you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact [e-mail].

Best wishes,

- The team at OrchidWiz

[tenman]

This seems both premature and ill-informed; usually the RHS is slow to change and certain of the necessity. Very few, if anyone, accepts the idea that was proposed by two authors of one article that the brazilian laelias should be sophronitis. Far more people, including taxonomists, think they should either stay laelia, or more often, should be included in cattleya.