Steve Babbs
Well-known member
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Serapias sp Crete (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Steve Babbs
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Steve Babbs
Well-known member
What is a species with orchids seems to be an impossible ask as every taxonomist basically disagrees with each other. Two new books have just come out with very different taxonomies. Much more conservative is the second edition of the Kew publication, Orchids of Europe & the Med by Kuhn, Pederson & Cribb while splitting every vaguely different orchid is Kreutz's Guide to the Orchids of Europe, North Africa & the Middle East.
In a book review in the latest BSBI magazine the latter book does get some praise but the reviewer says it does need a health warning (for instance the currently recognised 7 UK species of Dactylorhiza are split into 23 species!). Most orchid specialists will never agree on which are species & which are subspecies or varieties.
My advice would be to follow the taxonomy given by Kew Science Plants of the World Online. This is generally considered the botanical taxonomy guide to follow.
In a book review in the latest BSBI magazine the latter book does get some praise but the reviewer says it does need a health warning (for instance the currently recognised 7 UK species of Dactylorhiza are split into 23 species!). Most orchid specialists will never agree on which are species & which are subspecies or varieties.
My advice would be to follow the taxonomy given by Kew Science Plants of the World Online. This is generally considered the botanical taxonomy guide to follow.
Steve Babbs
Well-known member
Bad typo - Ophrys
