Fernando, you wrote:
>I was convinced these 2 were separate varieties
>and now this new event has caught me totally by surprise. I don't know
>what it could be! Didn't someone publish in CPN a few years ago an
>article on D.schizandra, D.prolifera, and the 2 forms of D.adelae,
>showing how their flowers were different?
The colour variants of _D.adelae_ have first been observed by Miloslav
STUDNICKA (at least he was the first to publish his findings). As far as I
know, they have never been described validly at any rank. So they are *not*
varieties, cultivars, forms or whatsoever.
I assume STUDNICKA (who knows how to describe new species and cultivars;
cf. _Pinguicula rotundiflora_ STUDNICKA) did have some good reasons why he
did *not* describe the variants of _D.adelae_. ;-)
Unfortunately, he did never tell us these reasons. 8-(
There are examples of different flower colour within the same taxon. One of
the most popular ones is observed in _Dactylorhiza sambucina_
(Orchidaceae), which normally forms populations consisting of
yellow-flowered and red-flowered individuals. This phenomenon is explained
as pseudo-diversity. The plant does not offer any nectar, so pollinators
which are "disappointed" e.g. by a yellow inflorescence might expect more
luck in a red one (most insects are not so excellent taxonomists to
recognize that the red ones belong to the same taxon). Here, both colour
variants form one taxon *together*, because the exchange of pollinators
between differently coloured inflorescences facilitates cross-pollination
(frequently an evolutionary advantage).
Kind regards
Jan