Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 10:47:51 +0100 From: "Nigel Hurneyman" <nhurneyman@onemeaning.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3011$foo@default> Subject: Re: P. alfredae
> The plants are not, repeat NOT, varieties or forms or any other taxa - they
> are all the asme species, P. heterophylla. Papalo plants include specimens of
> both types, those with plantlets and those without. No other characteristics
> separate these plants from each other and, in the wild, the population
> spontaneously gives rise to the less common plantlet forming types. So there
> is no "alfredae" form, variety, type, etc. though, for convenmience, people
> may choose to add non-scientific epithets such as "alfredae" to act as
> shorthand for "a plant that does bear plantlets on the leaf ends". If using
> the epithet ("alfredae"), it really should be separated from the name in any
> list so as not to bastardise the scientifically accepted name, forinstance by
> saying
> P. heterophylla (the "alfredae" type)
> though even this would presumably be inappropriate in a truly scientic
> reference.
It is my understanding that P heterophylla and P heterophylla var alfredae have
consistent differences other than plantlet-forming, hence some formal taxonomic
recognition is justified. I can certainly tell the plants apart in my collection.
Have the IPSG had any discussion on this matter?
Good Growing, NigelH
(Might be taken over on Friday!)
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