jmoney, what you say sounds very reasonable. While the "Micro variety" might not be a true variety; but, a forma, I still believe that laevigatum should be recognized as a separate species. It consitantly looks different, both in foliage, flowers and growth habit. A well coloured (or dark) laevigatum doesn't have more brown, it has more gold in the petals and the pouch; but, it still has a white to cream dorsal.
I feel that if haynaldianum is recognized as a separate species from lowii, then why not separate leavigatum from philippinense? Paph. haynaldianum looks a lot more like lowii than laevigatum looks like philippinense. So why is haynaldianums' specific status never questioned; but, laevigatums' specific status is always questioned?
The reason why I am a splitter is because the different varieties tend to produce different results in hybridizing. It also would've stopped this mess that the RHS has gotten into, where a widely grown hybrid is suddenly broken down into two or more different hybrids....such as Susan Booth (roth x glanduliferum v. glanduliferum, or v. praestans, or v. bodegomii, or v. whilhelminiae. Now, wilhelminiae is finally recognized as a separate species and the hybrid with roth is now called William ambler. However, there are a bizzillion William Amblers out there (labelled as Susan Booth), that will never get the name change and that have already been used as parents under the name Susan Booth! That mess will never, ever be cleared up. However, if the different varieties of glanduliferum had always been recognized as separate species (at least by the RHS for hybrid registration purposes, if not the taxonomists), then, we'd all know what we were getting when we buy hybrids with any of these varieties as parents. As it stands now and will remain, other than knowing that you're getting a strap leafed Paph of some kind, you could get almost any "look" when you buy a Susan Booth! The varieties are so different from one another. For example, wilhelminiae is so small and dark, while v. glanduliferum can be so-ooo big and light. The Susan Booths made from these two varieties do not look like the same hybrid at all. It would've been best (for horticulturists, exhibitors and judges), if the different varieties had always been considered different species for hybrid registration purposes.