littlefrog said:
Wonderful! Where did you get that? And can you send it to me?
Now for the question... Are either of those varieties now recognized as species? If so, you have a hybrid. If not, you still have a hybrid... but it is still godefroyae. How on earth do we keep track of this?
Rob
This answer is not easy, cause you have to have the best species concept.
But Now None!
But there are many things so sure.
There are at least 4 taxa of subg. Bachypetalum in The south of Thailand : niveum, ang-thong, godefroyae and leucochilum.
But there are many reason to No resolution about the ranks of these taxa:
1. which species concept? Can it used in the real world?
2. Cryptic species!
3. These taxa maybe evolving apart, but which state, distant population, variation, subspecies, species?
4. No population biology study in situ.
5. Taxonomist study them from the restrict specimens in Herbaria and cultivated specimens ex situ. But as you know these hot-loving Paphs are hardily grown in temperate zone.
so
5.1 small living specimen, only adaptable clone to captive in temperate zone.
5.2 source of living specimen is uncertainly: the collector like to prevent thier sites. Merchant frequently ignore precise origin. Merchant frequently mixed the plants from many sites to sell as one origin.
6. Botanists remain use the dry or spirit specimen to identify the orchid species! Is the pollinator attracted to orchid flowers by the dark brown color as in dry or spirit specimen ? Is it the pollinator color-blind?
7. Many plants species is speciation by hybridisation processes!!! Some one told maybe more than 50 % of all plants species are from the Natural hybridization.
8. The similarity of these taxa maybe from the convergence evolution.
9. The DNA maybe the key!!!
My view, I classify 4 taxa as 4 species.
P. ang-thong is certainly NOT F1 or F10 of any Paph sp., but maybe F1000-10000, which it has thier own population and their specifc status.
But If I have to lower the ranks, I will classify 4 taxa as
P. niveum ssp niveum
P. niveum ssp ang-thong
P. godefroyae ssp godefroyae
P. godefroyae ssp leucochilum
I use ssp : subspecies to refer this rank as high as ssp in animal according to ICZN, which I want to show the orchid grower should not out-breeding between ssp.
The out-breeding seed should be named as hybrid.
For example: P. niveum ssp x Slippertalk = P. niveum ssp niveum x P. niveum ssp ang-thong .