A is for apple, B is for boy.
Does that sound familiar? Most of us have long forgotten that we started
with the basics when we learned to read. Many new Orchid hobbyists must remember that it took them a long
time to learn to read and accept that it will take awhile to learn the
language of orchids. More advanced
growers must try and recall how difficult the terminology of Orchids
was in the beginning and not overwhelm new hobbyists with jargon. Orchid
names may seem simple now, but only because we learned the language.
Species names are perhaps the most
difficult, not just because they are derived from Latin and Greek roots,
but because there are underlying conventions that go unspoken, but must
be understood to appreciate the language of orchids. All living things in nature are identified by two names. When naming a species this binomial nomenclature
is used, e.g. Cattleya bicolor. The
first name is the genus and the second is the species, although they
both are used to describe one kind of Orchid.
There may be many different kinds of Cattleyas, but the combination
of the two names is only applied to this one type of Orchid. There may be other species named bicolor, but
they are in other genera, e.g. Lycaste bicolor.
Rules for naming orchids species
are long and elaborate and usually accomplished by plant taxonomists. The first one to name a new species must describe
the plant, place a dry specimen, in a plant museum (Herbarium), and
publish the description. Often
two different people will name the same new species using different
names. The first published description is the one
that takes precedence. Thus,
Cattleya warscewiczii is the accepted name of the much easier to pronounce
Cattleya gigas. They are the
same species. Note that for a naturally occurring species
the genus is always capitalized and the specific name always in lower
case. For convenience and to
save space, Cattleya is abbreviated C.
There is a list of accepted abbreviations accepted by the RHS
(Royal Horticultural Society).
Species often have more than one
color form or growth form that are given varietal status. Cattleya bicolor var brasiliensis refers to
a certain population of tall growing members of this species, while
C bicolor alba designates a plant with green flowers and a white lip
no matter what population produced it.
In Orchid jargon, the varieties that refer to color often are
retained in a name, while those designating a growth form or area from
which a plant came are often dropped.
There may be many different clones of C bicolor alba, each grown
from an individual seed. Clones that are exceptional in some way or
gain an award of some kind are also given a clonal name. Thus, C bicolor alba ‘Orchidglade’
SM/SFOS refers to a specific clone named Orchidglade that was granted
a Silver Medal by the South Florida Orchid Society.
Divisions of that plant, even if the divisions were made before
the award, will carry the same clonal name.
Orchid hybrids also follow the
same general protocol, i.e. a Genus and Specific name. The specific name is not described in a scientific
journal, but is registered with the RHS. If a hybrid is a cross of two Cattleya species, it still carries
the same genus name. If, however,
the hybrid combines two or more genera an artificial Genus will also
be registered with the RHS. The
hybrid between Laelia purpurata and C mossiae was registered as Laeliocattleya
Callistoglossa. Note that both names are capitalized. Clones of hybrids may also be given varietal
names as well as clonal names.
There are natural hybrids that
are found in the wild. Most
were originally described as new species, but later recognized as natural
hybrids. These are designated
as follows: Cattleya xHardyana, the natural hybrid between C dowiana
and C warscewiczii. If an orchid
nursery remakes this hybrid it should be called Cattleya Hardyana to
separate it from its wild kin.
Many modern hybrids can be traced
back many generations to the original species from which they were derived.
Records of who first made the hybrid, when it was made and when
it first flowered are recorded in Sander’s List of Orchid Hybrids
that is maintained and updated by the RHS. Once you learn the language, volumes of “Sander’s”
can be a wealth of information and a lot of fun to examine.