78 Orchid Digest1 Vol. 86-22 Apr.3 May4 June 2022

Apuntes

78 Orchid Digest, Vol. 86-2, Apr., May, June 2022 T HE SPECIES in the Caudatum group are very distinctive. They are distinguished by their spectacularly long petals that can reach 80 cm (32 inches). The species in this group belong to sec- tion Phragmipedium of the genus Phragmipedium. There are five species in the group, Phrag. caudatum, Phrag. warszewiczianum, Phrag. humboldtii, Phrag. guianense, and Phrag. lindenii. There is one verifiable natural hy- brid, Phrag. ×talamancanum, a cross between Phrag. hum- boldtii and Phrag. longifolium that exhibits characteristics consistent with this group that will not be discussed. Other than Paphiopedilum sanderianum from Borneo, there is nothing like the species in this group. The section is one of the most confused in terms of nomenclature. Names for the five species in this group have been confused and argued over for two hundred years. Most of the discussion has centered on personal interpretation and suppositions regarding the authors’ intent in nineteenth-century publications. From a taxo- nomic evidentiary perspective, the intent was never documented and is irrelevant. Either a name was pub- lished in reference to a plant, or it was...