The spathe valve is a type of bract that surrounds the actual flowers. It may function (and look like) petals in terms of attracting pollinators. Different terms for analagous structures can be used in the case of different families such as composites. If you take a close look at the base of an umbel of onion flowers (any Allium) or Hippeastrum flowers you will see the spathe valves but they are reduced and more protective than attractive. Dylan Hannon On 30 October 2012 14:06, <arnold140@verizon.net> wrote: > Nhu or Dylan: > > could one elaborate on the term 'spathe valve". > > Thanks, > > Arnold > New Jersey > > > On 10/30/12, Hannon wrote: > > Nhu, > > I agree that the spathe valve thickness character can be difficult and > seems subjective without direct experience of other species. Using relative > character states in this manner is not a very helpful approach for those > who do not know these plants well. Snijman does not always give helpful > contrasting notes regarding other taxa that might be confused with the > plant under discussion-- for the scientist working on a given group that > would be easy to do, whereas most readers could not make such distinctions > without much effort. > > I've grown both H. pubescens ssp. pubescens and H. dasyphyllus for over ten > years and it seems the prostrate leaves of H. pubescens differ from the > upright-leaved H. dasyphyllus. Do we know that the leaves of Antigoni's > plant remain erect? Aside from what we know of its morphology it seems more > likely that this mystery plant is H. pubescens ssp. pubscens rather than H. > dasyphyllus simply because the latter is so rare by comparison. It would be > a foolish nursery indeed that sent out H. dasyphyllus in place of H. > barkerae! > > Dylan > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >