Ploidy and Fertility

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:10:08 PST
Jim, excuse me if this is totally an earth to Jim (Jim McK) experience. 

What do you mean when you write "In looking into publications transferring
species from Amaryllis to Hippeastrum, I have received a copy of one paper
of more interest"?

Amaryllis is monotypic, isn't it? I know the word species can be either
singular or plural, but other than A. belladonna, what other species are
there to transfer? And surely no one is proposing to transfer A. belladonna
to Hippeastrum? (How't that for great logic? Surely...and then a question
mark). 

Is the world turning upside down or something?

I'm sitting here caked in mud, cold, fighting the tail end of what might
have been a flu-like viral experience, taking a break and trying to warm up
before heading back out to take advantage of the last few hours of light -
and trying to ponder what's going on with Amaryllis and Hippeastrum. 

Oh, wait a minute, I now see the date on the publication you cite: what you
mean is that you're looking at older publication from back in the days when
what are now called Hippeastrum were for a while called Amaryllis - and
wondering if all should be transferred as a block to Hippeastrum or if maybe
some should have their own genus (other than Amaryllis).

Just to cheer me up, I wish someone would re-tell the story (naming names
and so on) of the skullduggery which occurred surrounding the
Hippeastrum/Amaryllis controversy. Wasn't a well-known botanist accused of
tampering with the Linnaeean type, maybe even moving it to another sheet or
something like that? 

Or should I just get back to work in the garden? 

Jim McKenney



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