What The...?

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DaveW
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Re: What The...?

Post by DaveW »

DNA only tries to put things into an evolutionary line. Where you divide up that line for individual genera is a matter of personal opinion.

As Phil says if you choose to combine genera the oldest valid generic name at that rank takes priority. Given a choice most of us would have elected to call Fred Kattermann's lumped genus Neoporteria, but Eriosyce being the oldest name takes priority. Remove Eriosyce sensu stricto from the group and Neoporteria will then take priority.

If you don't want to call them all Ceropegia simply exclude the type species of Ceropegia from the genera you choose and just retain Ceropegia for that species and others closely related. Classifications are optional, not mandatory. As long as the genus or species you use are validly published you can use which classification you prefer. Even use part of one classification and part of another if you want to form your own. There are often more than one classification for the same plants around the world in use at once.

The only thing that is frowned on these days are genera where DNA shows they are derived from different lines of evolution and "lumped" simply because they looked similar in the past, as with combining Rebutia with Aylostera.

If "we must use the latest classification", as I have even heard some say in the past, The New Cacxtus Lexicon classification would now all have to be junked and we would be required to use Joel Lode's more recent one. We also have convenience classifications like in The Guide to Shows, or ISI, CITES one for use by Customs, which are not necessarily botanically accurate regarding the plants they "lump" together.
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
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