In The Garden: Confused

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by gahardy, May 15, 2011.

  1. gahardy

    gahardy Member

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    I have bought this plant tagged with both of these names. Online it just gets more confusing in that I have found pictures that look to me like the same plant under both listings. I know the Mesembs are a large and varied family but there seems to be a lot of confusion over this beautiful little succulent with vary odd shaped leaves that shows up at stores in my area every spring. Oscularia deltoides or Lampranthus blandus.jpg
     
  2. Andrey Zharkikh

    Andrey Zharkikh Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Oh, with plants it happens all the time. Some plants may accumulate up to dozen different names.
    The problem lies in difficulty of plant classification. Scientist try to group similar plants into a group called a genus and give them a genus name in addition to a species name, both in Latin.
    Grouping plants into a genus usually also assumes their common origin.
    The problem is - where to draw the boundary of a genus. That is where scientists argue and disagree. Some may say "a plants is significantly different and should be assigned a separate genus status".
    Plus, new studies may show that the old classification was incorrect and a plant should be assigned to a different genus.
    As a result, a plants gets several names, old name, new name, even newer name (although which is old and which is new is also questionable when you listen to different people).
    Lampranthus deltoides is considered the old name after this plants was moved to genus Oscularia and got the new name Oscularia deltoides:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscularia_deltoides
    By the way, this happens to people, too. I am frequently getting confused in web forums when a women changes her last name. Both names are in use and usually impossible to say which is old and which is new. :)
     
  3. gahardy

    gahardy Member

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    Yes but I have seen a plant that looks very much like (and have actually bought one) under the species name blandus. There are pictures of L. blandus on the web that look like O. (L.) deltoides. Are these two different plants or just more confusion for the pretty little Mesemb. Wiki lists a blandus in the article on Lampranthus but I am afraid there is no species article or picture in Wiki.

    By the way I have also seen picture online of Lampranthus blandus that looks nothing like O. (L.) deltoides as well :(
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    GA, maybe check the MOBOT Tropicos checklists for it, along with ePIC at Kew and IPNI/GRIN (the plant names authority, which ePIC kindly searches for you!). They'll have considerably more data and up-to-date taxonomy than Wiki, and may even have photos (which will be trustable as the species in question - these sites are maintained by professional botanists.)
     
  5. gahardy

    gahardy Member

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    Thank you for the sites. No pictures though. It seems both Lampranthus blandus and Oscularia (Lampranthus) deltoides are known species. The confusion comes from the fact that some sites show pictures of plants that seem to be the same plant and other sites show pictures of Lampranthus blandus that looks nothing like Oscularia (Lampranthus) deltoides. Oscularia (Lampranthus) deltoides is always picture as the plant I have in my collection while Lampranthus blandus is sometimes the plant in my collection and sometime not. The biggest trouble is that the plants where sold as Lampranthus blandus.

    I really think the plant I hold is Oscularia (Lampranthus) deltoides. I would just like to see which of two likenesses I have seen for Lampranthus blandus is right with some authority.
     
  6. Andrey Zharkikh

    Andrey Zharkikh Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I believe, that Lampranthus blandus should have linear leaves like most of other Lampranthus species. This type is shown on most web sites in Spanish, like these two:
    http://conociendolasplantas.blogspot.com/2007/05/lampranthus-blandus.html
    http://botanicmontserrat.blogspot.com/2009/09/mesem-rosa.html
    Among English-speaking succulent vendors, however, Oscularia-like pictures are overwhelming. This may be a one-time mistake, propagated together with a price-tag, which is difficult to weed-out.
     
  7. gahardy

    gahardy Member

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    Yes this is what I was thinking. And even the suppliers in my area have fallen into this trap. I am now very sure that the plants I have are Oscularia deltoides, no matter what the label said and that the pictures not of a plant with toothed, three sided leaves, like the ones you directed us too are the true Lampranthus blandus.

    I think this mystery is solved :)
     

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