Hybrids or just variety?

[Nepenthes Nut]

I am just wondering how we came to class some of the CPs (like the sarracenia genus and nepenthes genus) as many different species within the genus can interbreed and create viable fertile offspring. To me that defines them as the same species yet they are given different species names. Is this like calling a beagle a different species to a Labrador or is there something more complex occurring because they are plants and can do weird things with DNA to stay viable and fertile?

[jimfoxy]

Species can hybridise. It is more frequent with flora than fauna.

At the end of the day, species distinction is all down to the taxonomists. They make the rules (and bend them, and argue about them, and change them...). :)

[JamesHans]

Question is, could you cross a Darlingtonia with a Sarracenia?

[manders]

You can almost view groups of plants like nepenthes, saracenias and some orchids as just collections of genes with some extreme forms and genes gradually circulating around from one extreme form, or species, to the next. The fact is the concept of species is an entirely human invention and is merely there for convenience. At what point does the ape ancestor become the human? Imagine the human child with the ape parents. Of course its ridiculous and the gradual shifting of genes form one form to another is not something that easily fits into a static species oriented view of nature. Then again i'm on my third glass of cider and the ceiling is starting to spin

[Binataboy]

What I was taught is that a species is something that is isolated geneticaly from other "species". This can be via a number methods, geographical, flowering at different times, different flowers/pollen, different pollinators, incompatable genes. If plants are seperated for long enough they will develop differences so they can be called "species". Often under artifical conditions plants can hybridise that would never (or rarley) hybridise. This is common in orchids which often have very specific pollinators to each species but in cultivation we use a pair of tweezers to bypass this genetic isolation.

I think of the taxonomy like a snapshot in time of genetic divergence. There are a lot of grey lines. A lot of taxonomy is visualy based, this is why some plants where there is small genetic flow are classed as species like some nepenthes, yet plants that look simmilar like like D. peltata and D. peltata ssp. auriculata are classed as the same species even though they are unable to hybridise. This is usualy a case of convergence where traits that are benificial are utilised by different species resulting in a simmilar apearence.

Wow, now I need that cider!!

Cheers

George