Billbergia decipiens Pereira & Reitz

Taxonomic Change:

• Treated as a synonym of Billbergia tweedieana var. latisepala L.B. Sm., but this variety is doubtful —See Binomials 13 (2012) p. 41

Comments:

• To: Harry Luther 13/06/2003
  From: derek butcher Subject: Billbergia tweedieana
  Hi Harry
  In my review of Billbergia I have come across another puzzle. In S&D we had B. tweedieana var. tweedieana, var. latisepala, and var. minor.
  In Selbyana in 1994 Talita Fontoura reduced var. minor to var tweedieana with the comment that sepal length varies! She did not mention var.latisepala.
  S&D show B. decipiens as a synonym of var latisepala but its sepals are 16mm long bringing it into the realms of var. tweedieana!!!
  Your binomial list shows both var. latisepala AND B. decipiens.
  Please confirm that you consider that B. decipiens is a species in its own right (symmetric sepals and different colored petals) and that tweedieana var latisepala still applies only because its sepals are up to 13mm long (and could have shrunk in siccu!!)
  I look forward to your comments
  Derek
  
  NO answer
  Appeared in Binomials 8, 2002 as a species but disappeared in Binomials 9, 2004 – no reason given
  9/2008. Decided to leave B. decipiens as species in own right (symmetric sepals and totally green petals). If these are ignored then var. latisepala does not stand! (Butchers notes 2008)