File talk:Roscoea purpurea 20070810-1338-183.jpg
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Correct identity of this image[edit]
Jill Cowley – Cowley, E.J. (1982), “A revision of Roscoea (Zingiberaceae)”, in Kew Bulletin[1], volume 36, issue 4, pages 747–777 – gives drawings of R. purpurea and R. auriculata on p. 753 and a table of distinctions on p. 754. Unfortunately it's not possible to see whether the leaves are auriculate in this image, but all the other characters fit R. auriculata not R. purpurea:
| Feature | R. purpurea | R. auriculata | This image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Pale lilac to mauve | Bright purple with white staminodes | Like R. auriculata |
| Staminode:top petal relative length | About 2/3 | About 1/2 or less | Like R. auriculata |
| Spur (appendage) shape | Long, sharply pointed | Short, blunt | Invisible but would be expected to be visible in R. purpurea |
| Labellum | Not deflexed (i.e. not sharply bent downwards) | Deflexed | Like R. auriculata |
Cowley also says that R. auriculata has been grown in gardens "for many years" under the name R. purpurea (p. 760).
I conclude that this image is of R. auriculata not R. purpurea. Peter coxhead (talk) 08:58, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
