To add a real challenge to
Copiapoa identification, the Karel Knize nursery in Lima, Peru
introduced a number of names without description. These are invalid
botanic names (nomen nudum) that during the 1970s and 80s have found their
way into hobby collections and have become established names.
Some of the names are given for
plants of consistent appearance from a particular population and can be
related back to a reconised taxon.
Some of the names are duplicates
of validly described taxa, but do not match their description, although
they are themselves consistent in appearance.
However, there are some names for
which the plants distributed are inconsistent with each other, indicating
a mix up of material in collection, transportation or distribution. These
inconsistencies are also found for KK numbers that are applied to valid
taxa, so that this material is often regarded with suspicion by the hobby
and ignored by botanists.
Finally, although Knize was the main generator of nomen
nuda, there are others, where an epithet was never formally described at
the rank of species, but where common usage refers to the name as a
species.
