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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s flora taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not currently being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or the census. Due to the rapidly approaching holiday season and associated agency and facility soft closures, along with the substantial work involved in data mapping, cleaning, and verification, the migration to the new collection management software is not expected to occur before 1 March 2026, when a further update will be provided. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

The notice period started at 9:45 am on Friday, 12 December 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 2 March 2026 +08:00.

Nuytsia
The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium

Update on generic and specific nomenclature in Paracaleana (Drakaeinae), Caladeniinae and a new name in Caladenia (Orchidaceae)
HOPPER, STEPHEN D. AND BROWN, A.P.

Accepting guidance on stability of names from the Preamble to successive International Codes of Botanical Nomenclature, and in the interests of minimizing name changes consistent with present scientific evidence, we propose that the Australian orchid genus Paracaleana should be maintained as a distinct genus from Caleana, and that Caladenia remains best recognised as distinct from Cyanicula, Ericksonella, Pheladenia, Glossodia and Elythranthera. Recent proposals to lump these genera unnecessarily creates new names in the absence of compelling new scientific evidence to do so. A new name, Caladenia varians Hopper & A.P.Br., is erected to replace C. vulgata Hopper & A.P.Br. The type of C. vulgata matches Caladenia incensum Hopper & A.P.Br., and the former species is therefore rendered synonymous with the latter.