The orchid genus Ophrys is a textbook example of a taxonomic controversy, with the number of species recognised in different classifications varying from around 10 to over 350, causing confusion among researchers and enthusiasts. Here, we illustrate that there are multiple drivers behind that disagreement, representing debates and discussions of various nature, and then reflect on strategies to mitigate confusion among the users of Ophrys taxonomies, reconciling legitimate taxonomic debates with demands for clarity among the broader biological community. First, we distil six possible factors explaining taxonomic disagreement from general literature on taxonomic difficulties, and assess the importance of each of them for the Ophrys controversy. We then explore two strategies to reduce confusion among the users of the taxonomies in question. On the one hand, we illustrate the possibility of constructing a consensus-based reference taxonomy for external users, despite the ongoing taxonomic disagreement, and on the other hand we explore a ‘pluralist’ alternative, in which different classifications are allowed to coexist, but in an orderly manner. Doing so, we build a case for the Ophrys systematics community to reflect collectively on which strategy to adopt.

兰花属Ophrys是分类学争议的教科书示例，不同分类中识别的物种数量从 10 到 350 多个不等，引起研究人员和爱好者的困惑。在这里，我们说明了这种分歧背后有多种驱动因素，代表了各种性质的辩论和讨论，然后反思了减轻Ophrys分类法用户之间混淆的策略，将合法的分类学辩论与更广泛的生物界对明确性的要求相协调。首先，我们从关于分类学困难的一般文献中提炼出解释分类学分歧的六个可能因素，并评估每个因素对Ophrys的重要性争议。然后，我们探索了两种策略来减少相关分类法用户之间的混淆。一方面，我们说明了为外部用户构建基于共识的参考分类的可能性，尽管存在持续的分类分歧，另一方面，我们探索了一种“多元”替代方案，其中允许不同的分类共存，但有条不紊地进行。这样做，我们为Ophrys系统学社区建立了一个案例，以集体反思采用哪种策略。