International Aroid Society

Leland

--- On Wed, 6/16/10, Tony Avent <tony@plantdelights.com> wrote:

From: Tony Avent <tony@plantdelights.com>
Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Aroid leaf regeneration??
To: "'Discussion of aroids'" <aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com>
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 10:52 AM

Steve:

We detailed our research on rooting amorphophallus from leaf cuttings in an article published in Aroideana, Volume 30, 2007. Pinellia can also be rooted, as can some tropical arisaema.

Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony@plantdelights.com
website http://www.plantdelights.com
phone 919 772-4794
fax 919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent

From: aroid-l-bounces@www.gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@www.gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of ExoticRainforest
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 3:54 PM
To: Discussion of aroids
Subject: [Aroid-l] Aroid leaf regeneration??

I am again doing some digging as a result of an ongoing discussion with a group of growers. It is the opinion of some that aroids can be induced to generate a totally new plant by placing growth hormone on the petiole of a leaf. I have read all I can find and do not believe this information to be accurate.

From the text of The Genera of Araceae it appears the only two aroids that are capable of the regeneration of a new plant from a leaf are Zamioculcas zamiifolia and Gonotapus boivinii. This unique ability is the result of a bulblet being formed at the juncture of the blade and the petiole and appears to happen as a survival form during hostile seasons of the year. From TGOA: "Regeneration of tubers, leaves and roots from leaf segments is well known in Zamioculcas zamiifolia and Gonotapus boivinii (Engler 1881, Schubert 1913, Cutter 1962). Isolated entire leaflets of Zamioculcas and Gonotapus spontaneously develop a basal swelling, followed by the formation of roots and up to 3 buds, over a 6-9 week period for Zamioculcas. Leaf regeneration in Gonotapus is more rapid. The results of experimental manipulation of isolated leaflets grown in culture show that any part of the compound leaf is capable of regeneration".

One gentleman appears to be insisting any of the other four Gonotapus species is capable of the same thing. I have read and reread the section in TGOA on this subject and there is a mention of a few other aroids that produce bulblets at the juncture of the leaf and petiole but other Gonotapus are not mentioned. More from TGOA:

"Leaf tubercles and regeneration. Tubercles regularly develop at the juncture of leaflet and petiole in Pinellia fernata (Hansen 1881, Linsbauer 1934, Troll 1939) at the apical end of petiole in Typhonium bulbiferum (Sriboonma et al. 1994) and at the first and second order divisions of the leaf of Amorphophallus bulbifer (Troll 1939). Tubercles in Pinella may also form spontaneously along the petioles or can be induced at the basal part by cutting into segments (Linsbauer 1934) Tubercles may develop in Typhonium violifolium at the leaf apex, pale apex and the apex of this sheath (sriboonma et al, 1994)."

Do any of the other four species of Gonotapus actually do leaf regeneration? And if not, can any of our scientists give me a source of documentation as to why leaf regeneration does not happen in aroids? If any grower has obsserved this behavior, can you document it?

I am not trying to "win an argument, I just want to make sure I understand this growth form as it relates to aroids.

Thanks,

Steve
www.ExoticRainforest.com

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