Amorphophallus hybridization

From: "Jay Vannini" interbnk at terra.com.gt> on 2001.06.21 at 03:25:28(6777) 'Noches: Huh???? I too, stand completely with Ron I. and Don Wilbert on this. +More Jeez - isn't multiple flowering of A. titanium still s'posed to be "cutting edge" botanical garden horticulture? I recall seeing that there is pollen being shared between collections, etc. but howzbout "amplifying" the genetic base of these things (i.e. get seed from other populations) before running off and degrading them in a haphazard manner? What is the current status of wild populations of A. titanium? Is it common/well represented in Sumatran NP's? Who's running the "studbook" on cultivated plants? And BTW - do we really know the source and identity of the "other" parents in these proposed crosses?. My vision blurs when I see (yet) another bloody "konjac" post on aroid-L, but it seems to me that our friend across the pond and Don Julio Boos are continually correcting people's ID tags on their pet Amorphophallus. I own and enjoy a number of hybrid plants, even though I readily admit to being an unabashed "species snob". Clearly, hybrids of any type have many merits. But if, indeed, Amorphophallus titanium primary hybrids are to be tomorrow's "$ 5.99 special" at your neighborhood Home Depot, for Crissakes! at least line breed and outcross the buggers before hybridizing them with "sp?". Hasta Luego, Jay

From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2001.06.22 at 03:16:23(6811) I like the mention of "degrading"..... isn't that what happens anyway with plants in ANY collection? I always wonder how botanical gardens can honestly claim that they "help maintaining biodiversity" whereas their collections are WAY to varied to maintain active populations of any one species. Right, NOW I've done it.................!!! Wilbert +More ----- Original Message ----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Sent: donderdag 21 juni 2001 5:25 Subject: Amorphophallus hybridization > 'Noches: > > Huh???? > > I too, stand completely with Ron I. and Don Wilbert on this. > > Jeez - isn't multiple flowering of A. titanium still s'posed to be "cutting > edge" botanical garden horticulture? I recall seeing that there is pollen > being shared between collections, etc. but howzbout "amplifying" the genetic > base of these things (i.e. get seed from other populations) before running > off and degrading them in a haphazard manner? What is the current status of > wild populations of A. titanium? Is it common/well represented in Sumatran > NP's? Who's running the "studbook" on cultivated plants? And BTW - do we > really know the source and identity of the "other" parents in these proposed > crosses?. My vision blurs when I see (yet) another bloody "konjac" post on > aroid-L, but it seems to me that our friend across the pond and Don Julio > Boos are continually correcting people's ID tags on their pet > Amorphophallus. > > I own and enjoy a number of hybrid plants, even though I readily admit to > being an unabashed "species snob". Clearly, hybrids of any type have many > merits. But if, indeed, Amorphophallus titanium primary hybrids are to be > tomorrow's "$ 5.99 special" at your neighborhood Home Depot, for Crissakes! > at least line breed and outcross the buggers before hybridizing them with > "sp?". > > Hasta Luego, > > Jay > >

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:16:46(6812) Hola Jota!!, Gracias for the kind words--- Friends, the plants we are discussing are too wonderful and rare to be 'messing' with, as Jay rightly says, lets try to put some lineage labels on what we presently have before we are off creating hybrid 'monsters'. There are several DIFFERENT collections of A titanum 'out there', some from Wilbert and Jim`s collection from the famous and much-photographed infructescence, but there were other EARLIER collections by Jim alone BEFORE the Wilbert/Jim trip, and there are older plants in cultivation, some of which have been propagated in Europe by tissue culture, so as Jay says we should identify living plants from these earlier seeds/culture methods perhaps Dewey can help w/ names of people he distributed the early seed to) and collections, and perhaps start a record of who is being crossed with what! (an Amorphophallus titanum stud book!) On the 'crossing' of species thing, Discus fish (two species with five or six sub-species) were were crossed to produce the brightly colored 'strains' we now see being sold (DR. Axlerod`s mini-ATLAS of freshwater Aquarium fishes, pg. 97), "some of which probably originated by hybridizing the natural subspecies and species"). He goes on the comment/lament that it is impossible to put a meaningful scientific name on aquarium specimens of Discus. In MY stupid opinion, hybrids of anything are not as inherently beautiful as the 'mother species' are/were, but huimans will continue to screw with mother nature no matter what. The very least that we can do with Aroids is to keep records of what we/you choose to screw with! Basta! Cheers and good growing to all, Julius +More >>'Noches: Huh???? I too, stand completely with Ron I. and Don Wilbert on this. Jeez - isn't multiple flowering of A. titanium still s'posed to be "cutting edge" botanical garden horticulture? I recall seeing that there is pollen being shared between collections, etc. but howzbout "amplifying" the genetic base of these things (i.e. get seed from other populations) before running off and degrading them in a haphazard manner? What is the current status of wild populations of A. titanium? Is it common/well represented in Sumatran NP's? Who's running the "studbook" on cultivated plants? And BTW - do we really know the source and identity of the "other" parents in these proposed crosses?. My vision blurs when I see (yet) another bloody "konjac" post on aroid-L, but it seems to me that our friend across the pond and Don Julio Boos are continually correcting people's ID tags on their pet Amorphophallus. I own and enjoy a number of hybrid plants, even though I readily admit to being an unabashed "species snob". Clearly, hybrids of any type have many merits. But if, indeed, Amorphophallus titanium primary hybrids are to be tomorrow's "$ 5.99 special" at your neighborhood Home Depot, for Crissakes! at least line breed and outcross the buggers before hybridizing them with "sp?". Hasta Luego, Jay

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