From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2002.01.27 at 04:23:45(8073)
Dear Brian and other Friends all interested in this P. tortum
identification---
Let`s take a breath and hold our collective horses, as all the chips are NOT
as yet in on the correct I.D. of this/these plants.
1) First off, Brian`s great and most helpful photo illustrates two VERY
immature plants in 4" pots that as yet have NOT developed all the adult
features. Mr. Merkle`s ADULT plants from which these two DIFFERENT
examples were grown from cuttings are much larger.
2) Based on additional information that he was not aware of when he wrote
his first note, Dr. Croat has made a further comment to me based on Brian`s
photo of the two immature plants, both from Mr. Merkle`s collection. (They
were being sold from his table at several past IAS shows in Miami, including
that of last Sept.)
Dr. Croat says that the plant on the right in Brian`s photo is a good match
for P. tortum, while the plant on the left appears "almost like a hybrid
between P. tortum and P. distantilobum".
3) I hope to re-visit Mr. Merkle`s collection soon to photograph both ADULT
plants of the two immatures that Brian kindly photographed and shared with
us, and to attempt to collect blooms off both plants for further
examination, as in my humble opinion these two adult plants may just
represent extreme variations from a population of the same species
collected from the wild many years ago by Mr. Merkle or a friend, he can no
longer recall their origin.
4) My hope is that I can post the photos of these adult plants on the web
so that many people can see them, and perhaps those who have seen many
specimens this plant ( Philo. tortum) in or from the wild may recognise the
wider leaf plant, and either confirm that it is but a variation of the same
fine leafed/fern leafed species, or give additional ides as to it`s correct
I.D.
Sincerely,
Julius Boos
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