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  Tacca questions (off topic??)
From: "Randall M. Story" story at caltech.edu> on 2002.05.24 at 19:27:27(8874)
Hi,

I'm looking for information about Tacca plantaginea (Schizocapsa
plantaginea?). I get the impression that Tacca used to be considered an
Aroid, but not anymore (please correct me if I am wrong). Anyway, I picked
up a small seedling of this plant (~3 inch diameter) at last weekend's
Huntington Botanical Garden (near Los Angeles) plant sale. I have been able
to find little information about this species and I am curious: How do I
grow it? (warm and humid? light level?). Does it look like other Taccas
(i.e. chantrieri). How long will it take my little plant to reach blooming
size?

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From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2002.05.26 at 18:50:48(8881)
Tacca plantaginea is a small version of, say Tacca chantrieri but it has
less dramatically coloured inflorescences. They are basically a pale
greenish. There is a fair plant growing in Leiden, kept warm and humid
indeed. That's all I can say of this species. Oh, yes, it used to be
separated from Tacca in the genus Schizocapsa but that is no longer
followed.

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From: StroWi at t-online.de (StroWi) on 2002.05.27 at 02:58:13(8885)
> ........

> Thus endeth this sunday lecture for all you to enjoy (or delete.........).

>

> Lord P.

Dear Lord P.,

I did NOT delete it and (mostly ;-)) enjoy our Lord's contributions and I have further questions.

I grow a Tacca chantrieri since a few weeks ago. Here in Germany these plants are seen now and then in good garden centres and sold for remarkable prices, around 40 Euro/US$. However, when the inflorescens starts to wilt and is cut, the plant looks like a huge boring Spathiphyllum (excuse me Ron ;-) and is often sold for 1/2 or 1/4 of the former price.

The plants marketed here in Germany by www.Tacca.de are cloned in vitro since no seeds set was reached so far (as far as I know...). It is said that the donor plant is male sterile, however, I do not have any proof of this.

Is male strelility known in Tacca (chantrieri) or could it be a self incompatibility mechanism as well?

Speaking against the latter is the observation of a list member whose single T. chantrieri sets seed (or does the neighbour grow a different genotype???) However, the seeds I got did not germinate yet after months; but that seems to be a pain in the ...(O.K. some where further down) with Tacca germination anyway.

My second question regarding Tacca spec. is, if they can be traded as bare root tubers/rhizomes or if they are? If this is possible, would anyone know a source?

And last but not least, which Tacca spec. are edible? This, of course, aims at the question of the common name and the availibility in asian food stores.

Any comment most welcome!

Bernhard.

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From: Steve Marak samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 2002.05.27 at 05:30:43(8886)
On Sun, 26 May 2002, StroWi wrote:

> The plants marketed here in Germany by www.Tacca.de are cloned in
> vitro since no seeds set was reached so far (as far as I know...). It
> is said that the donor plant is male sterile, however, I do not have
> any proof of this. Is male strelility known in Tacca (chantrieri) or
> could it be a self incompatibility mechanism as well?
>
> Speaking against the latter is the observation of a list member whose
> single T. chantrieri sets seed (or does the neighbour grow a different
> genotype???) However, the seeds I got did not germinate yet after
> months; but that seems to be a pain in the ...(O.K. some where further
> down) with Tacca germination anyway.

There used to be an Aroid-L'er from New Orleans, Lousiana, here in the US,
who I met through Phil Mueller. He had Tacca chantrieri seedlings coming
up all over his yard - I think he actually mowed the unwanted ones, which
horrified me.

Phil sent me several of the seedlings, which I promptly killed, then sent
me a couple more, which I killed more slowly. In both cases, I apparently
failed to keep them wet enough - I was told that I should pot them in
"Mississippi mud" (heavy, poorly aerated soil that reminds me of black
clay) and keep them WET! If I manage to get another, I will.

Steve

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From: "Michael Pascall" mickpascall at hotmail.com> on 2002.05.27 at 05:32:29(8887)
Taccas will set seed , but you must let it ripen fully.
We get seed on the black all the time .
The white one can be a bit difficult as the seedlings seem to be very
delicate and 10% survival is considered lucky .
The small Tacca palmata forms a tuber and can be sent bare root when
dormant, but the others resent bare rooting , though may survive if kept
well wrapped in Sphagnum .

Michael Pascall,
WHYANBEEL ARBORETUM,F.N.Q,AUSTRALIA

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From: StroWi at t-online.de (StroWi) on 2002.05.27 at 16:08:00(8889)
Dear Michael Pascall,

thanks for your answer.

Concerning the seed set of T. chantrieri it would be of interest, if you grow a population of different genotypes or if you really get seedset after self pollination. The latter would, of course, speak against selfincompatibility and pro the male sterile status of the clone offered over here in Germany.

Best,

Bernhard.

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From: StroWi at t-online.de (StroWi) on 2002.05.27 at 16:11:03(8891)
Steve,

thanks for the response.

"Steve Marak" schrieb:

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From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2002.05.27 at 16:12:34(8892)
Bernhard (Mr. Strowi) wrote...

I .....enjoy our Lord's contributions.....

>>>>>>>>>(In

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From: "Harry Witmore" harrywitmore at witmore.net> on 2002.05.27 at 16:14:06(8893)
My Tacca chantrieri sets seeds. I have had some success getting them to
germinate. It seems to take forever for the pods to ripen. Out of the 8 or
so seedlings I have only a few seem to grow readily even though they are all
being grown the same. They like to be wet but mine don't seem to like
standing in water.

Harry Witmore

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From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2002.05.27 at 16:16:01(8894)
Before
I end up a Taccophile, here are my last words:

The
website www.tacca.de says there is a patent
granted in Europe on Tacca. Unfortunately it isn't clear whther the black Tacca
is meant or the soon-to-be-released white one. I do know that two black Tacca's
have been garnted Plant Breeder's Rights in Europe (which is NOT the same as a
plant patent but the website builders may have made a serious mistake here).
These Tacca's had been refused before on the grounds of not being uniform
enough, which is why they are now multiplied in tissue-culture. I seem to recall
that the resultant plant that got the PBR is in fact a hybrid cultivar (it's
annoying that the website does not produce the cultivar name), which may explain
its unwillingness to seed. So there is a chance we are not talking simple Tacca
chantrieri here.

The
Plantscope database (www.plantscope.nl)
presents two Tacca cultivars, T. chantrieri 'Aameyri' (European PBR filenumber
00/0628) and T. chantrieri 'Lentac'. Whether these do belong to chantrieri is
doubtful. 'Aameyri' has a rather small inflorescence with the bracts purple
flushed green. In the files of the Euopean PBR office, the cultivar is
classified directly under Tacca and not as Tacca chantrieri. The owner is Dutch.
The white Tacca is owned by a German company.

T.
leontopetaloides is edible.

So
much for Tacca.

Cheerio,
Wilbert

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From: Dyeingduk at aol.com on 2002.05.27 at 21:19:12(8895)
I have the black Tacca and it does seem to take forever for the fruit to ripen. What i do is just put a pot of some sort of soiless mix under the pods. As they mature and basically rot away the seed begins to grow in the pots. I don't know my germination percentages because i have never taken a coun, but from say 3 or 4 fruit, i get a pretty full 4" pot. The problems come when repotting. It seems a lot of them just melt away. Thats been my only experiences with Tacca.
Paul Marcellini

From: "Patricia Frank" tricia_frank at hotmail.com> on 2002.05.28 at 01:28:36(8900)
Hoe do you know when they are ripe? Tricia
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From: "Michael Pascall" mickpascall at hotmail.com> on 2002.05.28 at 16:12:59(8906)
Patricia , when the seed pod starts to get a bit soft and mushy its ripe .

Michael Pascall,
WHYANBEEL ARBORETUM,F.N.Q,AUSTRALIA

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