From: Jason Hernandez mossytrail at earthlink.net> on 1970.01.01 at 00:00:00(13762)
>>From : Peter Boyce
>Reply-To : Discussion of aroids
>Sent : Wednesday, January 18, 2006 9:14 AM
>To : "Discussion of aroids"
>Subject : Re: [Aroid-l] Collecting climbers.
>
>Dear Pete,
>
>That all E. pinnatum 'Aureum' probably all came from/originated from one
>collected clone is probably correct, but I wonder as to the 'why'/cause of
>all these many plants, distributed all over the world, and thus presumably
>subjected to different growing/light conditions, just all at the same time
>up and blooming, especially after NOT doing so for many yeasr between
>bloomings. I think the intrim in this case is somewhere around 30 + years!
> I know that some bamboos do it, even when on opposite sides of the world,
>much like this plant!! What an interesting thing. Any further ideas??
>
>The best,
>
>Julius
If indeed they are all a single clone, then it could be there is an internal, genetic "clock" (maybe calendar would be a better metaphor?) which sets off the bloom. That would explain the synchronization independently of growing conditions. That would not be so unusual: we humans seem to have something similar triggereing the onset of puberty at an approximately set age -- but since we are not all one clone, we show some variation. If there were numerous human clones of one original, they probably would all hit puberty at the same time. What is needed is a field study of the wild E. aureum population in Moorea, to see how closely synchronized they are (assuming they are derived from more than one clone). Since the plants do bloom, there is (or ancestrally was) presumably seed production in the wild -- the same field study should investigate whether seedling recruitment is occurring.
Jason Hernandez
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