> Hilo Beauty does not look like an Alocasia to me: more likely a
Caladium/Xanthosoma.
Alistair Hay<
3) Lastly does anyone have seeds/tubers of A. Hilo Beauty? (if it sets
seeds
at all!). This is impossible to obtain in Britain and it is SO
beautiful.....
Many thanks,
Geoffrey Kibby<
The problem/plan is as follows--
Several Aroids have never been adequitly identified to species, and in the
case of 'Hilo beauty', not even to a genus(!). My opinion is that 'Hilo
beauty' will turn out to be a Colocasia of some sort. 'Hilo Beauty' and
Caladium humboldtii have never been known to flower, and in C. humboldtii
suggestions have been made that it is just a small 'form' of C. bicolor
('true' C. bicolor flowers readily), and should plants such as the two
aforementioned, plus several others, be induced to flower it would then be
a fairly simple matter to examine the blooms and assign them to their
correct species/genus.
Flowering in the Aroid genera Dieffenbachia and Aglaonema has been seemingly
easily induced by the use of Gibberellic Acid (GA3), and the method
documented in articles in back issues of our wonderful Volumes of Aroideana,
so it would seem to me to be a fairly simple exercise for anyone with the
minimum facilities and supplies to carry out the same thing with some or all
of these unidentified aroids with a view to inducing them to produce flowers
and thereby putting to rest, once and for all, their so-far problematic
identities.
I can supply copies of the articles detailing exactly how the acid is
applied, and even perhaps a specimen or two of the aforementioned plants to
someone who has the proper facilities (lab and greenhouse?) and is seriously
interested in this valuable project.
I look forward to suggestions and comments on this proposal from out
members.
Sincerely,
Cheers and good growing,
Julius
ju-bo@msn.com
|
IAS on Facebook
IAS on Instagram
