Re: Alocasia cultivars

From: Ron Weeks rhweeks at ibm.net> on 2000.04.03 at 21:58:55(4332) Derek, Alocasia "Portadora" and A. "Portora" are different selections from the same A. portei x A. odora cross made by Larry Garner in the early 1980's. The name A. "xportora" is a typo for portora that I neglected to correct. Larry chose the name "Portora". I believe the name "Portadora" came from a California producer. Larry wrote about his work in Hybridizing Alocasias for the Landscape, Aroideana volume 6, number 3. Several photos are in The Cultivated Alocasia, Aroideana volume 7, number 3-4. I purchased many of the "Portora" and "Calidora" seedlings and grew them out to make the best selection for tissue culture production. The plants ranged from lance leaf miniatures to broadleaf giants. Petioles and veins in A. Portora went from reddish to a pale yellow. With the help of Jim Georgusis two forms of A. Portora and one A. Calidora were selected for TC production. Both A. Portora, a red and a green form, had large, broad upright leaves and were strong growers. The green A. Portora was dropped because landscapers either preferred the red form or did not care. +More Ron Weeks

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