Re: Araceae

From: "Dr. Tom Croat" tcroat at LEHMANN.MOBOT.ORG> on 2000.05.22 at 22:20:27(4612) Chris: It heats up through a process called "thermogenesis" which is triggered by acetosalycitic acid. It may generate so much heat as to be 30? above air temperature and its purpose, so far as is known, is to generate volatile compounds which in turn attract insects. In most genera, including the Monstera you saw, this happens at dusk at which time the large scarab beetle pollinators are actively flying. These beetles visit the inflorescences of aroids to aggregate, have sex and eat edible but unessential parts of the inflorescence (in the case of Philodendron this is the sterile male flowers which contain nutrient-rich lipids. The heat peak is timed precisely for this activity and may occur on the following evening as well when the stamens are opening and they are leaving, getting themselves covered with pollen in the process of their departure. For the beetles it is just one long orgy! Tom Croat +More On 22 May 00, at 11:47, Chris Tyrell wrote: Date sent: Mon, 22 May 2000 11:47:00 -0800 Subject: Araceae To: Copies to: Dwight Koss Hello Mr. Croat, I got your name from the staff of the LA County Arboretum to whom I had posed a question. I am not a knowledgeable plant person, I am a lay admirer of the floral world, that's all. I love to go to gardens. While in LA, behind a friend's hotel, I saw a huge split-leaf philadendron (monstrosa?) which had numerous "pods" with points at the top of a growing shoot. Our of one protruded a long, white, smooth and fleshy thing - a huge vcersion of that thing that sticks out of antheriums (?). Happily, I was motivated to touch it, and to my amazement it was HOT!!! The staff at the arboretum told me I might be able to find out from you how that plant produces the heat and why. Is there something a lay person could read about heat production in arcacaea? Chris Tyrell

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