|
In a message dated 30/6/01 2:12:02 am, ju-bo@email.msn.com writes:
<< Colocasia esculenta was 'made' into over two HUNDRED
(or more???) distinctice forms or cultivars on Hawaii alone in just a few
thousand years, and done VEGETATIVLY, .................>>
Dear Geoff,
Just glad that a few people seem to have enjoyed the posting, thanks for the
kind words---hope things go well for you and the plants, at present I seem
overwhelmed by work and a new job, not much fun in my life at present except
for a couple fish tanks and my e-mail---fixing to go take leaf samples of a
couple Lasioids to be dried in silica gel and sent to Kew for DNA testing.
Keep in touch, and thanks again.
Sincerely,
Julius
>>Julius,
Just to thank you for a fascinating and certainly NOT too long a message. As
you say, the world abounds with examples in the plant kingdom and others of
rapid change through selection by man....natural variations not even
involving gene exchange. Amazing stuff. I cant help thinking of the
variation
in the common Zantedeschia aethiopica from the dwarf "Crowborough" to a
clone
I have which is absolutely enormous and nearly taller than me (5ft 9in)!
Some clones have flat, open spathes, others tightly rolled and tall spathes,
mostly, I feel sure, by selection, not breeding but perhaps a Zantedeschia
specialist could fill us in there.
By the way, we must not forget that there are other perfectly natural canids
out there apart from the wolf; various hunting dogs in India, Africa etc and
it seems quite probable that some of these have also have been involved in
the modern dog lineage. In the same way it is now thought that the modern
domestic cat has a mixed ancestry involving African spotted cats and
European
wild cats. I think we need an evolution/line breeding forum before this gets
into mice, parrots, horses, cattle.......!
Best wishes,
Geoffrey Kibby
London
|
IAS on Facebook
IAS on Instagram
