----- Original Message -----
To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L"
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 2:49 PM
Subject: Re: aglaonemas
Paul--
Good ole Aglaonemas used to be THE houseplant way back when, and they went
out of vogue for
years. They're now making a strong commercial comeback in the form of
hybrids created by Dr. Frank Brown of Valkaria Fla. But even the 'old' ones
make wonderful houseplants, and in my opinion are well worth the space in an
Aroid collectors greenhouse. Interest has seriously waned for this and
other genera among Aroiders, in favor of the tuberous Amorpho's and company.
I've been looking for years for many of the old ones, such as 'Francher',
'Malay Beauty', 'Pewter', 'Belvedere', the many forms of costatum,
'Mutton-fat Jade', 'San Remo', the many forms of crispum, 'Nocturne', etc,
etc, etc.
'Treubii' is only occasionally seen here in stores among displays of 'Silver
Queen' and Brown's hybrids, along with an 'Elegans' very rarely. I'm sure
many of these antiques exist in small numbers in various collections.
An excellent old softback book for newby's wanting to learn about Ag's and
their history is the 'Aglaonema Grower's Notebook' by Roy N. Jervis, 1978,
80. It's magazine size, and only black and white, but is a
wealth of information on this genus about which little has been written.
It's probably difficult to find. Most interesting is the natural 'hybrid
swarm' found by chance on Luzon, Philippines in1980, and Dr Brown was guided
to this find shortly afterwards. These were not just a few plants from a
chance cross, but hundreds of plants in a ''giant 'hybrid swarm' of more
complex parentage and background''.
Russ.
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