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Subject: RE: Name that plant
>>>>Dear Dewey,
Your observation is quite opportune and accurate, but I have some
interesting information about such plants. These names are very usefull
there overseas, since most material are clones of a few wild collected
plants, usually those with most odd characters. Here in Brazil (the center
of origin) we have some cultivated material that seems to be different
clones from yours and I have seen some rare plants with variegated leaves
(and with white margins) bearing the cited appendix, and completely green
plants with no appendix. Thus, probably the varietal taxonomy isn't that
easy. Now and then I'll listen such species more closely. I also think
that even if there is a true var. albo-marginatum, it is only a
horticultural name, not valid taxonomically speaking.
Best wishes,
Eduardo. <<<<
On Tue, 17 Jun 1997, Dewey Fisk wrote:
> Quandry.... Eduardo.. I have both... or at least I thought I had both X.
> atrovierens var. appendiculatum and X. atrovirens var. albo-marginatum....
>
>
> Now, the quandry... the ....appendic.. has, under the leaf an appendage
> that grows along the midrib... and is completely green... all of the leaf
> and appendage... now, the albo-marginatum that I have is variegaged and
> the base of the leaf has grown together to form a small cup... which forms
> on the top of the leaf
>
> I might like to disagree with you on what Les has... of course, based on
> the above and what I have been told....
> Dewey
>
> Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut
> THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE
Dear Folks,
I agree that the name is prob. horticultural, but the interesting thing is for
someone to perhaps use this plant (and perhaps Caladium bicolor?) to try to
determine how quickly Aroids can and do evolve or mutate vegetatively to what
can be said to be a "new" species.
I spoke to a member at an annual show and sale at Fairchild in Miami about
three years ago who had specimens of the Var. of Xanthosoma that normally (?)
has green sagittate leaves with the little "frills" on the lower side of the
anterior lobe of the leaf blade, except that his plant did not produce suckers
or propugules that were the same as the "mother" plant! Some had very
differently shaped leaves, with or without the "frills", even to the extent of
having linear or elongate, spatulate leaves!
Does any one know of a study to illustrate the speed of mutation or
evoloution of Colocasia (Taro)?
I ran into a situation in Trinidad a faw years ago when I was collecting
Montrichardia. I was looking for small plants that I could transport back to
my home, and most plants I found were too large. I finally came across a
population of small plants growing on the raised, drier banks of a small
rivers mouth on the N. coast. I collected and transported these to the U. S.
expecting them to increase in size when planted in "better" soil and given
regular fertilization. No, they remain as small "clones", and the fertilizer
only causes them to green up and bloom! In nature and growing relatively
nearby in "better" conditions are other Montrichardia plants that are MUCH
larger, probably as they were not exposed over a period of time to the
seemingly depauperate growing conditions the smaller ones were. My point is,
how long (or short!) a period of time did it take for the small
"population"(?)to evolve to remain a stable, small one, and was it vegetative
(as in Taro) or sexual?
The Brazilian Xanthosoma may be a sutiable plant to observe to document the
above.
Sincerely,
Julius ju-bo@msn.com
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