From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2002.11.21 at 10:27:52(9628)
Dear Derek,
What you describe that happened to the plant in Coconut Grove is exactly
what Peter told me to expect some years ago when we discussed the very rare
flowering of this plant.
[By the way, Peter also told me that he thought that he had discovered the
actual source of this varigated plant on some remote island location in
Asis, he had been baffled as the cultivated forms did not exactly match the
species to which they had been previously assigned, but the plant he
discovered on this remote Island were a match for the cultivated forms. He
said he had to do the work of describing this new collection as a new
species].
Here in warm areas of the USA it grows as high as it can get, then hangs off
its support a few feet and blooms. I`ve been on the lookout for this for a
couple of years without sucess, but all the adult plants up here in WPB are
on TALL trees, I will now look for an adult plant on a shorter support, I
also plan to carry a pair of binoculars with me while I travel next spring
and summer to assist in flower-spotting, as the yellow markings of the
leaves probably camoflage the cream-white spathes very wel! I think it
probably will turn out to be a very seasonal bloomer, much like Philodendron
xanadu which blooms for a short period in early spring when it is still
cool, I found only ONE bloom on ONE plant in Oct. two years ago.
Dumping has certainly caused the 'pothos' to become a common escapee around
here! I saw one woman in Wellington who had to spend big bucks to have it
removed from her pine trees which they were smothering!
Lesson, Folks!!!---DON`T plant the left-over 'tiny' plants from the live
flower/plant arrangements in the garden! Syngonium 'frosty' and this
monster LOVE to escape, and will grow to be HUGE!
Good Growing,
Julius
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>>So where is Peter when we need him !!!
My impression is that flowering only occurs when the plant has got a lot of
growth under its belt and is about as far up its support as it can get. The
only time that it has flowered for me was when it unexpectedly did so in the
late 50s on a fairly small tree in Coconut Grove- and gave Monroe Birdsey
all manner of goosebumps and chances to publish descriptions. Perhaps it
likes to come off its support and hang down before it flowers.
I did play around with growth regulator treatments in containers some years
ago, and as I remember did get a vastly malformed tiny inflorescence with
gibberellic acid - but it didn't seem worth pursuing (actually I can't
remember if I had a serious thought in mind when I tried it, or if it was
idle curiosity).
The unfortunate escapes and possible problems in South Florida, I am sure,
come from illegal dumping of vegetative pieces, which are very willing to
grow. A pity that it is giving a great plant a bad name. Derek<<
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