White candidissimums never went away

[Paul Christian]

At 13:46 24/06/97 +0200, you wrote:
>- First  with regard to A. candidissimum. <snip>
>What is your opinion on a smelling inflorescence in this species?

Guy, all,

I have perhaps not paid too much attention to the earlier posts on this as
it was A.candidissimum ! Oops, I should have done.

Am I right in thinking that the "white" form is a green and white, simply
lacking or virtually lacking, the "normal" pink colouration ? If so it has
never been lost, it occurs in at least two gardens that I know of and I have
grown it here within the past 10 years or so.

I can quote from my website as follows:-
"The species has two RHS accolades an AM in 1924,and an FCC in 1970. It is
worth
noting that the two awarded forms were apparently different. The FCC form is
white with green stripes and barely a touch of pink, the AM form is (to my
mind) the better form as the pink is richer and the whole plant has a faint
but definite perfume."

If it is PURE white then I apologise for wasting everyone's time, but if it
is the old FCC form then it has never been lost!  I must confess that the
pink form is by far the commoner. Incidentally I grow a lot of the pink but
have never, that I can remember, had seed on it, even thought the stock
apparently came from seed in the first place. Is this just me?

I have just been out now and found one last spathe of candidissimum (AM
form) and this has a pronounced rose scent, I can smell faint scents - my
sense of smell is about the only faculty that does work well, but this is
strong enough that even a smoker could smell it.

GUY,
Thanks for the email re the mystery red plant, it is now unfurling and is
starting to look more and more like costatum, I had not realised that the
spathe extension on this is long and trailing, like the spadix extension,
and this set me off on the wrong track - am I being silly or is this the
normal state of affairs ?

Re Chinese species I will correct Arisaema aridarum to A. aridum, sorry - I
got it from the Arisaema pages "key to Chiense Arisaema" !!!!!

Arisaema heaven here, yet another unknown from Pradham is cming up, it
doesn't matter what it came as , as it isn't what it said on the label, but
this has long long shoots, 25 cm and still in the sheaf, striped lengthways
with purple lines, over pale brown, looks like nepenthoides gone wrong and
three months late....
Paul :-))
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