Arisaema tortuosum in Scotland

[John Grimshaw]

On Tue, 24 Jun 1997, Diane Whitehead wrote:

> I just received the summer issue of The Rock Garden, the journal of the
> Scottish Rock Garden Club.  There are two pictures of A. tortuosum, one a
> grove of stems, the other of it in fruit.  The seed was collected in 1988
> by John Grimshaw in Nepal.  They were planted deep and are growing well
> outside in Scotland in what sounds like a cold part of the country, even
> though Pradhan recommends a warmhouse.
>

I too was fascinated by the description of A. tortuosum growing as a
'grove' of stems to head height. When I collected the fruit it was just a
'head' lying on the ground and I had no idea of its species; it was
distributed as Arisaema JMG N22. (I know Guy Gusman had some young
tubers).

In my garden in Maidenhead, Berkshire (southern England) it is not happy,
hating our hot dry summers, which causes it to die down too soon to build
up a good tuber. However it is very hardy and emerges late. Unfortunately
I can't remember the approx. altitude at which I collected it - I can
check when I am at home next.

We have had a mixed season for Arisaemas; late-blooming ones have been
very good, but early emerging species were mushed by a wicked late frost
in mid April (following a very hot period). I am still awaiting the
emergence of A. franchetianum though, and hope it is still there!

John Grimshaw