Rotting Tubers

[McClements, Jim]

Rand, Tom, Guy, Simon et al,

I'm totally surprised to hear that some have found that rotting away of the
bottom of a planted tuber and replacement by a new tuber is part of the
natural process of growth of at least some arisaemas.

I have been under the apparently erroneous impression that arisaema tubers
continue to enlarge each year, and that only the roots are "annual". In fact,
isn't this the main criterion that some have brought to bear in the debate
about whether arisaemas are tubers or corms?

I must admit that I have seldom, if ever, dug up a healthy arisaema in the
fall, and if I have, have never seen the phenomenon that has been described,
where a new tuber arises like a phoenix from the rotting "ashes" of the past
year's growth. That certainly doesn't seem the case in the first few growth
cycles in pots, which I've seen many times.

Let's have some more input on this.

Jim McClements