Arisaemas in flower

[JM.Grimshaw]

Dear Anne,

It's interesting to hear that you also had material from ACE 2101. I =still think that I have three species from it, but it is possible that ='a' and 'b' are both consanguineum - although they behaved differently =their leaves are very similar. The other is NOT A. echinatum, but a form =of A. ciliatum - I'm grateful to Guy Gusman for pointing out the =distinction and clarifying the key:

"A. echinatum is very easy to identify, but not from H. Li's book! In =this work simple things are often complicated because she doesn't know =all the species she is speaking of; most descriptions are only =translations in Chinese of the original Latin diagnosis and drawings =often do not describe correctly the species. Look at the apical part of =the appendage which must be softly hairy (not toothed like in A. =ciliatum). The pseudostem is so short that the peduncle is nearly at the =ground level; the spadix is distinctly stipitate."

John


Dr. John Grimshaw

35 Wessex Way, Cox Green, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 3BP

Tel/Fax 01628 778491  e-mail JM.Grimshaw at BTInternet.com


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From:  Anne Chambers
Sent:  10 July 1998 22:46
To:  ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
Subject:  Re: Arisaemas in flower

In message <01BD97C9.E39D4F00 at host5-99-44-205.btinternet.com>,
"JM.Grimshaw" <JM.Grimshaw at BTINTERNET.COM> writes
>Most interesting have been the first flowerings from ACE 2101, a =gathering by
>the Alpine Garden Society Expedition to China in 1994 that was labelled =Arisaema
>? mixed. It was obvious by 1996 that there were several species =involved, and
>when I repotted this winter I reckoned that there were three species =among the
>four remaining tubers. Two have flowered - the other has not. One was =A.
>consanguineum, which flowered at a height of about 2'. The other turned =out to
>be, according to the Flora of China key on the Arisaema page, A. =echinatum,
>although it has features of A. ciliatum (notably the slightly =denticulate margin
>of the spathe base). The spathe is a dull green with faint white lines; =height
>approx 1'. The leaf reaches 18", with 7 quite broad leaflets. As this =seems to
>be a quite unusual species, its appearance is very welcome.  The =non-flowering
>plants have about 20 radiate leaflets, but don't resemble A.
>consanguineum/erubescens - they lack the long-acuminate apex. Did =anyone else
>have seed of ACE 2101? It would be interesting to compare notes.
>
Dear John
Have just returned from south-east Tibet and read your message about ACE
2101 - a friend of mine gave me some seed of this collection which like
yours has flowered for the first time this year. The plants - 2 - are
indistinguishable from A consanguineum from my Bhutan-collected seed.
Leaf has 20 radiate leaflets with 1" tip extensions. The friend died so
I am unable to determine whether he had different forms. I was also
given ACE 2030 which looks identical to 2101.
I also have A echinatum from one of my Bhutan collections which is
nothing at all like your description - mine corresponds fairly well to
Pradhan's description, spathe is green with an area of black inside the
spathe blade; whole plant is small <9" and it could not be described as
vigorous.

--
Anne Chambers, Killearn, Scotland