Comments on the new Arisaema-list of Chen Yi

[P.Bruggeman]

Dear all,

A couple of days ago Duncan McAlpine sent the new Arisaema-list from Chen Yi
to the AEG. Fortunately for us all, Chen Yi now uses the same numbers for
the same items which makes it possible to make some comments on the various
names she uses on her list. We all know that many of the names are not
correct (see the various discussions in the past on this subject) so Wilbert
Hetterscheid and I thought it might be helpfull for you to give us our
opinion on some of her names. I must emphasize however that the names we
suggest are based on the plants WE received from her under these numbers and
that the identifications are our thoughts based on the data we have.

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A-01: = A. bathycoleum so the correct name
A-02: = A. franchetianum var., Arisaema brevipes should have a radiatisect
leaf like ciliatum and consanguineum.
A-03 & A-04: = correctly named
A-05: = A. wumengense or saxatile (if wumengense turns out to be a synonym
of saxatile then the name saxatile has priority but more research is needed
to be sure)
A-06: = A. elephas var.
A-07: = A. lobatum var.
A-09: = A. franchetianum var., Arisaema rhombiforme is related to A.
asperatum and a member of section Trisecta
A-10: = very attractive but unidentified as yet
A-11: = correctly named
A-12: = A. engleri "purple form", A. sikokianum only grows in Japan on the
island of Shikoku and has a much different flower, it's  a mistake made in
Chinese taxonomic literature for A. engleri.
A-14: = A. franchetianum var. (see the AEG-archives for Wilberts mail on the
fargesii/franchetianum confusion)
A-19: = A. wattii,  A. biauriculatum is the old name for A. watti so it
should be A. wattii. A. biauriculatum was renamed in the Kew Bulletin  Vol .
64(1) by Murata to A. wattii
A-21: = A. heterophyllum var., the flower on her picture is probably not yet
fully open, A. tortuosum is very distinct and different from
this plant.
A-24: = A. engleri "green flowered form"
A-28 & A-29: = A. engleri var. , what is known in China as A. sikokianum
var. serratum and var. henryanum are actually A. engleri with serrated
leaves (var. serratum) and A. engleri with leaves with 7 leaflets instead of
the usual 5 (var. henryanum). The amount of serration is variable and mature
specimen produce leaves with 7 leaflets so both variaties are questionable.
A-43: Arisaema multisectum is the old name for A. heterophyllum, the plants
I got from her as A. multisectum (A-43) were indeed Arisaema heterophyllum
which should be the correct name for A-43.
A-48: = A. lobatum var.: Arisaema inkiangense is a species with a rhizome
(an elongated rootstock like A. rhizomatum) and the plants she sent us were
clearly A. lobatum with a rounded tuber.
A-50: = A. lobatum var. with broad stripes on the petioles and peduncle, a
very big form (tuber this year 9 cm across)
A-51: = A. auriculatum (syn. A. omeiense)
A-55: = correctly named although it's a very robust form of flavum
A-59: = A. lobatum var., it is close to the form of lobatum she sells as
A-07
A-60: = I received a green-flowered lobatum under this number but Jim
McClements received a yunnanense-related plant under the same number last
year.......
A-62 & A-82: Both are color forms of Arisaema rhizomatum. Her "A.
rhizomatum", A-22, has always died here so we don't know what A-22 is but
for these 2 we suggest A. rhizomatum "cream colored form" for A-62 and A.
rhizomatum "red colored form" for A-82. It should however be noted that the
2 plants we know have flowered (1 A-62 in Wilbert's collection and 1 A-82 in
the collection of Jim McClements) both had a green flower (but with spots!).
It's a stunning species but autumn-flowering and a subject for the cold
greenhouse.
A-64: correctly named
A-67: This item has got nothing to do with multisectum/heterophyllum and is
a member of section Trisecta. Possibly A. asperatum or similar with a
asperate petiole and a flower with a white/purple stripe tube and a broad
green-flushed spathe blade so not multisectum (heterophyllum) nor
yellow-flowered.....
A-83: = unknown species, we have not been able to identify this one and it
might be a new species. It needs to be grown indoors because it is
semi-tropical.
A-86: It could be A. jingdongense but we received a different plant from her
than the one on her picture so it is not possible to identify it unless we
receive the correct item. The plants I recieved were a green form of A.
consanguineum and not a small yellow-flowering plant as on her picture.
A-94: = A. elephas var.; Arisaema handelii should have a rugose (~ rough,
like sandpaper) spadix but A. handelii and A. elephas are closely related
and handelii might even be a variety of elephas (similar to speciosum and
it's variety mirabile).
A-95: Incorrect. Arisaema speciosum is a completely different species from
Nepal and Bhutan and the A-95 I received looks like a variety of the same
species as her A-88/A-89/A-90 which is a small form of elephas with purple
spotted leaves.
A-96: correctly named, it's a small species (some 20 cm) with a small green
flower, a white spot in the throat and a silvery zone along the central
nerves of the 2 trifoliolate leaves, interesting but not stunning......
A-97: This plant has a big galeatum-type tuber which produces bulblets.
Although it is close to concinnum flower-wise, it is NOT the same as
concinnum (hence the name AFF. concinnum), which has a rounded tuber and
produces stolons. None of our plants had the deep-yellow flower from her
pictures although one of Wilbert's came close, the rest were more or less
yellowish-green.
A-106 = Typhonium horsefieldii
A-108 & A-109: = A. ciliatum var., I received the same species for both
numbers and all 4 were a form of A. ciliatum and different from the plants
on the pictures.
A-110: = A. franchetianum var.
A-112: = The name A. coenobialis is a non-existent name. The species on her
picture is autumn-flowering with a rhizome and is probably A. setosum or
similar and certainly not suitable for the open garden.

NOTE: The plants she lists under "erubescens" are most probably forms of
consanguineum or similar (ciliatum). This mistake is sometimes made by
Chinese taxonomists but true erubescens is a species restricted to Nepal and
was only recently reintroduced into cultivation.

We hope this will be of help to you all.