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From: "J.E. Shields" <jshields104 at INSIGHTBB.COM>
Subject: Regarding missing Arisaemas, or what's fargesii this week?
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Dear all,

Thanks very much for the reassuring comments on the habits of recalcitran=t
Arisaema "tubers."  The subterranean parts of Arisaema are clearly not tr=ue
bulbs, but I tend to use "bulb" loosely to mean the subterranean parts of
geophytes generally.  While I can tell a true bulb from a corm or tuber, =I
do have one devil of a time deciding which lumpy "bulb" is a corm and whi=ch
a tuber.  So when I write "bulb" I probably just mean "subterranean stora=ge
organ of a geophyte."

The differentiation of forms in cultivation really should be addressed fo=r
many plants.  While DNA work may lead to some botanical lumping, in many
cases it seems to have led more to splitting.  In any case, what is good
for the botanist is not always informative enough for the horticulturist.

I find it interesting that the bloom seasons can vary so widely.  We need
to see those plants growing side by side in the same garden.  A divergenc=e
in bloom season might represent the beginnings of speciation.  It certain=ly
has importance for the gardener.  A form of some species that emerges ear=ly
in a cold climate may be clobbered by late freezes, while a different for=m
of the same species that emerges from dormancy at a later date might grow
just fine.  Their relative values in the garden might be quite different.

We may need more names, not fewer.

Regards,
Jim Shields
in central Indiana

*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA                   Tel. +1-317-896-3925