Rust-resistant species.

[Neil Jorgensen]

Dear colleagues,

For the past five years I have been working on a several-acre woodland
garden in the town of Harvard in central Massachusetts where we are
gradually developing a fairly extensive collection of eastern American
and Asian plants.

Much of the site is a low woodland, the perfect habitat for A.
triphyllum, of which there must be thousands growing.

In my old garden, also in Harvard, also prime habitat for A.
triphyllum, also with many, many volunteers popping up in the moister
areas,  all of my first crop of A. sikokianum that I grew from seed
succumbed to the rust within, I think, two years.

Though I have not noticed any rust-infested triphyllums in the new
garden, considering the vast number of individuals growing there and in
the abutting woodlands,  I have been reluctant to introduce exotic
Arisaemas  because of this potential for a fatal  infection.

In my present garden here in coastal Maine, I have reluctantly removed
the relatively few A. triphyllums that came in with plants that I
brought with me when we moved here and have managed to grow (so far)
fairly large crops of healthy (so far) A. sikokianum and A,.
heterophyllum.

Does anyone know if A. heterophyllum or any other Arisaema species
are resistant to the A. triphyllum rust?  What about A. draconitum,
another native species?

If they survived, Arisaemas would be a wonderful  addition to this new
garden, but I don't want to waste even a single specimen there if there
is a good chance they are not going to make it.

I would appreciate any help from the group.  Thanks
n



On Wednesday, March 10, 2004, at 11:33 AM, Eric Gouda wrote:

> ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL