Betr: A. griffithii v.pradhan

[pbruggeman at TISCALI.NL]

Dear Adam,

Maybe I will achieve the opposite effect of what I intend but it might be=
helpful to tell something about the natural habitat of grifiithii. Arisae=ma
griffithii generally occurs between 2800 to 3200 in the Himalayas (except=
for the "hookerianum"-form which grows at 2200-2400 but is not in cultiva=tion)
in the company of plants that should generally be able to survive -10C fo=r
long periods so I do not think frost is the problem, in that respect it i=s
hardy. The problem is more likely the moisture level of the soil. I have
studied thousands of griffithii during flowering time and the most striki=ng
thing about all habitats it occurs at is that the soil during flowering i=s
just moist and very much on the dry side. They can take a lot of moisture=
but only after the flowering when the monsoon begins in their natural hab=itat,
NOT during dormancy. Although generalisations regarding cultivation are o=ften
tricky with widespread species like griffithii that occupy varying habita=ts
(some griffithii grow very exposed in full sun, others in deep shade of b=amboo
forests), most of the clones currently in cultivation should be protected=
from winterwet. WIth the increasingly wet winters in the West this is a m=easure
that must be taken with more species that should be "hardy enough" but ne=vertheless
still die.

As for A. griffithii pradhanii, most (if not all!) plants in cultivation
under that name are just "broader than usual" variants of plain griffithi=i.
Griffithii is a much more variable than the clones currently in cultivati=on
suggest (although several new clones will be introduced in the next few y=ears
under cultivar names by an Indian nursery) and the griffithii pradhanii i=n
cultivation comes from certain populations of griffithii that have broade=r
spathes than other populations. "True" griffithii pradhanii sometimes occ=urs
in populations of normal griffithii and is a completely different "beast"=.
Generally these plants are very big with spathes upto 28-30 cm broad and
might possibly be polyploid forms of griffithii. The type locality of gri=ffithii
pradhanii is under military control so the plants at this locality can't
be studied but I have been told this particular population is also a mixt=ure
of normal griffithii's and specimens "on anabolic steroids"....... True g=riffithii
padhanii is horticulturally different from most griffithii currently in c=ultivation
but does not deserve a different taxonomic status, it's just a big form o=f
griffithii and I would much more prefer the use of a cultivar name for th=e
broad forms that are wrongly sold or "griffithii pradhanii".


Greetz,

Pascal


>-- Oorspronkelijk bericht --
>Date:         Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:17:15 -0500
>Reply-To:     "Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and othe=r
>hardy              Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
>From:         Adam Fikso <irisman at AMERITECH.NET>
>Subject: A. griffithii v.pradhan
>To:           ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
>
>
>Hello all. I was delighted to see--just now-- the emerging cataphyll she=ath
>
>of A. griffithii, v. pradhan.  So, I can confirm that it is probably har=dy
>
>in Zone 6.  I am in Zone 5a, but the winter was relatively mild, with on=ly
>2
>nights of 0. F weather, during a two-week period of single digit weather=
>
>where the range was from 0 to 13F.  The tuber was planted about 8" deep
in
>a
>clayey loam that has had occasional fertilization during the last  3 yea=rs.)
>
>The bottom of the hole was  amended with  a handful of gypsum and pea gr=avel
>
>in the bottom, dug in for about another inch or two.
>
>There was a recent question about  A.griffithii's hardiness, so this sho=uld
>
>be useful information.  The tuber was planted about 4.5 feet from the
>concrete block foundation of my house on the east side, where it is warm=ed
>
>by morning sun.  Radiant ground heat from the basement and the house
>foundation is regarded as too far away to have made  much more than a
>minimum difference.   In this area, the frost line is regarded as at lea=st
>4
>feet below ground, for the location of water pipes, etc..
>
>The height of it is about 4" which suggests that it came up with the
>sikokianum, the SikoTak, and a day or two before the earliest triphyllum=
>I
>have--unless, of course,it grew 4" overnight.  Of course this raises the=
>
>question as to whether there is much data on the growth rates of these
>things.  Please, Ray, Don't send me to the Archives, as I have not been
able
>
>to find anything there rapidly enough, even if it is there.  I'm willing=
>to
>do my homework, but basically, I'm still a 3" x 5 card" man,  or maybe
>Hollerith cards, even..
>
>    Happy growing, Adam Fikso-- in Glenview, IL.



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