No subject

[Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and other=]

hardy  Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL> Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Sender: "Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and other=
From: Gusman Guy <ggusman at ULB.AC.BE>
Subject: Re: Arisaema triphyllum stewardsonii
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transf er-Encoding: quoted-printable

Christopher,
Thanks for this good in-depth look. As you say, the main character of ste=wa=
rdsonii is found in conspicuous ribs along the spathe tube. Interesting t=o =
note that you never saw very dark-spathed
stewardsonii in the wild. This point is mentioned by D.C. Huttleston (in =hi=
s key, AROIDEANA, 1984): "Spathe tube strongly fluted; inside of spathe b=la=
de green with purple stripes mostly toward base, rarely wholly green, nev=er=
wholly purple."
Sure that much remains to be learned about this group of plants.
Guy


>Guy-
>Thank you! The variability in the "common" triphyllum is tremendous! A f=ac=
t that has been observed by most and much discussed on this list previous=ly=
Looking at my own stewardsonii plants again tonight (currently still i=n=
bloom), the leaf undersurfaces  are smooth (I think I incorrectly said g=la=
ucous earlier).  Perhaps also "shiny", but not enough that the leaf under=su=
rface would seem distinctive to me if the plants were not in flower.  Las=t =
week I was in upstate NY where I saw some stewardonii.  Most of the triph=yl=
lum triphyllum were finished flowering, but there were a few late straggl=er=
s.  Interestingly, most of the late triphyllum seemed to have exceptional=ly=
dark spathes.  I also have a dark-spathed clone which emerges and blooms=t=
he same time as my stewardonii.  I have yet to get seed on either.   
>   The spathe ribs seem to be the most obviously distinguishing characte=ri=
stic.  I have never seen a triphyllum with partial or incomplete ribs, no=r =
a very dark-spathed stewardsonii.  A fun and interesting group of plants,=a=
nd still a lot to be learned.   
>     
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Gusman Guy
>Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 3:52 AM
>To: ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL
>Subject: Arisaema triphyllum stewardsonii
>
>Hello,
>The problem of Arisaema triphyllum stewardsonii is quite delicate and, a=s =
seen from the recent discussions, is not that simple!  
>
>Donald C. Huttleston who published papers on subsp. triphyllum, stewards=on=
ii, pusillum and quinatum has exhaustively studied the complex of A. trip=hy=
llum.
>- He selected the lectotype of stewardsonii in 1952 (N.L. Britton s.n., =NY=
Herbarium n=B0 133835).  
>- In the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (vol. 108(4): page 480, 1=98=
1), he writes, about stewardsonii and pusillum:
>"leaves green, glossy".
>- In Aroideana (vol. 7(1): page15, 1984), he provides a key and writes, =ab=
out stewardsonii and pusillum:
>" the leaves are never glaucous beneath" (glaucous: covered with waxy bl=oo=
m, a grayish powdery coating)
>
>In his PHD Thesis (at the University of NC), Miklos Treiber (1980) also =sp=
eaks of the usual shiny aspect of the leaves undersides: "The leaves of s=ub=
sp. stewardsonii and pusillum dorsally are usually nitid and only rarely =mo=
re or less glaucous."
>
>It is also enlightening to look at the Flora of North America, on the we=b =
( http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=2220=00013 =
) where it is mentioned, again about stewardsonii and pusillum:
>"Leaves polished or lustrous beneath, not glaucous."
>
>A few years ago, I got plants of stewardsonii from Roy Herold (from Mass=ac=
husetts). All of them have leaves whose aspect agrees with the above desc=ri=
ptions.
>
>However, there are areas where different subspecies can be found growing=t=
ogether and hybridization cannot be excluded. That's maybe the origin of =so=
me apparent discrepancies between original descriptions and plants grown =in=
our collections.
>
>Guy Gusman
>
>