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From: Adam Fikso <irisman at AMERITECH.NET>
Subject: Re: Arisaema triphyllum stewardsonii-- further on "glaucous=
" 
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Hello all;  I think that some of the confusion i the description of A.
stewardsonii derives from different meanings and usages for the term
"glaucous" in American English

In the Merriam-Webster 1935 unabridged edition (which I prefer to most ot=her
English dictionaries because it is so comprehensive and includes many
derivations and foreign terms--three different meanings are given.  l) it=is
a blue green color-- 2) a yellow-green color--3)  it is a waxy gray bloom=on
leaves often of a gray or bluish cast. (I am paraphrasing.)

If-- in the Huttleston and other descriptions the waxy definition was use=d
then it is probably true that this never occurs on the underside of
stewardsonii leaves.   However, all of my specimens with ribbed spathes a=re
a grayish blue-green (i.e., glaucous  color) on the underside of the leav=es.
Not waxy, and not shiny, i.e., as in a matte (not glossy) photographic pr=int
finish. A distinctly glaucous waxy surface covering (bloom) does occur on
the lower end of the spathe-tube of the  Chinese Gaoligong--type concinnu=m
that I have blooming right now, and to a great degree on the A. sikotak
hybrid that is now setting fruit.  For those who are unfamiliar with my
usage, the bluish waxy "bloom" I speak of is similar in appearance to the
"bloom" on blue grapes before they are washed free of it, and the bloom o=n
bearded iris leaves   Adam in Glenview


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gusman Guy" <ggusman at ULB.AC.BE>
To: <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 1:07 AM
Subject: Re: Arisaema triphyllum stewardsonii


Christopher,
Thanks for this good in-depth look. As you say, the main character of
stewardsonii is found in conspicuous ribs along the spathe tube. Interest=ing
to note that you never saw very dark-spathed
stewardsonii in the wild. This point is mentioned by D.C. Huttleston (in =his
key, AROIDEANA, 1984): "Spathe tube strongly fluted; inside of spathe bla=de
green with purple stripes mostly toward base, rarely wholly green, never
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=act
>that has been observed by most and much discussed on this list previousl=y
>Looking at my own stewardsonii plants again tonight (currently still in
>bloom), the leaf undersurfaces  are smooth (I think I incorrectly said
>glaucous earlier).  Perhaps also "shiny", but not enough that the leaf
>undersurface would seem distinctive to me if the plants were not in flow=er.
>Last week I was in upstate NY where I saw some stewardonii.  Most of the
>triphyllum triphyllum were finished flowering, but there were a few late
>stragglers.  Interestingly, most of the late triphyllum seemed to have
>exceptionally dark spathes.  I also have a dark-spathed clone which emer=ges
>and blooms the same time as my stewardonii.  I have yet to get seed on
>either.
>   The spathe ribs seem to be the most obviously distinguishing
> characteristic.  I have never seen a triphyllum with partial or incompl=ete
> ribs, nor a very dark-spathed stewardsonii.  A fun and interesting grou=p
> of plants, and 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,
>stewardsonii, pusillum and quinatum has exhaustively studied the complex=of
>A. triphyllum.
>- 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,
>1981), he writes, about stewardsonii and pusillum:
>"leaves green, glossy".
>- In Aroideana (vol. 7(1): page15, 1984), he provides a key and writes,
>about stewardsonii and pusillum:
>" the leaves are never glaucous beneath" (glaucous: covered with waxy
>bloom, a grayish powdery coating)
>
>In his PHD Thesis (at the University of NC), Miklos Treiber (1980) also
>speaks of the usual shiny aspect of the leaves undersides: "The leaves o=f
>subsp. stewardsonii and pusillum dorsally are usually nitid and only rar=ely
>more 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=2220000=13 )
>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
>Massachusetts). All of them have leaves whose aspect agrees with the abo=ve
>descriptions.
>
>However, there are areas where different subspecies can be found growing
>together and hybridization cannot be excluded. That's maybe the origin o=f
>some apparent discrepancies between original descriptions and plants gro=wn
>in our collections.
>
>Guy Gusman
>
>