International Aroid Society

Dear Steve,

I think you will find Polly=92s picture on AgriStarts website. They grow a wide variety of Alocasias. John.

From: aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of ExoticRainforest
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 1:20 PM
To: Discussion of aroids
Subject: [Aroid-l] Alocasia Amazonica versus Alocasia Polly

I need good photos of the plant sold as Alocasia Polly. Not anything with a tag that says Alocasia Amazonica but specifically Alocasia Polly. I think we're closer to figuring this out.

Andr=E9 appears to have written in 1891 in Review Hortic about an an Alocasia hybrid between Alocasia sanderiana and Alocasia lowii. Alocasia lowii is now correctly Alocasia longiloba. Those parents were later ascribed to Alocasia Amazonica in error since the parents of that plant are Alocasia sanderiana x Alocasia watsoniana. As far as I can tell Andr=E9 referred to the plant as "mortefontanensis".

It is beginning to look like Andr=E9's mortefontanensis had the same parents as the plant sold as Alocasia Polly. If that is true then Andr=E9's plant is not the same hybrid as Salvadore Mauro's plant bred at his Amazon Nursery in Miami. That would lead me to believe that Alocasia Polly and Alocasia Amazonica should not be confused as the same plant.

It also appears some unidentified researcher elected to call Andr=E9's mortefontanensis Alocasia x amazonica due to the popularity of the hybrid plant with growers when in fact it should still be called Alocasia x mortefontanensis or something on that order.

It makes no sense for a well known European hybrid which I have now been told has been grown since the late 1800's or early 1900's to be called Alocasia x amazonica when the reason for the use of the name "Amazonica" is obvious due to the name of Salvadore Mauro's nursery.

Steve
www.ExoticRainforest.com