Venezuelan Aroids

From: StellrJ at aol.com on 1998.11.20 at 19:28:10(2775) I tried sending this before, but for some reason it did not get through--my "sent mail" file has no record of it. I will be traveling in Venezuela in January, and would like to know which Aroids are likely to be in bloom there at that time. I will be first in Merida State, visiting paramo and cloud forest habitats, then will go into Barinas State, to the Caparo Forestry Reserve, which is a dry forest habitat. Is anyone familiar with the Venezuelan aroid flora? Jason Hernandez +More Naturalist-at-Large

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.11.21 at 04:03:29(2776) I will be traveling in Venezuela in January, and would like to know which Aroids are likely to be in bloom there at that time. I will be first in Merida State, visiting paramo and cloud forest habitats, then will go into Barinas State, to the Caparo Forestry Reserve, which is a dry forest habitat. Is anyone familiar with the Venezuelan aroid flora? Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large Dear Jason, You need to immeadiately purchase a copy of Aroideana Vol. 9, (1-4) 1986, "The Araceae of Venezuela" by Dr Thomas Croat. Everything (or most) of what you need/want to know is in it. Contact-- The International Aroid Society, c/o this forum. You also need to join the Society if you are already not a member! Cheers, Julius +More ju-bo@msn.com

From: StellrJ at aol.com on 1999.01.23 at 03:15:26(2944) Hello, Aroiders. Just last night, I got back from three weeks in Venezuela. I would like to report a little bit on the Aroids I saw there. Unfortunately, I was only able to make one short trip into the cloud forest in the Cordillera de Merida. However, while there, I saw that the epiphytic Anthurium (I believe it may have been A. nymphaeifolium) was in bloom, with pink and red spathes. A terrestrial Anthurium was not in bloom. +More I spent two weeks in the dry forest of southwestern Barinas State. There, I saw an abundance of Philodendron (likely P. fraternum) and Syngonum, and lesser numbers of Monstera, whose local common name is "Tripa de Pollo"--chicken-guts. None of these were in bloom, except possibly for one Philodendron plant. To get from Merida to the site in Barinas, I traveled through Tachira via San Cristobal. Along the highways, especially near settlements, were colonies of Xanthosoma, possibly escaped from gardens (Tannia). Colocasia (Taro) was much more rarely seen. In the Cordillera de Merida, many ravines in villages had blooming Zantedeschia aethiopica, known as "Flower of the Dead," and presumably planted for ornamental purposes. I have not yet had time to have my photos developed, but when they are, I will see which ones have come out. In the meantime, I have a question for those of you who are also members of the Heliconia society. In Barinas State was an abundant pasture "weed" which had the classic Heliconia-type leaf, but growing a branching stem and with a panicled inflorescence. Any ideas what it was? Or will I have to wait for my pictures? Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large.

From: "Peter Boyce" <Boyce at pothos.demon.co.uk> on 1999.01.23 at 17:33:19(2945) Jason The Heliconia-like thing may have been Phenakospermum guianense. +More

From: Bob Riffle <71270.3070 at compuserve.com> on 1999.01.23 at 23:31:13(2948) Jason, I don't know of any Heliconia species whose stems branch and, if this is the case, it's probably not a H. species. Nor would the term "panicle" apply to the form of the inflorescence of a Heliconia; although the zig-zagged rachis of the inflorescence of many H species may appear (especially from a distance) to form a panicle. Some Canna species produce inflorescences that are technically panicles, and the leaves of some are quite reminiscent of those of some Heliconia species. Again, hoswever, I don't think there is a species with branching pseudostems. It's really the branching stem that seems the problem. Could it be that what you saw *appeared* to have branching pseudostems because of its clumping habit? Robert Lee Riffle, author of THE TROPICAL LOOK

From: "patricia frank" <tricia_frank at hotmail.com> on 1999.01.24 at 04:09:28(2950) >From aroid-l@mobot.org Fri Jan 22 19:02:07 1999 >Received: from [199.217.210.100] by hotmail.com (1.1) with SMTP id MHotMailB87286AE34C9BD1017077C7D9D264062A0; Fri Jan 22 19:02:07 1999 >Received: from (localhost.mobot.org [127.0.0.1]) by mobot.mobot.org (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id VAA58213 for ; Fri, 22 Jan 1999 21:14:44 -0600 >Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 21:14:44 -0600 >Message-Id: >Errors-To: aroid-owner@mobot.org +More >Reply-To: aroid-l@mobot.org >Originator: aroid-l@mobot.org >Sender: aroid-l@mobot.org >Precedence: bulk >From: StellrJ@aol.com >To: tricia_frank@hotmail.com >Subject: Venezuelan Aroids >X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0b -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas > >Hello, Aroiders. > >Just last night, I got back from three weeks in Venezuela. I would like >to report a little bit on the Aroids I saw there. > >Unfortunately, I was only able to make one short trip into the cloud >forest in the Cordillera de Merida. However, while there, I saw that the >epiphytic Anthurium (I believe it may have been A. nymphaeifolium) was in >bloom, with pink and red spathes. A terrestrial Anthurium was not in >bloom. > >I spent two weeks in the dry forest of southwestern Barinas State. >There, I saw an abundance of Philodendron (likely P. fraternum) and >Syngonum, and lesser numbers of Monstera, whose local common name is "Tripa >de Pollo"--chicken-guts. None of these were in bloom, except possibly for >one Philodendron plant. > >To get from Merida to the site in Barinas, I traveled through Tachira via >San Cristobal. Along the highways, especially near settlements, were >colonies of Xanthosoma, possibly escaped from gardens (Tannia). Colocasia >(Taro) was much more rarely seen. In the Cordillera de Merida, many ravines >in villages had blooming Zantedeschia aethiopica, known as "Flower of the >Dead," and presumably planted for ornamental purposes. > >I have not yet had time to have my photos developed, but when they are, I >will see which ones have come out. In the meantime, I have a question >for those of you who are also members of the Heliconia society. In Barinas >State was an abundant pasture "weed" which had the classic Heliconia-type >leaf, but growing a branching stem and with a panicled inflorescence. Any >ideas what it was? Or will I have to wait for my pictures? > >Jason Hernandez >Naturalist-at-Large. > Jason what you described is defiantly a Calathea ,but would need your picture for identification. Tricia ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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