> To: rob.mcclure@sci.monash.edu.au
> Reply-to: aroid-l@mobot.org
> Today I took part in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition
> hosted by the Institute of Horticulture here in Britain. One of the
> slides had a picture of a calla lily and the question was which is the
> correct name for this plant. Naturally, being the aroid expert that I
> now am, I quickly jotted down Zantedeschia. I was wrong!! They said that
> it was Richardia. Someone please tell me that it isn't so. My protests
> were fruitless :(
>
> Yours,
> William Perez
William,
My money is on you.
Here is a few lines from my trusty British RHS Dictionary of
Gardening :
Zantedeschia aethiopica was incorrectly placed in Calla by Linnaeus.
In 1818 Kunth proposed a new genus Richardia to accomodate it.
It was then realised that Richardia had already been used for a genus
in the Rubiaceae family.
Zantedeschia was then born and I quote " Zantedeschia is its correct
botanical name."
Did you win the competition ?
I think you should cry foul and call in the referee !
Cheers,
Rob.
Rob.McClure
Dept.of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Monash University, Clayton 3168
AUSTRALIA.
Phone:(03)9905.5625
Fax:(03)9905.5613
e-mail: Rob.McClure@sci.monash.edu.au
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