Rhaphidophora sp. at Fairchild Tropical Garden

From: "FTG Conservatory, Craig Allen" conserv at netrox.net> on 2000.06.17 at 00:51:23(4807) I haven't had time to write until now... The plant in discussion at FTG is Rhaphidophora sp. FG74407 S. E. Asia COMMON NAME: Shingle plant SOURCE: Botanic Garden, Lae, New Guinea DESCRIPTION: beautiful 2-4" round, silver-veined flat dark green leaves, clasping wall. This plant has small 2" spadix barely emerging from between the clasped leaves. At Fairchild Tropical Garden this plant is now growing in the epiphyte room of the Conservatory. It has attached itself to the concrete walls behind the bromeliad tree. I also have Monstera dubia growing in a nearby area of the Conservatory. The Monstera closely resembles in its juvenile state. They are very different in their leaf texture. The monstera is fairly hard in texture, the vine itself very fibrous and tough. The Raph. is very fragile and crisp in texture, being damaged very easily. The Raph has a vein pattern on a very dark green background but none of the silver suffused over the young M. dubia. M. dubia has larger juvenile foliage with a much lighter green background color. The leaves of the Raph are thinner and clasp much tighter to their host. Many visitors have commented that the leaves look painted on to the wall. I had once told Jonathan Ertelt that it bloomed behind the clasped leaf, and at one time it did. For the last year the inflorescence has begun to emerge from between the tightly clasped leaves on a very short side shoot that usually emerges about half way up the vine. It has two half hidden abbreviated bract like leaves, then the 2" inflorescence. The white spathe is cupped around a short spadix. After a week or two the inflorescence fades, the bract like leaves yellow and the side shoot dies entirely. So far it has never bloomed at the growing tip of the climbing vine. Who knows what it might someday grow into. For many years I grew this tiny little aroid, Pothodianum. The slender thread like vine and narrow 3/4" leaf were so fragile. I put a propagation at the base of a tree in the Conservatory. With in one month I was having to trim masses of the 12" leaves and rope like vine off the orchids that it had covered. I had intended to take a herbarium specimen of the Rhaphidophora when it bloomed last year, but that never happened. Maybe then the identity might be found. Craig Allen +More Conservatory Manager Fairchild Tropical Garden >Dear Friends, > >I was most interested to read the below, I did not know that some of these >shingle plants would and in fact did bloom at this stage, so look forward to >Pete`s opinion as to the 'why' of this to-me unusual occurence! > >Cheers, > >Julius > >At 12:18 PM -0500 6/10/00, Julius Boos wrote: > >>Dear Jack, >> >>Many 'vining' Aroids do this, Philodendron, Monstera and Raphidophora come >>to mind, it is a response to the growing conditions, and is a 'juvinile' >>form of the plant which does and will change to one with 'normal' leaves >>once it encounters different/'better' conditions higher up the tree, rock >>face, or in the case of Fairchild Gardens, the wall! >>Good luck in your quest! >> > >>>Julius, Jack, et al., > >This is a most interesting plant growing at Fairchild. The difficulty >regarding the 'juvinile' vs. 'normal' leaf type for this species is what >can one mean by juvinile? The reason I ask this is that this plant blooms >underneath those shield-like leaves, and has been doing so for years. >Craig Allen was generous enough to let me have a piece when I was at UNC >Charlotte, to grow there, and pointed out this phenomenon. He said, if I >remember correctly, that it was labeled Raphidophora because they didn't >know what else to label it. However, the inflorescences are small, not >protruding from underneath the appressed shingle leaves - you don't know >it's blooming unless you a.) prune it back, or b.) grow it on glass and >look at it from the back side! It does certainly look like the >silver-white veined plant that Geoffrey Kibby put on his website (Hello >Geoffrey!) I am by no means an expert on Araceae - however, I would >venture to say that the shingles leaves here are the mature leaves, and >that this does not fit into any standard understanding of any of the genera >in the tribe Monstereae. Regarding the idea of mature leaves, a healthy >plant in good light will have leaves slightly overlapping - same plant goes >to low light or falls from support, internodal growth stretches out and >leaves can be greatly reduced. Improve conditions, leaves will go to >previous description - i.e. always shingle type leaves, including after >blooming has commenced, as stated above. Regarding not in any genera in >Monstereae, this is simply based on a quick glance through of illustrations >in _The Genera of Araceae, and a scanning of descriptions. > >Would be most interested in hearing opinions advanced. Good Growing. > >Jonathan > >Jonathan Ertelt >Greenhouse Manager >Vanderbilt University Biology Department >Box 1812, Sta. B >Nashville, TN 37235 >(615) 322-4054<<< > > >

From: "Peter Boyce" Boyce at pothos.demon.co.uk> on 2000.06.17 at 15:30:37(4814) Dear Craig This is VERY interesting and whatever genus your plant turns out to belong (I'm now quite convinced that it IS a Rhaphidophora - see below) to it is definitely an undescribed species. Further, and contrary to my earlier emails giving this plant the name Monstera dubia, this is clearly not going to grow into anything other then what it is displaying already. It seems to be another of the extreme neotenic Rhaphidophora species that are on New Guinea. These extreme neotenic Rhaphidophora species are uncommon (five recorded to date; three in New Guinea and Australia (R. hayi, R. pachyphylla, R. okapensis), one in Maluku (R. parvifolia) and one in Borneo (R. latevaginata) but none flower in the manner you have described for the Fairchild plant, which is why I am now sure that it's new. I am presently writing an account of Rhaphidophora for New Guinea, Australia and the tropical Western Pacific and would be really grateful if you could keep an eye out for flowering of your plant this summer and, if possible, preserve an inflorescence or two into 70% alcohol as it opens. I will be in Fairchild for the IAS Annual this September - could we meet up and take a look at this plant? Many thanks in advance Pete +More Peter C. Boyce Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 3AE UK Tel.: (+44) (0) 20 8 573 1212 (home) (+44) (0) 20 8 332 5207 (work) Fax: (+44) (0) 20 8 332 5278 email: boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home) p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work)

From: GeoffAroid at aol.com on 2000.06.19 at 02:22:10(4831) In a message dated 17/6/00 1:51:51 am, conserv@netrox.net writes: >The plant in discussion at FTG is >Rhaphidophora sp. FG74407 S. E. Asia >COMMON NAME: Shingle plant >SOURCE: Botanic Garden, Lae, New Guinea >DESCRIPTION: beautiful 2-4" round, silver-veined flat dark green leaves, >clasping wall. This plant has small 2" spadix barely emerging from between >the clasped leaves. +More Hi Craig, Jack, Peter et al, Just got back from a weekend conference to find the numerous messages about the mystery shingle aroid - this is such exciting stuff! Glad you were able to gives us the differences between your Monstera dubia and this mystery (probable) Rhaphidophora. We obviously are all talking about the same plant. I must ask Hans Hvissers in Holland where his plants originated from (and which I now have cuttings of). My three plants are racing away and send out new shoots all over the place and already they are beginning to flatten themselves against the bark. I shall watch them daily to see if any flowers appear! Do they flower all year round or are they seasonal Craig? As they get bigger I will propagate and distribute where possible. Thanks also to all those who replied concerning hybridization between aroid genera.....again, interesting stuff. Regards to all, Geoffrey Kibby London

From: Jack Honeycutt jhoneycutt at uswest.net> on 2000.06.19 at 21:27:37(4845) At 10:32 AM 6/17/2000 -0500, you wrote: >It seems to be another of the extreme >neotenic Rhaphidophora species that are on New Guinea. Wow! This is getting fun! jack

From: "FTG Conservatory, Craig Allen" conserv at netrox.net> on 2000.06.19 at 21:38:24(4850) >I shall watch them daily to see if any flowers >appear! Do they flower all year round or are they seasonal Craig? Dear Geoffrey Kibby, I made no notation on the record, but I seem to remember it blooming in the summer while it is growing rapidly. Craig +More -----Original Message----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Date: Sunday, June 18, 2000 10:22 PM Subject: Re: Rhaphidophora sp. at Fairchild Tropical Garden >In a message dated 17/6/00 1:51:51 am, conserv@netrox.net writes: > >>The plant in discussion at FTG is >>Rhaphidophora sp. FG74407 S. E. Asia >>COMMON NAME: Shingle plant >>SOURCE: Botanic Garden, Lae, New Guinea >>DESCRIPTION: beautiful 2-4" round, silver-veined flat dark green leaves, >>clasping wall. This plant has small 2" spadix barely emerging from between >>the clasped leaves.

From: "FTG Conservatory, Craig Allen" conserv at netrox.net> on 2000.06.19 at 22:04:18(4851) Dear Peter, I will see you in September, and will try to get an inflorescence preserved. I want to ask Dr. Scott Zona to make a herbarium specimen. Craig +More -----Original Message----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Date: Saturday, June 17, 2000 11:32 AM Subject: Re: Rhaphidophora sp. at Fairchild Tropical Garden >Dear Craig > >This is VERY interesting and whatever genus your plant turns out to belong >(I'm now quite convinced that it IS a Rhaphidophora - see below) to it is >definitely an undescribed species. > >Further, and contrary to my earlier emails giving this plant the name >Monstera dubia, this is clearly not going to grow into anything other then >what it is displaying already. It seems to be another of the extreme >neotenic Rhaphidophora species that are on New Guinea. > >These extreme neotenic Rhaphidophora species are uncommon (five recorded to >date; three in New Guinea and Australia (R. hayi, R. pachyphylla, R. >okapensis), one in Maluku (R. parvifolia) and one in Borneo (R. >latevaginata) but none flower in the manner you have described for the >Fairchild plant, which is why I am now sure that it's new. > >I am presently writing an account of Rhaphidophora for New Guinea, Australia >and the tropical Western Pacific and would be really grateful if you could >keep an eye out for flowering of your plant this summer and, if possible, >preserve an inflorescence or two into 70% alcohol as it opens. I will be in >Fairchild for the IAS Annual this September - could we meet up and take a >look at this plant? > >Many thanks in advance > >Pete > > >Peter C. Boyce >Herbarium >Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew >Richmond >Surrey TW9 3AE >UK > >Tel.: (+44) (0) 20 8 573 1212 (home) > (+44) (0) 20 8 332 5207 (work) >Fax: (+44) (0) 20 8 332 5278 >email: boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home) > p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work) > > >

From: "Peter Boyce" p.boyce at rbgkew.org.uk> on 2000.06.20 at 22:12:35(4857) Dear Craig (and Scott) You're stars! Pete +More ---------------------------- Peter Boyce Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE Tel. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5207 fax. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5278 email: p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work) boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home)

From: "Peter Boyce" p.boyce at rbgkew.org.uk> on 2000.06.20 at 22:12:47(4858) Jack Yes, it is, although are so many new Rhaphs in New Guinea that I'm running out of specific epithets! Pete +More ---------------------------- Peter Boyce Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE Tel. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5207 fax. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5278 email: p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work) boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home)

From: StellrJ at aol.com on 2000.06.21 at 01:55:35(4866) In a message dated Tue, 20 Jun 2000 6:13:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Peter Boyce" writes: << Jack +More Yes, it is, although are so many new Rhaphs in New Guinea that I'm running out of specific epithets! Pete Guess it's time to start getting creative. (In college, I saw a reference in one of my textbooks to an insect whose scientific name was Lalapa lusa.) Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large

From: "Peter Boyce" p.boyce at rbgkew.org.uk> on 2000.06.22 at 00:34:29(4875) Jason WONDERFUL. My mainstay for epithets is a very venerable 'Latin and Greek for Scientists' that contains all manner of obscure terms and their classical translation. Pete +More ---------------------------- Peter Boyce Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE Tel. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5207 fax. (+44) (0)20 8 332 5278 email: p.boyce@rbgkew.org.uk (work) boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk (home)

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2000.06.23 at 23:42:18(4895) In a message dated Tue, 20 Jun 2000 6:13:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Peter Boyce" writes: > +More Hello guys, Back in the 'good old days' of the predecessor of this list on snail mail, I posted a letter to members pointing out that unlike SOME of the scientists who name plants in this group of organisms, there were others who did so, seemingly with a sense of humor, in other groups. Examples given then were the Trinidadian cave-living lizard Proctoporus shreevii (Shreeves 'anus'), and a genus of cave-living millipedes, given the name 'Caramba' (Spanish for 'upon my word, or better yet, DAMN!--I am NOT making this up!!) by the researcher Shear. The first species he names-- Caramba delburro ('the donkeys damn'), then came Caramba delnegro (easy on this one!) , then Caramba grandeza (the HUGE damn!) and finally Caramba enbecausius (because I say DAMN!) Take heart Pete, with a LITTLE imagination (I can assist with this aspect!) and some thought to the phallic 'background' to OUR group of plants, the list of available species epithets is truly mind boggling! Cheers, Julius ju-bo@msn.com << Jack Yes, it is, although are so many new Rhaphs in New Guinea that I'm running out of specific epithets! Pete Guess it's time to start getting creative. (In college, I saw a reference in one of my textbooks to an insect whose scientific name was Lalapa lusa.) Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large<

From: Lewandjim at aol.com on 2000.06.25 at 00:13:29(4906) Sorry this post got away from me prematurely. I should have also included: In a message dated 06/24/2000 3:58:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Lewandjim writes: +More << Subj: Re: Rhaphidophora sp. at Fairchild Tropical Garden Date: 06/24/2000 3:58:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: Lewandjim To: aroid-l@mobot.org In a message dated 06/23/2000 7:42:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ju-bo@email.msn.com writes: << Take heart Pete, with a LITTLE imagination (I can assist with this aspect!) and some thought to the phallic 'background' to OUR group of plants, the list of available species epithets is truly mind boggling! >> Julius, The taxonomists dealing with live-bearing fishes beat you to the punch! for example: Heterophallus Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora Phalloceros Dactylophallus Priapichthys Xenophallus and many more examples less obtusely named! Jim Langhammer >>

From: Krzysztof Kozminski kk at kozminski.com> on 2000.06.27 at 01:42:50(4933) On Fri, 23 Jun 2000, Julius Boos wrote: > Back in the 'good old days' of the predecessor of this list on snail mail, I > posted a letter to members pointing out that unlike SOME of the scientists > who name plants in this group of organisms, there were others who did so, > seemingly with a sense of humor, in other groups. Examples given then were > the Trinidadian cave-living lizard Proctoporus shreevii (Shreeves 'anus'), > and a genus of cave-living millipedes, given the name > 'Caramba' (Spanish for 'upon my word, or better yet, DAMN!--I am NOT making > this up!!) by the researcher Shear. > The first species he names-- Caramba delburro ('the donkeys damn'), then > came Caramba delnegro (easy on this one!) , then Caramba grandeza (the HUGE > damn!) and finally Caramba enbecausius (because I say DAMN!) > Take heart Pete, with a LITTLE imagination (I can assist with this aspect!) > and some thought to the phallic 'background' to OUR group of plants, the > list of available species epithets is truly mind boggling! I plugged "lalapa lusa" into google search and it came with a really fun page with taxonomical jokestry: http://www.best.com/~atta/taxonomy.html. Some of the ones that caught my atttention: Eucritta melanolimnetes Clark, 1998 (fossil amphibian) Loosely translates as "Creature from the black lagoon". Panama canalia Marsh, 1993 (braconid) Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey & Humphreys, 1995 (spider) (too bad that orchid taxonomists did not think about this one - KK) Trombicula doremi Brennan & Beck, 1955 (chigger) Trombicula fasola Brennan & Beck, 1955 (chigger) Agra vation Erwin, 1983 (carabid) A bunch of bug species named by the same entomologist, Kirkaldy): Ochisme, Dolichisme, Florichisme, Marichisme, Nanichisme, Peggichisme, Polychisme (read them out loud = I did not get it until Peggichisme) Kirkaldy was criticized for frivolity by the London Zoological Society in 1912. Pison eu Menke, 1988 (sphecid) Another good page is: http://insects.ucr.edu/staff/yanega.html (click on "Curious Scientific Names") +More KK ==================== "Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking" Krzysztof Kozminski kk@netgate.net http://u1.netgate.net/~kk/

From: StellrJ at aol.com on 2000.07.07 at 23:43:27(5008) In a message dated 6/24/00 8:13:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Lewandjim@aol.com writes: << The taxonomists dealing with live-bearing fishes beat you to the punch! for +More example: Heterophallus Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora Phalloceros >> That is because the live-bearing fishes actually HAVE phalli (at least the males!), an unusual feature in fish. Your example Phalloceros does indeed have a horned phallus. Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large

From: Lewandjim at aol.com on 2000.07.08 at 02:40:12(5015) In a message dated 07/07/2000 8:07:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time, StellrJ@aol.com writes: << That is because the live-bearing fishes actually HAVE phalli (at least the +More males!), an unusual feature in fish. Your example Phalloceros does indeed have a horned phallus. Jason Hernandez Naturalist-at-Large >> Not so unusual as you might think. Even many egg-laying fishes practice internal fertilization using a number of different intromittent "organs". The thread of discussion, however, began regarding "risque" names. Jim Langhammer

From: Jody Haynes webmaster at plantapalm.com> on 2000.07.08 at 02:41:06(5016) > << The taxonomists dealing with live-bearing fishes beat you to the >punch! for > example: +More > Heterophallus > Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora > Phalloceros >> > > That is because the live-bearing fishes actually HAVE phalli (at least the > males!), an unusual feature in fish. Your example Phalloceros does indeed > have a horned phallus. Jason, you are correct in that the males of these species have phallic sexual organs. The official name of the male "sex" organ of many livebearing fishes (which is just a modified anal fin) is 'gonopodium'. Oddly enough, my Masters research was on fishes in the Family Poeciliidae, which includes common aquarium fish such as guppies, mollies, swordtails, and platys. Who would have guessed that I would be a "plant guy" now? (Certainly not me!) Jody

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