aroid hardiness (synandrospadix)

From: Steve Marak samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 2002.03.21 at 03:58:15(8304) Tony, I did one inconclusive try with synandrospadix a few years ago (when my plant was producing offsets, a thing most apparently do not. Mine hasn't either lately, though it is flowering in the greenhouse right now.). It was inconclusive because the tuber survived the winter outdoors, and appeared to be in fairly good shape, but never started growth in the spring. I suspect "curiousity blight" - I just couldn't help digging around in the spring and I broke off the growing point. I don't know whether that did it in - it wasn't a large offset - or the winter. I really like this plant, and I've suspected it of being fairly hardy for some time. Needless to say I'm looking around for something irresistable to tempt you into a trade. Steve +More On Mon, 11 Mar 2002, Tony Avent wrote: > I'm just back from a wonderful collection trip in northwest > Argentina. We found quite a bit of both Gorgonidium vermicidium and > Synandrospadix vermitoxicus. Gorgonidium superficially resembles an > amorphophallus and synandrospadix resembles a giant blue leaf skunk > cabbage. > From the locations and elevations, these should be hardy through > zone 8 and possibly zone 7. Most of the areas where we collected > these reach 10 F about every decade. While I have tried and killed > synandrospadix earlier, that may have been a warm climate collection. > I am curious if anyone has grown (or killed) either of these. Thanks > in advance for any ideas. -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

From: Tony Avent tony at plantdel.com> on 2002.03.21 at 14:36:06(8307) Steve: Thanks for the synandrospadix comments. I really feel that hardiness of this species may depend on provenence. While I only brought back a couple of bulbs, we do have green seed that may or may not ripen. The seed heads were simply striking...as beautiful as any hardy aroid that I have grown. I was amazed to find it growing on roadside banks in full sun and even in the middle of heavily traveled gravel roads...again in full sun. The tubers were usually about 18" below the soil surface. I can't imagine that it will not be hardy. I'm drying the bulbs off in hopes of getting them to adjust to the change of seasons. We'll get them planted out in spring. Tony Avent +More Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdel.com phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent

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