variegation causes

From: "Michael Marcotrigiano" <mmarcotr at email.smith.edu> on 2004.03.09 at 17:15:30(11245) I've gotten several emails from potential aroid bidders about the cause of variegation on my ebay listing for Amorphophallus konjac 'Shattered Glass' +More The reason I am 99.99% sure it is not a virus is the plant arose as a bud sport on a side shoot and no other siblings ever had the trait the plant gives rise to lethal white, all green, or variegated corms indicating segregation of a genetic mosaic NOT a virus which would not segregate into different cormels I have tried infecting other green amorphophallus with cell sap of Shattered Glass and it does not work. Even the spathe shows some variegation For the total story and many photos see http://www.exoticfinches.com/plants/amorphfront.htm _______________________________ Michael Marcotrigiano, Ph.D Director of the Botanic Garden and Professor of Biological Sciences Smith College Lyman Conservatory, 15 College Lane Northampton, MA 01063 email: mmarcotr@smith.edu voice: 413-585-2741; fax: 413-585-2744 www.smith.edu/garden www.science.smith.edu/~mmarcotr ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers and never succeeding." Marc Chagall

From: James Waddick <jwaddick at kc.rr.com> on 2004.03.10 at 18:37:36(11253) I've gotten several emails from potential aroid bidders about the cause of variegation on my ebay listing for Amorphophallus konjac 'Shattered Glass' +More Oxford University has published a variety of reports that report well over 95% of all variegated plants are sectorial chimeras or other genetic mutations. Less than 5 % are due to viral causes and most of these are benign or would be fatal. The most obvious physical characteristic of viral variegation is that the pattern usually consists of isolated spots having fuzzy edges as the infection slowly spread from cell to cell. Clean sectorial variegation appears in large patches, stripes and other patterns and show clean margins and does not spread. Unfortunately most people still haven't gotten these basics into their heads. Michael's Amorphophallus looks obviously to be of genetic origin, probably as a bud sport on a single tuberlet. Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +

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