Large leaved colocasias/alocasias/xanthosomas

From: Steve Marak <samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 1997.07.01 at 03:45:57(905) Aroiders, Dick Mansell has posted 3 pictures (rather large - about 70K each, so be ready for longer download times if you look) on the Aroid ID Center - they are numbers 132a, 132b, and 132c. You can reach it via the IAS we page at http://www.mobot.org or directly at http://www.cas.usf.edu/~mansell/id.html I have at least a couple of questions - first as to its identity. The Tulsa Parks department grows this in several outdoor plantings during the summer, and they know it as Colocasia 'Fontanesii'. Looking at Tony Avent's catalog, he lists C. fontanesii as having large green heart shaped leaves with a black cast. The leaves of this Tulsa plant I'd have said were more sagittate than cordate, to wax formal about it. To further confuse the issue, there is a plant also in Tony's 1997 catalog listed as Colocasia 'Burgandy Stem' which he says was formerly mistakenly listed as C. fontanesii. This plant sends out long "wild looking" runners. I have a taro which also does this, and Dick Mansell has referred to a "cranberry taro" which exhibits this behavior. Are they all the same? I also have a plant which has typical Colocasia esculenta looking leaves when they first emerge, perhaps a bit darkish in color, but which turn almost pure matte black within a day or so. Anything like the "Black Magic" or "Voodoo" cultivar we discussed a few weeks back? I'm interested in getting some concensus on all these, and thought perhaps I would upload a few more pictures to Dick and ask those more knowledgable than I to comment. Any comments on this first set? Steve +More -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

From: hesterc at niven.acpub.duke.edu (Clarence Hester) on 1997.07.02 at 05:05:53(908) Steve Marak wrote: > > Aroiders, > > Dick Mansell has posted 3 pictures (rather large - about 70K each, so be > ready for longer download times if you look) on the Aroid ID Center - they > are numbers 132a, 132b, and 132c. You can reach it via the IAS we page at > http://www.mobot.org or directly at > http://www.cas.usf.edu/~mansell/id.html +More > > I have at least a couple of questions - first as to its identity. The > Tulsa Parks department grows this in several outdoor plantings during the > summer, and they know it as Colocasia 'Fontanesii'. Looking at Tony > Avent's catalog, he lists C. fontanesii as having large green heart shaped > leaves with a black cast. The leaves of this Tulsa plant I'd have said > were more sagittate than cordate, to wax formal about it. > > To further confuse the issue, there is a plant also in Tony's 1997 catalog > listed as Colocasia 'Burgandy Stem' which he says was formerly mistakenly > listed as C. fontanesii. This plant sends out long "wild looking" runners. > I have a taro which also does this, and Dick Mansell has referred to a > "cranberry taro" which exhibits this behavior. Are they all the same? > > I also have a plant which has typical Colocasia esculenta looking leaves > when they first emerge, perhaps a bit darkish in color, but which turn > almost pure matte black within a day or so. Anything like the "Black > Magic" or "Voodoo" cultivar we discussed a few weeks back? > > I'm interested in getting some concensus on all these, and thought perhaps > I would upload a few more pictures to Dick and ask those more knowledgable > than I to comment. Any comments on this first set? > > Steve > > -- Steve Marak > -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu Steve- If the leaves on the plants at the Tulsa Parks department are sagittate and *very* large, it sounds more like Xanthosoma violacea than Colocasia fontanesii. Some distinguishing differences are that Colocasia fontanesii spreads by runners, in my experince usually eminating in four symmetrical directions. Xanthosoma violacea puts off "babies" closely congregated around the main trunk. The inflorescence of Colocasia f. is orange in color, and gives off an intermiitent fragrance that smells like baked yams. It flowers very frequently, even here in N.C. The flower on Xanthosoma violacea I have not seen, but I think it would be white or off-white. The large green Xanthosoma, identical to Xan. violacea except for the stem color, has a huge white bloom that is night-fragrant and smells like violets (in my olfactory opinion). Finally, the leaves of Xanthosoma get *much* larger, for example , than the leaves of Colocasia esculenta, while the leaves of Colocasia fontanesii are a grade or two smaller than Colocasia esculenta, in my experience. (As an aside, Colocasia f. can be grown aqautically; I don't think this would be possible with Xanthosoma). Regarding the "cranberry taro", I haven't grown it, but I have friends who have. According to what I've heard, it is nearly identical in most respects to Colocasia fontanesii, including having frequent blooms that are orange and quite fragrant. It "runs" in the same way. In addition to the burdundy stem, it always has a burgundy "dot" in dead center of each leaf. I hope this helps. Clarence Hester

From: eduardo gomes goncalves <eggon at guarany.cpd.unb.br> on 1997.07.02 at 20:53:12(909) On Wed, 2 Jul 1997, Clarence Hester wrote: > Steve- > > If the leaves on the plants at the Tulsa Parks department are sagittate > and *very* > large, it sounds more like Xanthosoma violacea than Colocasia > fontanesii. Some distinguishing differences are that Colocasia > fontanesii spreads by runners, in my experince usually eminating in four > symmetrical directions. Xanthosoma violacea puts off "babies" closely > congregated around the main trunk. The inflorescence > of Colocasia f. is orange in color, and gives off an intermiitent > fragrance that smells like baked yams. It flowers very frequently, even > here in N.C. The flower on Xanthosoma violacea I have not seen, but I > think it would be white or off-white. The large green Xanthosoma, > identical to Xan. violacea except for the stem color, has a huge white > bloom that is night-fragrant and smells like violets (in my olfactory > opinion). Finally, the leaves of Xanthosoma get *much* larger, for > example , than the leaves of Colocasia esculenta, while the leaves of > Colocasia fontanesii are a grade or two smaller than Colocasia > esculenta, in my experience. (As an aside, Colocasia f. can be grown > aqautically; I don't think this would be possible with Xanthosoma). > > (...) +More > > I hope this helps. > > Clarence Hester > Dear Clarence, The inflorescence of Xanthosoma violaceum quite pretty. The spathe tube is purple outside and white with a pinkish base inside. The spathe lamina is greenish-yellow outside and white inside. The spadix is also coloured: The fertile male flowers are cream, the staminoidal zone is pink and the female zone is strongly yellow! You have to see to believe it! And about the smell... well it smells like a Xanthosoma inflorescence!!! (At least it don't smell like baked yams) This Xanthosoma seems to survive aquatically. I had one in my fish tank when I was a little boy. The plant could produce new leaves but smaller than it usually does. I hope it helps, Eduardo.

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