Colocasia 'Black Magic'

From: "Alan Galloway" <alan at unity.ncsu.edu> on 1997.08.12 at 18:11:47(1047) I tend to agree with all those that seem to think that this plant is a sport of Colocasi esculenta. I obtained my original plant 5 or 6 years ago as C. 'Jet Black Wonder' and it has done superbly out in the garden ever since. A couple of years ago I saw a picture of this plant in a book and it was mislabeled as well, but it also listed the person's name that brought it in to this country. With a little detective work I tracked down this person and he gave me the low-down on how it came into existence. Since I haven't obtained permission from said person, I don't think it would be courteous for me to publish his name in this forum, but here's what he said: +More An aquatic plant collector of an Australian Botanical Garden ( probably the same one that Eric visited) was on a collecting trip in the swamps of the Phillipines and discovered this dark-leafed sport amongst a patch of C. esculenta. Anyway, the Australian collector shared some of this plant with a fellow aquatic plant collector in this country and that person further distributed it to collectors in FL and CA. Somehow, the names, 'Jet Black Wonder' and 'Black Magic' seem to arise about the same time, although 'Black Magic' seems to be the more prominantly used name. ..you know, this would make a great bedtime fable on how the sharing of plant material benefits us all...... :) Per Steve's inquiry about the flower, yes it does resemble that of C. esculenta, but in my own opinion, who cares about the flower when you have 3 ft.by 2 ft black leaves hanging from 7 ft. petioles. OK, you taxonimists can go ahead and bring out the big can of whoop-ass. Another unique feature of this plant is to watch how rain drops dance on the leaves. >From the interest that people have shown upon seeing this plant in my garden and its increasing availablity, I expect this plant to get nominated for plant of the year very soon. For a real show stopper, plant C. 'Black Magic' next to the chartreuse-leafed Xanthosoma. Alan -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Alan Galloway alan_galloway@ncsu.edu Computing Services, Information Technology Campus Box 7109 North Carolina State University (phone) 919-515-5483 Raleigh, NC 27695-7109 (fax) 919-515-3787

From: plantnut at shadow.net (Dewey Fisk) on 1997.08.12 at 21:27:24(1048) >For a real show stopper, plant C. 'Black Magic' next to the chartreuse-leafed >Xanthosoma. Both of these plants are on my list... Dewey +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE

From: "Plantsman" plantsman at prodigy.net> on 2001.05.20 at 03:20:12(6521) I've got a pot of these that I managed to nurse through the winter here in far-from-tropical-in-the- winter East Tennessee after losing my other two pots the winter before. I mistakenly thought that they could be left dry like the common C. esculentum. I should have known anything so pretty wouldn't develop tubers of any size! Does anyone know anything about the parents of this variety? I assume it's a hybrid. I remember seeing some all dark purple forms of Colocasia growing along the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio, Texas a few years ago but they were very small plants compared to 'Black Magic'. I really wanted to find some of them to take back home with me but didn't have time to look for a nursery. I was surprised to find that on I-35 north of San Antonio in the town of San Marcos, TX, the San Marcos River starts out in the town from a gigantic spring that puts out several million gallons of water daily. Beginning right past the spring lake dam, the river banks are covered for miles with a Colocasia that I believe is one of the Taro types. The two to three foot tall plants are a nice color of green with peltate leaves about a foot long. They don't form tubers but are very stoloniferous and grow right in the water. They really have to be seen to be believed as there are so many of them. No one seems to know where they came from or when they were planted and the locals for the most part ignore them. I did manage to bring home some of these but in my ignorance, eventually lost them all not realizing that that wouldn't go dormant. If anyone wanted to collect them in this area, they would be free for the taking for as many as you could haul off. David Sizemore +More Kingsport, TN (Zone 6a) plantsman@prodigy.net

From: StellrJ at aol.com on 2001.05.20 at 15:54:41(6530) In a message dated Sat, 19 May 2001 11:20:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Plantsman" writes: << the San Marcos River starts out in the town from a gigantic spring that puts out several million gallons of water daily. Beginning right past the spring lake dam, the river banks are covered for miles with a Colocasia that I believe is one of the Taro types. The two to three foot tall plants are a nice color of green with peltate leaves about a foot long. They don't form tubers but are very stoloniferous and grow right in the water. That sounds like C. esculenta var. aquatilis. I believe some of our friends in Florida could say a few un-complimentary words about that one.

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