From: Steve Marak samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2006.08.21 at 15:40:57(14537)
Just back after a whirlwind, and unexpectedly eventful, trip to Plant Delights,
Tony Avent's nursery just south of Raleigh, North Carolina to hear Wilbert
Hetterschied and Pascal Bruggeman talk about amorphophallus and arisaema. It
was great.
The talks covered a lot of ground - cultivation, origins and habitats, taxonomy
(including morphology vs. molecules), etc. etc. and picture after picture
showing species and variations in species that blew us all away. (During our
difficulties getting there, I think while driving through Raleigh about 2 am
Saturday morning, my wife had fixed me with a steely teacher gaze and made the
sinister statement "This had better be worth it.". She agreed it was.) I've
heard Wilbert speak before and he's always entertaining as well as educational,
and no one knows amorphs better.
This is the first time I've met Pascal or heard him speak. He says he doesn't
really like to do presentations but this one was excellent, and his photography
of the plants outstanding. He's doing some great field work and research on
these arisaemas, rediscovering old species, untangling identifications, etc.
Tony also let everyone look around in his research greenhouse, quite
interesting in its own right. (Not to mention there were a lot of amorphs and
other aroids available for purchase.)
Thanks Wilbert and Pascal for making the trip, and Tony for setting up and
hosting the event, and whatever arm-twisting you did. I hope this was just
year 1 of a long series.
Steve
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