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  Epiphyllums/Off topic
From: ju-bo at msn.com (ju-bo at msn.com) on 2008.05.01 at 09:59:15(17512)
----------------------------------------
> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:48:12 -0700
> From: leo at possi.org
> To: aroid-l at gizmoworks.com
> Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Epiphyllums

Dear Friends,

I am NOT a Cactus person, but will add my two cents to this mix.
It appears that this ''debate'' is now centered around the narrow determination of the difference between a ''rain forest'' and a ''tropical deciduous forest". Being from Trinidad, and having traveled in Fr. Guyana, I can assure all that tree-growing Cacti I am familiar with, in most cases do NOT make a distinction, and that they do not suddenly stop growing or existing in what the experts consider ''true rain forests''. I have seen climbing epiphitic Cacti high in the wet canopy, who knows what genera they may be determined to belong to once they are collected, and Taxonomists get their hands on them. If, as it is being said, the range of the Cactus genus Epiphyllum is from Southern Mexico, all of Central America, and all down the Western side of S. America, I can assure all that in many of these areas, especially in Panama and W. Colombia, W. Bolivia and W. Brazil there are REAL rain forests with Cacti growing in them, I don`t know how many species and of what genera they may be!
The discussion also got turned around, as it was Steve who was ''warning'' that the cacti in question would NOT tollerate a freeze, the other guy twisted this around to say that Steve had written that they WOULD take low temps./freezes.
My two cents.

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From: Steve at ExoticRainforest.com (ExoticRainforest) on 2008.05.01 at 14:31:11(17516)
I appreciate that Julius. But I never intended to start a non-aroid discussion on Aroid l. I have sent a note to Dr. Croat in hopes he will provide me with a better description of what is scientifically understood to be a rain forest.

Steve Lucas

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From: hermine at endangeredspecies.com (=?iso-8859-1?Q?hermine=A9?=) on 2008.05.02 at 00:30:45(17524)
At 07:31 AM 5/1/2008, you wrote:
>I appreciate that Julius. But I never intended to start a non-aroid
>discussion on Aroid l. I have sent a note to Dr. Croat in hopes he
>will provide me with a better description of what is scientifically
>understood to be a rain forest.

this is what Wiki says

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest

of course anything on Wiki you might have written yourself!

hermine

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From: Thomas.Croat at mobot.org (Tom Croat) on 2008.05.05 at 20:21:50(17555)
Dear Steve:

The term "rain forest" is not a standard or formal
designation. In the Holdridge Life Zone System which I use the term
"rain forest" is used in a variety of designations. A standard range of
wetness would range from Tropical dry forest to Premontane dry forest to
Tropical moist forest, Premontane wet forest, Tropical wet forest,
Tropical rain forest, Premontane rain forest, Lower montane rainforest,
Montane rain forest. The effective degree of wetness is the critical
feature and may be owing to a lot of rain or a cooler temperature and
thus a reduced amount of transevaporation so that a single life zone
could range form sea level to 2000 m depending on the amount of
precipitation. Pluvial lowland forest is the wettest, hottest and is
rather restricted, known only from NW S. America in Colombia where it
may rain 36 feet a year.

Tom

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From: Steve at ExoticRainforest.com (ExoticRainforest) on 2008.05.06 at 00:24:04(17557)
Thanks for taking the time to respond Tom. That is a much better explanation than anything I've been able to find. I'll be out of touch for the next week or so. You guys hold down the fort!

Steve

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