Dracontium

From: GeoffAroid <GeoffAroid at aol.com> on 1998.05.24 at 23:00:52(2185) Hi all! Just had a pleasant surprise when on looking at my pot of Anchomanes I noticed what was obviously a different plant growing amongst them. It has tall stems with numerous horizontal, brownish ridges (no spines unlike the Anchomanes) and rather wrinkled, irregularly divided, shiny leaf blades - the latter contrast against the similarly shaped but much smoother leaves of the Anchomanes difformis. I think it may be a Dracontium but have almost no information on this genus other than what is briefly mentioned in Deni Bown's book. Do fellow aroiders think this brief description sounds about right for Dracontium and if so is there a published key to the species anywhere? (And if so does anyone have a copy!?). I will try and get a pic taken in the next day or so and put it online for people to look at, meanwhile all suggestions gratefully received. Many thanks, Geoffrey Kibby

From: plantnut at shadow.net (Dewey Fisk) on 1998.05.25 at 03:22:18(2186) Geoff.... You can go to the IAS Web Page and get some really good shots of Dracontium... Under Araceae then click on Species... go down to Dracontium.... Dewey +More Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae

From: GeoffAroid <GeoffAroid at aol.com> on 1998.05.25 at 14:25:35(2187) Thanks Dewey, I feel embarrased not to have tried the obvious source! So, yes I see now that I definitely have a Dracontium but I guess I will have to wait until it flowers (a year or 3 away yet) before getting a positive ID. If I can get back to the botanic garden in Amsterdam - which is where the Anchomanes in which it was mixed came from - then I can probably get a name from there. A second question: I have numerous seedlings of Anthurium atropurpureum coming along, anyone know what I can expect from it as an adult? ie. size, shape of adult leaves, spathe/spadix colour? The young plants look very attractive with broadly ovate-lanceolate leaves and seem to be strong growers. Many thanks again, Geoffrey Kibby +More http://members.aol.com/dgiscience

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.05.25 at 14:30:51(2188) Dear Geoff, As Dewey has pointed out there are good photos and discriptions on Dr. Zhu`s page of many species of the genus Dracontium, the problem will be that the leaf/leaves of MOST of the species look alike, and one has to wait for them to bloom to have a chance at identification. You also use the plural "stems", but Dracontium usually have a single petiole/stem (sometimes two) from each tuber/bulbil, especially in their juv. growth. Maybe you have multiple bulbils growing together? I look forward to seeing a photo. Knowing the origin of the plant may help, so do you know where the Anchomanes came from? The little Dracontium bulbil that grew into the leaf may have been a hitch-hiker in the pot. Cheers and good luck, Julius +More ju-bo@msn.com

From: Wilbert Hetterscheid <hetter at vkc.nl> on 1998.05.30 at 00:24:45(2207) Geoffrey, Since you got the mixed Dracontium from Amsterdam, there is a fair chance it is D. gigas, of which they have quite a clump. Cheers, Wilbert +More > Thanks Dewey, I feel embarrased not to have tried the obvious source! > So, yes > I see now that I definitely have a Dracontium but I guess I will have > to wait > until it flowers (a year or 3 away yet) before getting a positive ID. > If I can > get back to the botanic garden in Amsterdam - which is where the > Anchomanes in > which it was mixed came from - then I can probably get a name from > there. > > A second question: I have numerous seedlings of Anthurium > atropurpureum coming > along, anyone know what I can expect from it as an adult? ie. size, > shape of > adult leaves, spathe/spadix colour? The young plants look very > attractive with > broadly ovate-lanceolate leaves and seem to be strong growers. > > Many thanks again, > Geoffrey Kibby > http://members.aol.com/dgiscience >

From: "MJ Hatfield" mjhatfield at oneota.org> on 2003.01.19 at 16:58:11(9857) I searched the Dracontium web pages and the Aroid-L archives but found nothing concerning Dracontium cultivation and dormancy requirements. Who can help? +More Thanks. MJ Hatfield

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