Drac.soconuscum

From: Don Burns <burns at mobot.org> on 1998.07.04 at 21:39:20(2412) I recently acquired a D. soconuscum tuber from Dewey Fisk. A petiole and leaf has emerged and I have discovered a very interesting and unusual plant. It has a very deep green (almost black) petiole. The petiole is rough to the touch and has cream colored marks running its entire length. The leaf is also most interesting, a beautiful deep green and very shiny. The leaflet margins seem to be lined with black. When the leaf was unfurling the visible parts of it were almost black also. The petiole on this plant measures about 50 cm and is growing not straight but in a "meandering" vertical direction. Can someone tell me how large this plant becomes and if it retains the above characteristics when it is at its largest? The inflorescence must be quite interesting also. Unfortunately I can not find any photos in the literature. The "Genera of Araceae" has only line drawings of flower parts. Don +More Don Burns Plantation, FL USA Zone 10b

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.07.05 at 15:24:54(2420) >>I recently acquired a D. soconuscum tuber from Dewey Fisk. A petiole and leaf has emerged and I have discovered a very interesting and unusual plant. It has a very deep green (almost black) petiole. The petiole is rough to the touch and has cream colored marks running its entire length. The leaf is also most interesting, a beautiful deep green and very shiny. The leaflet margins seem to be lined with black. When the leaf was unfurling the visible parts of it were almost black also. The petiole on this plant measures about 50 cm and is growing not straight but in a "meandering" vertical direction. Can someone tell me how large this plant becomes and if it retains the above characteristics when it is at its largest? The inflorescence must be quite interesting also. Unfortunately I can not find any photos in the literature. The "Genera of Araceae" has only line drawings of flower parts. +More Don<< Dear Don, I believe that this plant was originally collected in Panama, but can not at the moment remember it`s collectors name. The species ranges from Chaipas in Mexico To Central America. D. dressleri Croat (from Panama) is a synonyn. There is a similar species found in Venezuela which used to be called D. changuango; it has a spathe with a matt or chaffy interior. It has just been synonomysed with D. dubium, an old name, and the second species of Dracontium discribed, which has a spathe with a shiny or smooth interior (See Novon, Vol. 8, Number 1, 1998, 101-103. "Identity and Typification of Dracontium dubium Kunth (Araceae)" by Dr. Guanghua Zhu, Julius Boos and Dr. Thomas Croat. ) Your plant used to be grown on the lawn in front of Jerry Horn`s home in Miami for several years, and in full sun the plant, especially it`s petioles, were a brick-red color! It will grow to about 4 feet, and the infloresence is small (3"?), just above ground-level with no visible peduncle, and widely hooded in shape. It sometimes has one or more sterile projections on the top of the spadix. It should have a straight, upright petiole when grown in enough light. Good growing, and I hope that this helps. Cheers, Julius ju-bo@msn.com >>Don Burns Plantation, FL USA Zone 10b<<

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