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  RE: [Aroid-l] FW: Anthurium fruit edibility
From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2006.03.11 at 12:17:41(13933)
Reply-To : Discussion of aroids
Sent : Thursday, March 9, 2006 7:12 PM
To : aroid-l@gizmoworks.com
Subject : [Aroid-l] FW: anthurium scandens

Dear Folks,

Concerning the edibility of Anthurium scandens fruits, the answer would be
yes, they are edible, but you would get very little 'reward' except for a
flavor and lots of skin/seeds for your efforts w/ this genus/species, which
is most probably distributed by birds (and bats??) in nature.
The genus Monstera, species deliciosa, is better suited for eating by
humans, though there are some real dangers if one does not know the correct
time and method of eating these fruits!! This genus has probably evolved
so that larger monkeys and fruit bats are its major seed distributors.
There is a wonderful clip on public TV of a spider monkey feasting on the
ripe fruit of Philodendron goeldii WAY up in the jungle canopy.
I have experimented and found that when ripe, many aroid fruit have a
delicous/good flavor, even the odd-ball genera such as Dracontium (some
species) and Synandrospadix (reputidly a very 'bad' plant to fool around
with, at least the tubers and leaves). If I am not mistaken, our mentor
Dr. Tom Croat of MOBOT first reported that even the fruit of the dreaded
Dieffenbachia ('dumb cane') were very sweet and fruity to the taste when
ripe!! Lynn Hannon and myself tested his hypothois when visiting Joep
Moonen in Fr. Guyana, and found this to be correct, at least in one
Dieffenbachia species that we encountered!
We must keep in mind the 'why' of these plants' fruit tasting 'good'.
The method of their distribution in nature to other suitable growing places
depends of them being eaten by mammals and birds, so color (for the birds,
as I am not aware of how much taste perception birds may posses) and taste
(for the monkeys, bats and other mammals) are the soloution to their
continuing distribution and survival in nature.
Good growing,

Julius

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