Re: colocasia non-tubers

From: "Scott Lucas" <htbg at ilhawaii.net> on 1997.12.04 at 04:54:51(1700) Dear Clarence Hester: According to D.J. Mabberley's "The Plant Book" (an excellent reference that I highly recommend) the genus Colocasia is comprised of 8 species of tropical Asian TUBEROUS herbs with peltate leaves. Your Colocasia antiquorum is actually a variety of Colocasia esculenta and produces edible small tubers that are called eddoes. Also, your Colocasia fontanesii is properly a cultivar of Colocasia esculenta that was previously described as Colocasia violacea. With this in mind, I am highly suspicious that the reason you are not obtaining tubers on your various Colocasias is due to horticultural problems. Scott Lucas +More Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden P.O. Box 80 Papaikou, HI 96781 htbg@ilhawaii.net -----Original Message----- To: htbg@ilhawaii.net Date: Wednesday, December 03, 1997 10:24 AM Subject: Re: colocasia non-tubers (repost of original) >In response to Lester Kallus's post, I can share similar experiences. >I, too, have never observed a corm development when digging up or >transplanting C. antiquorum illustris, C. fontanesii or the "whatever >you call it" solid black taro. On the other hand, the latter two have >been reliably ground hardy for me (zone 7b), while C. antiquorum >illustris has >survived in the ground, but with a diminished success rate. The one >time I tried to overwinter these in pots in a cool basement it did not >work as well as just leaving them in the ground. Also, storing bare >root was >a failure for me. > >Is it possible these plants develop corms under more favorable >conditions or with age? Is there such a thing as a "fleshy" corm? For >example, some Xanthosomas seem to have a turgid mass of tissue at the >base, but not always with a hard "corm". Similarly, I've overwintered >(bare root) an Ensete ventrosicum maurellii (Abyssinian Black Banana) >for several years now, and there's never been the typical, almost >"woody" banana corm--just a thick mass of fleshy, almost spongy >"plant-base". Nonetheless, it comes back year after year even after >months of dormancy. > >Clarence Hester > >

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