Re: Xanthosoma (fwd)

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.05.17 at 14:32:42(2155) Dear Bob and Aroider friends, I believe that X. jaquinii is the name that I was looking for-- X. undipes is not a synonym of it IF Simon Mayo is correct, and I believe he is, in his work on the Aroids of Trinidad, where X. undipes (?) is common. All this will be sorted out when the revision is complete, maybe in our lifetimes. A lot of the confusion in some of the Xanthosomas is with the cultivated vars., both the ornamental ones ( eg. X. "atrovirens" in its forms) and the ones grown for food throughout their range. I am going to suggest that we begin posting photos with data of the ones we grow from commercially available sources, and I will begin by photographing the plants of the "new" purplish-tubered Xanthosoma bought at Winn Dixie recently, and said to be from Costa Rica, which is called "malanga lilac" by the Jamaicans where I origanally bought my "red co co" tubers. They knew EXACTLY what I was discribing when I asked them about it yesterday, as they hold their "red co co" dear to their hearts, it is firmer and "drier" when cooked, and does not itch. I +More also want to take a closer look at the tubers, as now that I know that I am dealing with two species/forms, not one, I am seeing differences between the tubers. I have also located the plant grown from the bright yellow-fleshed Xanthosoma, "malanga (or yautia) amarilla " said to be common and popular in the Dominican Republic, and will obtain and post a photo, as I remember its plant as being simular in color to the "new" malanga lilac from Winn Dixie. Lester Kallus, maybe we could incorporate the photos on your web page? For those of us who do not know where it is, the url is-- http://www.i2i-2000.com/~lkallus/aroids/plnthome.htm >Jeez, the Griffiths' INDEX OF GARDEN PLANTS indicates that "Xanthosoma jacquinii" is a synonym for "Xanthosoma undipes" and, if you have EXOTICA or TROPICA, there is a photo of X. jacquinii that seems to fit the description you posted. Maybe neither is correct--probably EXOTICA/TROPICA has the original mistake ....< >I heard Bill Gates not too long ago say something like "What's a hundred million here or a hundred million there?" For 0.001 of that amount he could fund all the research we need! Are you counting on it? << I`ll end this now, and wait for feed back. Cheers to all, Julius ju-bo@msn.com

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