From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.06.20 at 23:22:47(6774)
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| Yes, imagine a paeonifolius "super-sized": or on a taller stem like that
of
| gigas! Howbout novel colorpatterns from breeding with albispathus?
| C'mon Wilbert! Its done with Anthurium and Spathiphyllum!
| Bonaventure W. Magrys
| Cliffwood Beach, NJ
Bonaventure!
Your mention of Spathiphyllum has brought me into this. I have Wilbert's &
friends' wonderful monograph on Amorphophallus, Even though to me they are
hellish in contrast to heavenly Peace Lilies please can I write my thoughts?
Many generations of haphazard & usually undocumented hybridisation of
Spathiphyllum has produced chaos. Spectacular "artificial" cultivars now
reign where only elegantly adapted natural species existed before. Species
evolved over the mists of time to suit their ecological niches, exactly.
Cultivars for Man's "ornament" unrelated to natural evolution & sometimes
degrading of Natural fitness. Most could not survive true competition in
the wild.
Is it to be the same history with everything when Man's curiosity leads him
to try to "improve" upon Nature. If so, then a plea to keep wild species
integrity in cultivation. Another plea objectively to document heritages &
pedigrees of all "hybrids" most carefully before allocating meaningless
"names". There is hardly a group of "domesticated" animals or plants which
Man has not tried to improve upon to the detriment & often loss of the
"wild" species. But one example dear to me is Symphysodon, "Discus",
arguably the "King" of Aquarium Fishes. Over less than three decades, the
arbitrary & mostly undocumented complex hybridisation of these supremely
specialised creatures has produced the most extreme degradation of Nature's
nobility & adapted biodiversity. All for Man's sensationalism.
There are major principles here for all those who breed wild species. Why
does one hybridise? Surely, if species have been most carefully brought
into the custody of domestic cultivation from the wild there is an
inalienable responsibilityfor Homo sapiens to honour not to trivialise
Nature?
I have tried to add humour to discussions even on plants which I can say
euphemistically are not my favourites. Sorry to be serious. I do not mean
to be a party pooper but there is a major ethic here.
Ron Iles
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