Re: Amorpho titanum crosses!!!

From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at worldonline.nl> on 2001.06.22 at 16:07:27(6837) Anthurium Jungle King is not even a cultivar name, it is a trade designation of Anthurium ellipticum 'Antadalo'. But leaving that aside, I see that some of you don't realise that a clonally propagaged narrow aspect of the variation of a species IS a proper cultivar! It has always been like that: you can also pick a nice white coloured variant from an otherwise red flowering species in nature, propagate it clonally, see to it that it follows the DUS norm (Distinction, Uniformity and Stability) and there you have a perfect cultivar. The point is that in your mind you'd have to cross the (grey) barrier between nature and society as soon as you pick a plant from the wild and deliberately it under artificial circumstances in order to stabilise some or all of its characters. Wilbert +More ----- Original Message ----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Sent: donderdag 21 juni 2001 22:10 Subject: Re: Amorpho titanum crosses!!! > Ron, > > I am sure the Sri Lankan greengrocers in Tooting must think I obtain some > strange illicit drugs from the amorph tubers, or that I eat vast quantities > of the curries in which they put them! They have probably sold more in the > last month or two than the previous year (two other growers have now asked me > to get them some too...). > > I agree with most of the comments on hybrids given here, the majority do not > improve on nature, although I suspect most of us are only too happy to grow > various hybrid garden plants without giving it a second thought. It is a > fairly natural thing for man to pick the biggest, the darkest, the largest, > the best scented flowers etc etc and its only a short step from there to > selectively crossing. I think the orchid people have it right, at least they > register everything and one can look up parentage very easily. All these > cultivar names which mean nothing (what IS Anthurium Jungle King?!, or > Spathiphyllum Sensation?!) because they wont tell you or dont know the > parentage are not helping anyone. Yes, we absolutely must conserve and > disseminate species as much as possible to ensure their survival in > collections (is it too pessimistic to feel that their habitats just will not > survive?) and for future generations to admire their stunning beauty. I am > not against hybrids per se as long as the species are cared for, and the > hybrids well documented. A giant konjac-titanum in the backyard may be > unlikely but it would certainly get noticed..... > > Just wait till they use gene surgery to join a Spathiphyllum with > Amorphophallus, Spathiphyllum "Dracula's Delight" anyone...? > > Geoffrey Kibby > London >

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