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  ]Off-topic-- Rafflesia/host vine
From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 2007.01.17 at 00:07:31(15100)
Reply-To : Discussion of aroids
Sent : Tuesday, January 16, 2007 8:03 PM
To : Discussion of aroids
Subject : Re: [Aroid-l] Re: Rafflesia

Dear Friends,

Now we know both from Marcin AND from browsing that wonderful web site sent
in by our Australian friend that the host-vine of at LEAST one species of
Rafflesia is Tetrastigma spp. So---we must now really search the
web/literature to see what is the minimum sized vine that Rafflesia might
'invade' as a parasite, and be large enough support the existence of this
parasite within its tissues! I THINK from photos I recall seeing that
these vines are a VERY substantial size, the bases as big around as my
thigh. This tells us that it PROBABLY is inpractable to cultivate vines in
a greenhouse OR without a HUGE/tall jungle canopy until they attain this
size in MANY years time. No, Brian I don`t think that a bansai or small
vine could support a parasite the size of a Rafflesia. SO---let`s go all
out to convince the Governments in charge of the forests where this treasure
occurs to conserve their vines and jungles!!

Good Growing,

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From: "Alistair Hay" <ajmhay at hotmail.com> on 2007.01.19 at 05:37:23(15103)
6 or 7 species of Tetrastigma are hosts to Rafflesia spp. but the principal one is T. leucostaphylum. There does not seem to be a one to one relationship between Raff species and host species.
Jamili Nais (who wrote the book) reported that they has successfully inoculated 2cm diam and 4 cm diam Tetrastigma vines with Rafflesia seeds: success indicated by flowering about 4 years later.

Alistar

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