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  Xanthosoma
From: Eduardo <eggon at guarany.cpd.unb.br> on 1998.05.18 at 21:44:55(2168)
> Also, there is a BEAUTIFUL,slender and tall (4 ft.) Xanthosoma sp.
> locally, its leaves are elongately sagittate, crinkled, with
> silvery and darker stripes that are along the viens, someone
> once told me its name, but I can not bring it to mind at the moment
>
> but what I thought was Xanthosoma undipes (X. jacquinii)

Maybe Xanthosoma conspurcatum... Check on it.

Eduardo.

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1998.05.19 at 15:33:31(2177)
-----Original Message-----
To: ju-bo@msn.com
Date: Monday, May 18, 1998 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: Xanthosoma
Dear Eduardo,
I am not afmiliar with X. Conspurcatum, where can I find a drawing/illus. of
this plant? I believe that the plant name I forgot is X. jaquinii, which I
see here in collections from time to time.
Thanke anyway.
Sincerely,
Julius
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From: plantnut at macconnect.com (Dewey Fisk) on 1999.03.27 at 02:58:13(3160)
It has been suggested that I might have the Xanthosoma atroviens
montosum... I am sorry... I do not. I will check it out and see if I can
get it...
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From: "Eduardo Goncalves" edggon at hotmail.com> on 2001.05.31 at 03:19:57(6634)
Dear aroiders,

I have checked the marvelous Lester?s site (see the link below) and have
found that there is a small error at the main page. The plant featured there
is Xanthosoma atrovirens, not X. violaceum. Despite the leaves really LOOK
violaceum (i.e. somewhat purplish), most of the aspect is given by the
combination of the dark green color (i.e. atro - black, virens - green) plus
the wax effect at the surface (that make it appear somewhat blue). However,
the petioles are green, and if we could see the main ribs below, they would
appear green, not purplish. Both species are usually confused there in
U.S.A., because both are usually sold with the same common names. If you
want to see a real X. violaceum, take a look at Krzysztof?s page in:

http://u1.netgate.net/~kk/Araceae/Xanthosoma/violaceum.html

Compare both pictures and you will never confuse them again.

Still on Xanthosomas, I have seen comments about the "Golden"
Xanthosoma in this list. I have seen it cultivated here in Brazil and I also
have some plants in my own collection (Xanthosoma is my favourite aroid).
The biggest individuals I have seen are cultivated at the Burle Marx
collection, and they became less golden with age. I have seen even flowering
individuals there, but I still couldn?t find out what the hell is this
plant! I am preparing an article ?bout the cultivated Xanthosoma, maybe to
be submitted to Aroideana 2002, so I HAVE to discover it someday! By now, I
think it is a form of the common X. sagittifolium, but I am not 100% sure.
In fact, I am not even 60% sure... Did someone mention 40% sure?

Best wishes,

Eduardo.

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From: Lester Kallus lkallus at earthlink.net> on 2001.05.31 at 20:27:59(6645)
If that's the case, then my tuber was mislabeled at the grocery store
too. I had purchased Yautia lila which was more expensive than the Yautia
amarillo & Yautia blanca. Supposedly, lila is violaceum. I guess not from
what you say.

Regardless, it made a fine (and cheap) mass in the garden. I didn't,
however, bother trying to eat it at the end of the season.

Les

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From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.06.01 at 00:01:35(6656)
Dear Eduardo,

You are probably correct, but IF there are TWO species being sold here as
Yautia (or malanga) lilac, both with purplish rhizomes, both that grow to
look pretty much alike, then what species is the yellow-fleshed tuber,
called 'yautia amarillo', it has a black-skinned tuber, the inner flesh has
a lighter cork-like thick layer around the yellow flesh, has a flavor of
peanut/corn flour when grated and cooked in 'dumplings', or fried as
'acaras'.. We have been refering this one to X. atrovirens. I first saw
this rhizome being used grated and then folded and sealed as a 'covering'
for spiced meat, these 'arepas' would be then deep-fried. The photo was in
a 'Natural History' Mag., street vendor was in the Dominican Republic. The
rhizome has wire-like roots, and is generally sold around Christmas time, a
seasonally popular food? It grows leaves that are typically
Xanthosoma-like, but they have a greyish 'cast', and have more rounded tips
to the leaves lobes. I BELIEVE that Lynn Hannon may have a plant of this
growing.

The yellow/gold leaved Xanthosoma sp.that we see here in Florida was said to
have been originally collected somewhere in Central America where it was
being grown as a food-crop.

Best wishs,

Julius

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From: George Yao gcyao at netasia.net> on 2001.06.01 at 19:08:01(6669)
Hi Eduardo,

In the same website you cited below, there is a page featuring Xanthosoma
maffafa aurea which looked like the Golden Xanthosoma I saw (from memory
only, if you please). Is it the same as the Golden Xanthosoma in the Burle
Marx collection?

George Yao

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From: "Eduardo Goncalves" edggon at hotmail.com> on 2001.06.13 at 15:00:26(6697)
Dear George,

Yes, I forgot this one. It is the same species I am talking about,
despite the individual featured in the picture is too young. The color is
too striking to forget! However, I am still considering if X. mafaffa is not
the same thing of X. sagittifolium. In fact, the X.
mafaffa-sagittifolium-robustum-roseum complex is the most puzzling problem
in aroid systematics, in my opinion. It may take me some time to solve.

Best wishes,

Eduardo.

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From: "Eduardo Goncalves" edggon at hotmail.com> on 2001.06.13 at 15:00:40(6698)
Dear Julius,

As far as I know, X. atrovirens has a strong yellow parenchyma within
the "rhizomes", but some clones are just whitish yellow. I am not so aware
about the uses of this species, mainly in Northern America. An interesting
thing to do is buy these plants in markets, grow them and take pictures. If
pictures are posted in the web, we can try to give them some names. Not only
you, but any other aroid-l member could do it. So we would start to clean
all this Xanthosoma mess.
Yes, probably the X. sagittifolium complex (including the golden
Xanthosoma) originated in Central America (including the Caribbean Islands).
The problem is that most of the original vegetation has been cleared there,
the ancient cultures have gone and nobody knows if they were wild plants now
in cultivation or if they are cultivars developed by Pre-colombian people.
To make things more complex, most species were described based in cultivated
species, with obscure procedence. To make things even worse, most of the
species described by Schott were represented by type specimens destroyed
during the II World War! Do you want a final consideration? Even if they
were not destroyed, the slimy thing that Xanthosoma specimens turn into when
they are dry would not help much anyway!!!! Maybe their DNA can say
something about their origin, mainly if we compare with some wild collected
relatives. I am considering doing this in near future.

Very best wishes,

Eduardo.

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From: George Yao gcyao at netasia.net> on 2001.06.14 at 15:50:18(6737)
Eduardo,

Thanks for your response. Next time I visit my friend, I'll bring my
digital camera to take some photos of his Golden Xanthosoma to be posted
here. They are already big plants, so presumably mature.

George Yao

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From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.06.14 at 16:22:08(6739)
Dear Eduardo,

Just so that you can add the information to your notes, the X. 'atrovirens'
in the photo I BELIEVE was grown from rhizomes that, at first glance, could
be mistaken for the rhizomes of X. violacium, and these have a definite
'growing tip', and the outer surface of the rhizome lacks roots, is always
'clean' and smooth, while the rhizomes of the yellow-fleshed species are
VERY different, the outer 'skin' color of these is almost black, many stiff
wire-like roors remains always are attached to the rhizome, which generally
does NOT have a growing tip, the growers must cut the 'head' off the plant
and re-plant it.
There are certainly at LEAST two VERY different species involved here, not
just two clones with different colored 'flesh'. Even the taste is VERY
different between these two!!!!

I will TRY to start buying and growing the rhizomes when next I see them for
sale here, and anyone who wants to assist may contact me---the rhizomes
themselves should be photographed, notes on color and outer/inner colors and
appearance taken, then when/if they grow, the plants produced should be
photographed. This way Eduardo can 'link' the rhizomes to the plants.
Good luck w/ your work, Ed, and please keep in touch!

Sincerely,

Julius

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From: "brian williams" pugturd50 at hotmail.com> on 2002.01.23 at 14:58:18(8040)
Hello well I have not bugged the group in sometime so I thought I would fish
for a few plants I would like to get. By the way my greenhouse is doing
great. Working on the rock walls each side is 75ft long and 10ft tall its
going to take me a long time. But I am off to a good start with the
foundation and all. I plan to take pics of my progress.

Well, I have had great success with many Xanthosomas and have seen PICS and
heard of larger forms with colorful stems and leafs. Some that look like
caladiums as well as huged leaf forms that dwarf most aroids.

Now I have manly the most common forms out there that are eaten and a few
ornamental forms. I would like to know if anyone has any other forms growing
and most of all pups to spare in a trade or sell.

Looking up Xanthosoma on the net I found many names that I don't know of.
Here is a list I put a star next to the ones I have. THANKS

10938 Xanthosoma alberttii

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From: "sullivan" paulsull at sunline.net> on 2002.01.24 at 15:57:35(8064)
i would be interested in hearing about Xanthasomas that look like overgrown
caladiums.
----- Original Message -----
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From: "FrankBln" f_h_bln at gmx.net> on 2006.03.30 at 13:54:23(14026)
Hello members,

some months ago I have bought to little rhizomes of
Xanthosoma sagittifolium and X. maffafa. While the first one grows very well,
the latter just develops one leave which gets brown after unfolding and dies
off when the second comes. I have the plant on this sill of a south facing
window, normal room temperature. I have prepared a more open substrate mix compared
to the one of the X. sag., because I have heard that it maffafa easily rots. Shall
I transplant it in a mor water retaining substrate. I also tried to let some
water rest in the saucer beneath, but it does not help. Any hints are
appreciated.

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