Arisaema TOW
James Waddick (Tue, 19 Aug 2003 06:24:29 PDT)

Dear All;
I would like to point out a fascinating new book* called :
The Genus Arisaema: A Monograph for Botanists and Nature Lovers by
Guy Gusman and Liliane Gusman published a few months ago and
available from Timber Press and amazon.com. Beware of arisaema-lust.
I would also like to note that the genus contains a wide
variety of species including very hardy and very tropical species,
but also those that prefer moist sites, dry, sun or shade. Perhaps
more than most genera, planting site selection is very important as
some of the most widely offered can be very intolerant of winter wet,
for example.
Unfortunately most of the species in commerce are those from
N. America, China, Japan and the Himalayas, but more come from far
wider areas. Some are in the hands of collectors and should be
distributed further.

I wonder if it might be appropriate to include in this TOW
other small genera of comparable aroids such as Arisarum, Typhonium,
Dracunculus, but not Arum which surely deserves its own TOW. Any
thoughts?

And their is an excellent electronic group 'Arisaema-L'
devoted to these plants. Check out their archives on specifics.

I'll report on my successes and failures later.

Best Jim W.

* Popular related books include:
'Himalayan cobra-lilies (Arisaema):their botany and culture'
by Udai C. Pradhan - subject self explanatory, and

Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family by Deni Bown - an excellent
intro to the entire family. 2nd Edition just out in the last year or
so. Highly recommended.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
E-fax 419-781-8594

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