At 01:09 16/07/04 -0400, you wrote: >Dear All: > >The genus Pinellia was mentioned in a post recently: I've set up a page for >this genus and posted photos of the two species to avoid! Take a look at: > Jim, No offence intended.... but would it be possible for you to please modify the information you've put up on the wiki re the two Pinellias. Yes, you mention eventually that they are a problem for you just in the middle US, but that is after warning people to never plant, avoid at all costs, "You have been warned" and the like. Your experiences are not a true "blanket" statement for the species you mention? The way you've written it you seem to say that your experiences as guaranteed for everyone apparently, even with the qualifier later in the paragraph that it is just your own area. It just isn't true!! Mentioning that it is weedy for you is fair enough but warning people off it like you have is to me a gross representation of the species (in fact any species any of us grow) which is why I am "standing up" for it. <grin> I am in a mild climate and I have yet to have problems with either of the species you mention, despite seeing numerous diatribes to warn me off them. True, I would hesitate to grow them in the ground in an unsupervised location, but warning people off them totally is a tad too extreme for what is supposed to be a global collection of plants. A bit of attention to deadheading and the like, or growing them in a pot situation would bipass most of the weediness in many locations, and there are some people who can't even grow them if they try (and if they read the wiki at the moment they certainly wouldn't give it a try out for themselves in their area <grin>). Personally I find that P. tripartita is comparatively far more of a worry to me, but the seedlings are very easily pulled out and a large pot of tripartita looks quite stunning when in flower, particularly the variety 'Atropurpurea' which has the purple interior to the flower. P. pedatissecta for me grows reasonably, but has seeded very moderately and has barely multiplied as a plant at all. To be honest I wish I had more of it as I am finding it quite slow growing. If I read your paragraph on the wiki I would have concluded that it was a pest to everyone and not to grow it. DEFINITELY not the case for me. P. ternata has multiplied moderately and is unfortunately fairly shy to flower for me. It produces some bulbils and they do grow, but certainly not the terror that I have heard about it in emails at various times. I'm just thankful I didn't listen to the original warnings and actually tried it for myself. Another in the genus, P. cordata, is very well behaved as I think it is for most people, despite the fact that it produces a bulbil on each leaf..... for some reason few of these seem to survive. The wonderfully marbled leaves look a little like some sort of miniature caladium or the like and the little purplish flowers are delightfully delicate. Unfortunately I've never been able to source any other species/varieties of Pinellia as unlike you I would jump at the chance of trying them as I find them rather intriguing little (in most cases) plants and I would like more. Hearing at times about differing forms of caudata has my collecting addiction kicking in, but they aren't likely to be here in Aus I would imagine and I don't know which "variety" the one I grow is. I hope I am not alone in standing up for a much maligned genus, but all the problems that I hear of them certainly have not yet occurred for me, and I am in the mild climates that these "terrors" are supposed to grow so well in. It's just a matter of pulling a few easily identifiable weeds out (the first leaves of very distinctive), and the ocassional deadheading of a plant to limit seeding. I'd best stop there as this is already a long enough email, but I did want to make sure that people realised that these plants were NOT a problem everywhere, but could become a problem in SOME areas. If any of you have read this far thanks for taking the time to read this..... I hope you try Pinellia and see what you think of them. I certainly have never regretted doing so!! Cheers. Paul Tyerman Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9 Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Oxalis, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!