BX 192 dormant or?
Ellen Hornig (Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:50:43 PST)

I love Alberto's observation about immature corms "learning" faster than
mature ones (see below). I've been reading about phenotypic plasticity this
year (the quality that lets an organism of a given genotype alter its
appearance, physiology, whatever (i.e. phenotype) in response to different
environmental stresses), and it's absolutely fascinating. It amounts to
saying, in laypeople's terms, that yes, indeed, a plant does "learn" (and
this triggers short-run adaptation). It's great stuff, and a lot of what we
observe in our gardens/greenhouses makes sense when we view it as evidence
of plasticity. For an introduction to the subject that is somewhat
accessible, I recommend Massimo Pigliucci, Phenotypic Plasticity: Beyond
Nature and Nurture (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 2001).

Ellen

Ellen Hornig
Seneca Hill Perennials
3712 County Route 57
Oswego NY 13126 USA
http://www.senecahillperennials.com/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alberto Castillo" <ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com>
To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 3:38 PM
Subject: Re: [pbs] BX 192 dormant or?

Hi Scott:

Thanks for your interesting comments. A common mistake is to try
that adult corms change Hemispheres. Inmature corms are a lot more flexible
and adapt a lot more readily to favorable conditions for growth.

Regards
Alberto