Re: Hybrids
- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L
- Subject: Re: Hybrids
- From: B* M*
- Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 19:38:50 -0500 (CDT)
Eduardo and all Aroiders,
certainly mother nature admits natural hybrids in the course of
evolution to create new plants which will adopt to a (new) niche, to
substitute less vigorous species, or to climatical etc. changes and
so on.
BUT I doubted that an A. titanum will ever have the chance to cross
with an A. konjac for example, or even two species growing in the
same habitat but with different flowering times.
In my opinion "artificial" (=human made) hybridization is simply
against nature. However I have it clear, that on even crossing two
clones from a single species in cultivation the result might be called
artificial ...
Just don' t see a point why human beings should "improve" plants in
only few years what nature has developed in millions of years ... I
enjoy nature the way it is and so hopefully my children will have the
opportunity ...
To all a nice weekend,
Bjørn Malkmus
> There is no problem in hybridize plants. They do it all the time in
> nature! The main problem is that they don't tell us. We, the
> taxonomists, are always trying to explain the diversity like we were
> living in a completely Darwinist world. Reticulation (a beautiful name
> for the promiscuity in plants) is a real thing. Even without curious
> hybrid-nuts, plant taxonomy would be already in a mess because of free
> love in nature. People just make it faster!
> Cheers,
> Eduardo.
>
> P.S. Believe me, I am a plant taxonomist too!
>
> >
> >Neil,
> >
> >you are talking about an ideal world where never ever plant labels get
> >lost or mixed up. If you are going to hybridize Amorphophallus in your
> >own cultivation, this is perfectly ok and might result in some
> >beautiful new clones.
> >
> >BUT as soon as these hybrids are going to be distributed to other
> >aroiders, then this will have fatal effects sooner or later. Even the
> >best documents and records will get lost in the one or other
> >cultivation some day, there's no doubt about it.
> >
> >Just face the fact, that plants will be mixed up in the ongoing
> >distribution and redistribution process and not all of us have the
> >possibilities nor knowlegdes to make a proper identification for
> >unlabeled Amorphophallus.
> >
> >Thus it is very likely for example that a hybrid which is phenotypical
> >(don't know the exact word in English = appearance of a plant) close to
> >a species might be re-distributed as the species ...
> >
> >Even to think about it seems a nightmare to me.
> >
> > > If documented, what is the problem with trying to hybridize
> > > Amorphophallus?
> > > (BTW the plural of Amorphophallus is Amorphophallus)
> >
> >Isn't it Amorphophalli ???
> >
> >Cheers,
> >
> >Bj¯rn Malkmus
> >
> >
> >
>
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