Re: Caladium questions

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The first questions are about the status and identification of Caladium palacioanum Croat, so I'm hoping Tom will weigh in on this. I have a plant purchased under this name, picture of a recent inflorescence attached.

First question, almost implied, is whether the picture is consistent with that species?

Then as to the species itself. Kew's Monocot Checklist doesn't list it. Neither does IPNI. Tropicos does. The Plant List shows it as "unresolved". What's the current state of that name? Tom, do you still like it as a full species?

Moving on, years ago Julius Boos sent me starts of a couple of beautiful Caladiums that he had. I don't know exactly what they were - true species, cultivars of C. picturatum, ? - and if Julius knew he didn't tell me. One of them looked very like David Scherberich's picture of C. picturatum on the IAS site ( http://www.aroid.org/genera/speciespage.php?genus=caladium&species=picturatum ). The other, my favorite, had an almost silvery gray over the green on the upper leaf surface, with a very small red dot at the place where the petiole attached on the lower surface, and a slender, elegant leaf shape.

I managed to keep them going, if not thriving, for several years in a sun room (that was prior to having a greenhouse) but eventually lost both. When I mentioned that to Julius, he replied he'd lost them too, and was looking for a source himself.

Does anyone on the list, especially those who knew Julius and his plants, know these Caladiums? Does anyone know where I might find starts of them? I really hated losing them, in part because they were such lovely plants, but at least as much because they came from Julius. I've kept an eye out and done periodic Googling every since, without success.

Thanks,

Steve



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