Re: [Aroid-l] Common names

**H* <h*@endangeredspecies.com>**

"well Graff called it such-and-such first, therefor this name is

correct" are patently incorrect, but there are people who will never

be convinced otherwise, let them be.

Graff and Burley-Marx NEVER claimed to be Taxonomists, but they were

fantastic collectors, growers and hobbyists, but no matter how huge

a contribution they made to horticulture and popularizing

plants, their names of plants often were just made-up ones FAR from

the scientifically accurate ones we now are trying to stabilize.

Good Growing,

Julius

Graff was a WONDERFUL MAN, and as far as I can tell, is probably the

person most responsible for whatever rage there is in the collecting

of rare and ungettable plants in the USA. I know EXOTICA was my

introduction to this (at first) hobby, and later an obsession.

However, Graff, when he came to our place, just wrote down whatever

names we had, and sometimes we explained to him that the name was

really only just the name it came with, and had not yet been verified

or blessed with any official recognition. We got the idea he was most

interested in getting out the WORD and the PHOTO, and was not a

taxonomist at all, nor did he claim to be one. So when i was looking

for a plant, i used to say, it is in EXOTICA on such and such and

such a page and it is called "whatever it was called"....as likely as

not we tracked down the plant without the proper name. this goes back

over fifty years. I still have that EXOTICA, which is held together

in places by DUCT TAPE.

I think you Aroid people are doing very nicely in sorting out names,

I have not seen death threats, nor mass exodus from the list, even

when a name is being dissected and found wanting or absent. I only

wish the target of my particular obsession....dare I say Sansevieria?

which is in disarray....were being discussed as rationally. I have

all but ordered my list to join this one, as a lesson in taxonomy

protocol and also polite table manners when such matters are discussed.

(my own aroid and fern collection is currently waiting for a real

insulated greenhouse to re-emerge). this is the calmest way I can

discuss what happens after two unusually cold winters harvest the

cream out of a collection.

cheers!

hermine

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