Berry color of Colocasia esculenta
- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L
- Subject: Berry color of Colocasia esculenta
- From: D* T* C*
- Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 16:43:43 -0600 (CST)
Aroiders:
I prepared a description of Colocasia esculenta for the Flora of
Veracruz treatment of the Araceae but no collection that I saw, nor any
literature that I could find had any mention of berry color. I rarely see
it in flower and it may never get pollinated in these escaped from
cultivation areas where I have seen it. So if anyone has seen it with
berries I would appreciate knowing the berry color. Also if anyone sees
anything wrong with the description in other regards I would appreciate
hearing back from you. Another point which I would like to clear up is
the number of inflorescences that it bears per axil. I have one
observation that I made where there was only one inflorescence per leaf
axil but I am sure that it probably produces more.
Tom Croat
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, in Schott & Endlicher, Melet.
Bot. 18. 1832. Arum esculentum L., Sp. Pl. 965. 1753.
Large perennial herb 1-2.5 m tall; stem a cormose or rarely rhizomatous
subglobular to oblongoid caudex, mostly 15-18 cm diam, with close leaf
scars around its circumference and with smaller secondary subglobular
cormules in the lower part of stem; roots arising from the lower portion
of stem; leaves arising in whorls from apex of stem; petioles (0.7)1-2.1 m
long, glaucescent, sheathed 1/3 to about midway, the free part subterete,
obtusely flattened adaxially; blades conspicuously peltate, ovate-cordate
to ovate-sagittate, 25-85 cm long, 20-60 cm wide, acuminate at apex;
posterior lobes fused to about midway, the lobes rounded; major veins
concolorous; midrib flat above, thickly convex and paler below; primary
lateral veins 3-6(8) pair, arising at 50-70 angle; basal veins 5-8 pair,
the 1st pair free to the base, the remainder variously coalesced into a
prominent more or less straight posterior rib which extends to near the
end of the posterior lobes; surfaces matte & glabrous, upper surface
medium green, sometimes weakly subvelvety, lower surface moderately paler,
glaucescent. Inflorescences with peduncle 15-30 cm long; spathe 20-40 cm
long, the tube 3-5 cm long, green on both surfaces; blades 15-30 cm long,
pale sulfur-yellow to orange-yellow outside, slightly paler inside,
oblong-lanceolate, arching away from the spadix or reflexed, twisted
apically; spadix 6-14 cm long; pistils greenish, ovules unilocular with a
single sessile stigma; ovules 37-67 per locule on 2 to 4 parietal
placentas with sterile pistillate flowers scattered among the fertile
pistils, these lacking stigma and style; staminate spadix cream-yellow,
sterile staminate section of spadix markedly constricted, 2-5 cm long;
fertile staminate portion about as thick as the pistillate portion,
staminodia with 2-6 linear anthers, thecae dehiscent by terminal pores;
terminal sterile appendage creamy white, many times longer than the
fertile portion of spadix. Berries color?; seeds 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.7-1.0
mm diam, ovate, pale yellow, longitudinaly ridged, bearing a conspicuous
hilum at one end and a delicate, translucent funiculus; chromosome number
2n=28.
Native to some unknown area of Asia but now widely cultivated in tropics
and subtropics of both hemispheres.
