RE: aroid hardiness
- Subject: RE: aroid hardiness
- From: "m*@mindspring.com"
- Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 17:04:40 -0600 (CST)
What I never understand about these hardiness numbers.. is the "duration" of cold.
I think my confusion stems from hardiness meaning "it will not die" as oppossed to "it will thrive".
For example... Tony you are saying you believe Synandrospadix vermitoxis would be hearty to zone 7.... you might be right but I would be very surprised... As a person who lives in South Florida (z10b), zone 7 is a serious icebox. I find it very hard to believe that the plant would survive 4-5 months of nonstop cold temperatures....zone 7 (according to weather.com) would experience temps on average of 40's-50's (eeking out to about-60) as a high and close to freezing or below every single day from December to March....
I cant speak for the highlands of Argentina, but I know of many Asian highland plants where things get pretty cool everynight but never even close to freezing. Moreover, the true highland stuff tends to die pretty fast as soon as it starts hitting 90+ degrees in the summer so for places like me in Florida and you in N. Carolina the summers could prove to be pretty rough.
I know you have been very sucessful growing many "tropicals" in your zone... I am just never sure if they can reach their real potential?
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Tony Avent tony@plantdel.com
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 14:31:48 -0600 (CST)
To: aroid-l@mobot.org
Subject: aroid hardiness
Aroiders:
I'm just back from a wonderful collection trip in northwest Argentina. We
found quite a bit of both Gorgonidium vermicidium and Synandrospadix
vermitoxicus. Gorgonidium superficially resembles an amorphophallus and
synandrospadix resembles a giant blue leaf skunk cabbage.
From the locations and elevations, these should be hardy through zone 8
and possibly zone 7. Most of the areas where we collected these reach 10 F
about every decade. While I have tried and killed synandrospadix earlier,
that may have been a warm climate collection. I am curious if anyone has
grown (or killed) either of these. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, NC 27603 USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony@plantdelights.com
website http://www.plantdel.com
phone 919 772-4794
fax 919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least
three times" - Avent
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