Alocasia Amazonica, the Banta's reply re Andre]

Well folks, people are lining up on this issue but most are doing so privately not through Aroid l.  Some believe the plant definitely came from Belgium while another not quoted here appears to believe there is no way it came from Miami.  The first note came today from John Banta and the second from Belgium.

It strongly appears there may be a difference in the plant credited to André now known on the National Botanic Garden of Belgium site as Alocasia x amazonica and the plant commonly sold as Alocasia Amazonica in the United States.  The first question that comes to mind would be why would anyone in Europe name a plant known to be from Asia using the name "amazonica"? 

Did someone simply adopt the name "amazonica" once the plant sold in the U.S. as a tissue culture became popular?

Is this nothing more than a disagreement over a popular name and who came up with a plant similar to the one being sold first?  If so, the original plant would appear to need to have been born of the same parentage in order to claim that title. 

I was given a contact name at National Botanic Garden of Belgium but have not received a response.  Obviously I'm not going to resolve this but still would like to understand all this better.  I am just in this to learn and not take a position. 

If any of our esteemed botanists can offer more insight please let us hear from you.

Steve
www.ExoticRainforest.com


From John Banta:

"Sloppy taxonomony accounts for many mysteries! Andre did in fact mention in 1891 in Review Hortic an Alocasia hybrid between A, sanderiana and A. Lowii those parents were later ascribed to A. Amazonica in error. The Alocasia described by Andre is correctly named mortefontanensis.  In as much as Sam made A. Amazonica using A, sanderiana X A. Watsoniana.  It is NOT the plant mentioned by Andre. If anyone wants to argue the point further let them remake A. Amazonica as I did. Both species are still available. Talk is cheap. Growers should resolve these problems on the basis of true observations. Get off the computers and do some real botany!"




"I'm growing alocasia for 30 years or so now and alocasia x amazonica is the first plant i grow.this is an old hybrid,for sure before 1950!!  Many of the hybrids of that period were bred here in belgium in nursery in the begining of last century,like 'veich laboratory ' and others.Alocasia sanderana is NOT an horticultural name.It is a species from Philippines.Nobilis and sanderana are the same species,nobilus with more sinuous leaves.a Watsoniana was a species until some years agoo when A hay put it as a synonym of alocasia longiloba.  Growing many alocasia from longiloba complex like lowii,longiloba,korthalsii,denudata and many others,i sincerely don't undestand why alocasia watsoniana was incuding in that 'species complex'.  The plant have virtualy no variability(unless maybe in the color of the limb),and have only in commun with that complex the white caracteristic midrib of that complex.the corms are different,the leaves are different,and larger of any in this complex.One of the most beautiful species of the genus!x amazonica have part of the 2 species."


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