Re: Zantedeschia seeds?
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Zantedeschia seeds?
- From: S* A* O*
- Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 10:35:20 -0800
At 05:50 AM 1/24/01 +0000, p.k.peirce@att.net wrote:
>This is my first attempt to send a message to the list,
>so I hope I've done it correctly.
>
>I am curious to know where Zantedeschia aethiopica is
>pollinated and matures seeds. My understanding is that
>the plants are pollinated by beetles, seeding readily in
>South Africa and in New Zealand, but I don't think I
>have ever seen seeds forming on these plants here in
>California. Has anyone seen this, or can anyone offer
>any other information about where this plant sets seed?
>
>Pam Peirce
>ppeirce@ccsf.org
Hi Pam -
Glad to see you on this forum.
The most common Callas I've seen around the Bay Area do not seem to self
seed readily. It is sometimes hard to know for sure as they tend to
'appear' in odd places at times, but this might be more likely related to
the fact that they are summer dormant and people digging around their
garden often tend to transplant small rhizomes accidentally. Apparently
they do at time produce seed and seedling germinate. I've heard also that
'Green Goddess' is more prolific in this way, and I've also heard that
'Hercules', a large, robust form that can occur with white spotted leaves,
also does this. This trait in the latter is the cause of confusion about
whether or not your 'Hercules' will have spots - some seedling come up
without them, some with. The spotted form is very striking and desirable,
so its worth doing some careful research and selection to make sure you get
the right form (both green and spotted are often sold locally under the
same name). Each grows up to 7ft tall with huge leaves and flowers, under
the right conditions.
For a picture of 'Hercules', see Krzysztof Kozminski's web page:
http://ng.netgate.net/~kk/Araceae/Zantedeschia/Hercules.html
Regards,
Sean O.
h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
Sean A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean.ohara@groupmail.com
710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
