Re: Zantedeschia seeds?
I confess to never having closely examined the pollination mechanism of
Zantedeschias before I get out the ray-gun and nuke them. They are a major
weed of huge intractability and destructiveness here in SW Western
Australia. If they continue to self seed with such profligacy we shall have
a vast monoculture of African bulbs and corms and rhizomes and
whatever........Arums [Zantedeschia AKA], Watsonias and Cape Tulips.
Very sad for our wonderful local flora which seem to be self effacing and
non-competitive.
If someone finds the mechanism you seem to enjoy in Cal for stopping them
making seed will you please let us know?
Margaret.
Margaret and Peter Moir
Olive Hill Farm
Margaret River, Western Australia.
www.wn.com.au/olivehill
----- Original Message -----
From: Sean A. O'Hara <sean.ohara@groupmail.com>
To: Jason D <jjuania@yahoo.com>
Cc: <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 6:01 AM
Subject: Re: Zantedeschia seeds?
> At 10:52 AM 1/24/01 -0800, Jason D wrote:
> >I believe Z. 'Hercules' is a Luther Burbank
> >introduction, if my memory from the museum-garden in
> >Santa Rosa is correct.
>
> Jason -
>
> I'm not sure if this is true. I know there is a very dwarf variety of
> Zantedeschia aethiopica that is attributed to Burbank (a noted and
> controversial plant breeder in the late 1800s and early 1990s). It is
> controversial, as many of his plants are, some folk believing that he
> didn't actually 'breed' it, but that it is a natural form. He also worked
> with colored calla species, producing dwarfs there as well. Sometimes it
> is hard to get really accurate information about this man's work. I do
> know that he grew literally thousands of plants from his crosses and
> selections in his test plots, routinely discarding hundreds of them except
> for those very few he thought had promise.
>
> The story I have about this plant I will relay via a very old AROID-L
> e-mail from my archives:
>
> From: "Sean O'Hara" <SAOUC@uccmvsa.ucop.edu>
> Subject: KK's mystery Zantedeschia (Z. 'Hercules')
> Sender: aroid-l@mobot.org
> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 20:09:44 -0500
>
> I did some detective work through some folks I know at Strybing
> Arboretum, and the records show that this plant originated from
> Western Hills Nursery in Occidental (60 mi. north of San Francisco
> in very beautiful country!). I'm trying to locate more information
> about where they got the plant, but for now, this is what I know:
>
> - it is called merely Z. 'Hercules' (but certainly has Z.
> aethiopica as a parent if it is a hybrid).
>
> - It can grow up to 7ft tall, with huge 2-3ft leaves which are
> like Z. aethiopica but spotted like some other species.
>
> - Small plants can grow rather fast, based upon a small bulbil
> division I currently have in my possession (from a friend's
> plant)
>
> This plant seems to have come to Western Hills Nursery in the past,
> from a local gardener in Occidental. This plant is also routinely
> sold by a water plant nursery in this area. No other information
> about where the plant came to these folks from is available.
>
> Western Hills Nursery is a veritible icon among the rare plant
> people here in the Bay Area, originally started many years ago by
> Marshall Olbrich and Lester Hawkins. It is now run by Maggie
> Wych (who worked alonside Marshall for many years). The phone
> number is (707)874-3731, address: 16250 Coleman Valley Road,
> Occidental, Calif. 95465 (actually 1 mile west of the town center
> of Occidental). If you enjoy seeing plants you've never seen
> before, it is certainly worth the trip up. They also have a decent
> display garden which includes many of the plants grown at the
> nursery (I understand there is a Z. 'Hercules' at the main gate of
> the nursery right now).
>
>
>
>
>
> 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.
>
