The Collector’s Plant SourceMalesiana Tropicals the Mail Order Nursery Of IAS Newsletter Exotic & Unusual Plants Malesiana Tropicals are regional Vol. 27 – 3 • July 2005 leaders in offering for sale a wide range of laboratory- and nursery- propagated indigenous Malesian A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL AROID SOCIETY plants including rare aroids, CITES- certified Nepenthes,gingers and Tacca, and soon Begonia, Musa and Hoya species. Explorations for Araceae Our range of plants is continually Alocasia venusta Table of Contents increasing. To keep up to date with new introductions, be sure Contents in Ecuador 2004: Part II more than just a nursery. to subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletterby emailing: Explorations for Araceae in [email protected] “Newsletter Subscription” Ecuador, 2004: Part II Thomas B. Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden unique plants typed in the subject box. By Tom Croat...... 1 for collectors, by collectors. Malesiana Tropicals Black Magic and Purple Passion: n August 2004, I continued my botanical garden would profit if she Suite 9-04, Level 9, Tun Jugah Tower, No. 18, Black Aroids Ecuadorian adventure, the first were to join an expedition to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia By Karen Platt ...... 4 part reported in the last IAS Ecuador. Elisa Levy, a botany student Natural Selections Exotics Ph: (+6082) 419 290 • Fax: (+6082) 423 494 I Email: [email protected] Recent Aroid Activities at the Newsletter. During the second half I at the Universidad Catolica, is a www.NSExotics.com Missouri Botanical Garden visited areas on the Pacific and native of El Chical in Carchi Province www.malesiana.com By Tom Croat...... 8 Atlantic slope. I was accompanied by and proved very useful because she Pistia Stratiotes: An Ubiquitous Genevieve Ferry and Elisa Levy. was very familiar with the area. I had Invader By Emily Yates & Kristen Genevieve arrived from Nancy been warned that it might not be safe Kordecki ...... 12 Botanical Garden in France. I met because of Colombian guerilleras Review of Ittenbach, Stephan, Genevieve during a trip to Europe who frequented the area, and Revision der afrikanischen Arten for Josef Bogner’s honorary Ph.D. thought having a local resident along der Gattung Amorphophallus ceremony. Genevieve has great who the community was familiar FIRST CLASS (Araceae) interest in Araceae, but had never with would provide us with a certain U.S. POSTAGE By Dan Nicolson ...... 15 been to a tropical rainforest. Her degree of cover. She also proved to be PAID PERMIT #1040 Advertisements ...... 16 Director, Romeric Pereil, was LEESBURG, FL convinced that Genevieve and the Continued on page 2 34748 IAS Officers President: Albert Huntington P.O. Box 43-1853 Vice President: Dan Levin South Miami, FL 33143 USA Treasurer: Patricia Frank www.aroid.org Recording Sec.: Lester Kallus Corresponding Sec: Julius Boos Membership: Paul Resslar IAS Publications AROIDEANA Editor: Dr. Derek Burch Scientific Editor: Dr. Tom Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri IAS Newsletter Editor: Emily Yates IAS Website: www.aroid.org Admin: Scott Hyndman Figure 1. Paramo del Angel.

1 ECUADOR 2004: PART II in the hotel and even the owner left Kirtikar, K.R. and B. D. Basu. 2002.Indian Review of Continued from page 1 the following day on a trip to Quito, Medicinal Plants.Delhi, Sri Satguru Ittenbach, Stephan. 2003. Revision der afrikanischen leaving us in the care of a friend who Publications. Arten der Gattung Amorphophallus (Araceae) a good field person and a competent lived nearby. Livingstone, D. Missionary travels and plant presser. researches in south Africa Englera 25: 1-263. [Available from Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, El Chical lies on the Colombian Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, 14191 Berlin, Germany ($40)] On the journey to El Chical from border across from a small http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/l/livi ngstone/david/mission/chapter32.html. Quito, most of the route consists of Colombian village on the other side This is a classic revision in the tradition of the German-speaking aroidologists Schott (1794-1865) and Engler (1844-1930), although dealing solely with the arid hills with the highway adhering Mayo,S.J., J. Bogner, and P.C. Boyce. 1997. of the Río San Juan with a foot African (including Madagascar) taxa (35 species and 7 subspecies). However, the The Genera of Araceae. Royal Botanic to long winding slopes with lots of bridge providing its electric current author has worked closely with Wilbert Hetterscheid and, between them, they bus and truck traffic. We had lunch from the Ecuadorians. The village is Gardens,Kew. are masters of this Old World splendid tropical genus. Members of the Aroid in Ibarra, the capitol of Imbabura not connected by road to any other Pimentel, D., L. Lach, R. Zuniga & D. Society may remember Hetterscheid & Ittenbach’s extremely useful (standard) Province, then continued on to part of Colombia, and El Chical has a Morrison. 2000. Environmental and work “Everything you always wanted to know about Amorphophallus, but were Tulcán, the capitol of Carchi Province garrison of Ecuadorian army on the Economic Costs of Nonindigenous afraid to stick your nose into” (Aroideana 19: 7-131. 1997) with its key to all then near the Colombian border. The area hill above the town so the soldiers Species in the United States.BioScience. known taxa of the genus, descriptions, photographs, etc. between Tulcán and Tufino is totally run through the streets in the early 50(1):53-64. The treatment’s frontispiece is a classic photo (taken at the same time as the one devoted to pasture due to its morning doing military exercises. in Aroideana 1: 68. 1978) of young Josef Bogner (now an Ehrendoktor!) standing Pimentel, D., R. Zuniga & D. Morrison. among floweringAmorphophallus angloensissubsp. maculatus.The treatment is elevation of 3500 m. After being The single road continuing from the Figure 2. New species of Anthurium 2005. Update on the Environmental and based on study of about 1000 specimens and living material of most taxa. The stopped by a military checkpoint just town across the Río Chical goes on to Economic Costs Associated with Alien- section Cardiolonchium with a dark chapter on morphology (pp. 11-24) is well illustrated with drawings and before reaching Tufiño, we entered an Peñas Blancas, which is really nothing Invasive Species in the United States. purple spathe & reddish spadix. photographs and the chapter on distribution and habitat (pp. 26-34) gives one a area of shrubby vegetation and began more than a house at the end of the Ecological Economics.52: 273-288. general overview. There is an important discussion of the genus, how its parts collecting; most of the species were road. The house is owned by Elisa’s may have evolved leading to a classification delivered in the forms of synopses, Premkumar, V.G. & D. Shyamsundar. new to me, but the area was too high grandparents and it was here that keys, characters, and descriptions and followed by an evaluation of these 2005. Antidermatophytic activity of characters. All this careful reflection (pp. 35-65) leads to a key to African species for Araceae. Just to the east the road Elisa’s father Jim Levy, then a Peace Pistia stratiotes.Indian J. Pharmacol. climbed higher and we entered the Corp worker trekking into the (pp. 66-68), followed by a discussion of the taxa. The taxa are arranged 37:127-128. alphabetically, which means that you can move quickly from the key to the taxon. Paramo del Angel (Fig. 1),with vast lowlands to work with Awa Indian Ramey, V. 2001.Pistia stratiotes.University This has the disadvantage that the taxa closest to each other are not adjacent stands of Espeletia and Puya communities, met and fell in love making it a bit harder to compare the treatments of similar taxa. extending for more than 20 km. The with Elisa’s mother. The Levys live in of Florida. www.aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/ seagrant/pisstr2.html. The best way to communicate the quality of this work is to report an example of paramo was inhabited by llamas Quito part time and also in a house a treatment of one species and assure you that each species has a comparable occasionally right along the road, and they built just east of El Chical. Rivers, L. 2002.Water Lettuce (Pistia treatment, perhaps missing one or two items or adding something else, but to when the paramo was enveloped in stratiotes).University of Florida and Sea show that this is meaty stuff! We spent our first day collecting in fog, the llamas, barely visible among Grant. www.iisgcp.org/EXOTICSP/ Example: Amorphophallus graciliorHutchinson 1939, which begins on p. 160 the Espeletia, gave an eerie sensation. the area of Peñas Blancas, which waterlettuce.htm and ends on p. 165, is a renaming ofA. gracilisChevalier (1920), a name which contains many Araceae. On the way, Smirnova, L. L. & N. V. Mironova. 2004. was an illegitimate later homonym of the same binomial published by Engler in Beyond the paramo the road dropped at the river bridge near El Chical, we Intensification of Biological 1881. The holotype, from Benin (in Paris), was tracked down and found to be steeply to the west and wandered found a large new species of Afterpurification of Municipal useless because of having been consumed by herbarium beetles and therefore through forested hills where Araceae Anthurium growing in a tree, a he here designates a neotype collected in Nigeria in 1946. A full page photo of Wastewater by Some Pleistophyte soon became conspicuous and member of section Cardiolonchium, the neotype appears on p. 162, followed by a full page distribution map on Species.Water Resources 31 (4): abundant with most of the species and one which was being pollinated p. 163 (with two adjacent dots), followed by the full page drawing on p. 164 with 470-473. ❦ many details. The text begins with the citation of the correct name, its place of being new. Finally we reached by small wasp-like bees. I managed to Figure 3. Philodendron publication, its synonyms, its typification(s), a long description, a long paragraph Maldonado. We drove through town get good photos and collected some esmeraldense Croat. on observations, distribution, habitat, and ecology, and finally, citation of other (as looking for a hotel, but saw nothing bees in a plastic bag for later opposed to type) material, including the herbarium where seen, with an obvious and decided to continue on determination, but they all escaped Anthurium anchicayense Croat, exclamation mark if the author saw the specimen. to El Chical, hoping there would be a by chewing their way out of the bag. A. andreanum Linden, The work closes (after thanking various people and institutions) with (1) a classic hotel there. We arrived in El Chical In another area we found two A. angamarcanum Sodiro, bibliography and, for anyone who might have unannotated duplicates, (2) an just before dark and checked into the additional new species, both also A. dolichostachyum Sodiro, A. michelii alphabetic list of collectors and their specimen numbers identified by a taxon town’s only hotel. It was the only members of section Cardiolonchium. Guill., A. peltigerum Sodiro, number, and (3) an index of scientific names. concrete building in town and One had a dark purple spathe and a Dieffenbachia tonduzii Croat & Would that all aroids were as well studied as these African Amorphophalli! though somewhat primitive, it was reddish spadix (Fig. 2) while the Grayum, Philodendron Dan H. Nicolson, Department of Botany very comfortable after I wired a other had longer internodes and a curvipetiolatum Croat, P. esmeraldense National Museum of Natural History couple of receptacles so we could run flesh-colored spadix. Among the Croat (Fig. 3), P. roseocataphyllum Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 20560-0166.❦ the computer and other essential species previously seen in the Lita- appliances. We were the only guests San Lorenzo region were Continued on page 3

2 15 Burkill, I. H. 1935.Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Philippines, it is used to treat Peninsula.Oxford, England: Oxford gonorrhea.Pistia stratiotesleaves are PISTIA STRATIOTES University Press. ECUADOR 2004: PART II used in traditional medicine for the Continued from page 13 Continued from page 2 treatment of ringworm infection of the Center, T.D. 1994. Biological Control of Weeds: Water Hyacinth and Water rearing and release of the native scalp, syphilitic eruptions, skin Croat & M. Mora, P. rugapetiolatum Lettuce, pp. 481-521. In:Pest noctuid mothS podoptera pectinicornis infections, boils, and wounds, because Croat (Fig. 4), P. subhastatum Engl. Management in the Tropics: has replaced the use of herbicides. it possesses antifungal properties and P. verrucosum Mathieu ex Schott. Research indicates this biological (Premkumar & Shyamsundar, 2005). Biological Control – A Florida Also present is a new species of Perspective,Rosen, D., F.D. Bennett control is not as useful as originally The oil extract ofP. stratiotesis used in Philodendron (Fig. 5) with a narrow and J.L. Capinera (eds.). Intercept hypothesized (Dray Jr.et al., 2001). the treatment of worm infestations, blade similar to P. tenue K. Koch. tuberculosis, asthma, and dysentery, Ltd., Andover, UK. Chemical control can be effective, but and is applied externally to treat skin can be accompanied with its own set of Colborn, T. and K. Thayer. 2000. Known species found in the El Chical diseases, inflammation, piles, ulcers, problems such as bioaccumulation in Aquatic Ecosystems: Harbingers of region that were not found in the syphilitic infections and burns (Kirtikar bivalves, fish and other fauna in the Endocrine Disruption. Ecological Lita-San Lorenzo region include & Basu, 2000).Pistia stratiotesis listed food chain (Colborn and Thayer, Applications, 10 (4): 949-957. A. ovatifolium Engl., A. pulverulentum on the checklist of medicinal plants in 2000). Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Sodiro var. adsimile (Sodiro) Croat & Southeast Asia as effective against boils Rodríguez, P. fibrosum Sodiro ex Protection. June 27, 2005. Figure 4. Philodendron Figure 5. New species of Philodendron Though Pistia stratiotescan be invasive, and ezcema (www.arcbc.org). Croat, P. oligospermum Engl. and it is also an oxygenator for fish, and http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing rugapetiolatum Croat. with a narrow blade. Pistia stratioteshas a high potash /fishinfo/anguide_part1.pdf. Stenospermation densiovulatum Engl. helps keep pond water clear. The Many more species that occur in the species provides food for manatees content (Burkill, 1935). The extraction Dray Jr., F., T. D. Center & G.S. of caustic potash from wood ash for use El Chical region are still unnamed (although Dunn, 1934, states that this Wheeler. 2001. Lessons from and new to science. One is a long- natural predator cannot keepPistia in as an emulsifier is probably one of the Unsuccessful Attempts to Establish bladed member of Anthurium section check). Its roots can provide breeding most ancient ethnobotanic traditions Spodoptera pectinicornis Polyneurium similar to Anthurium and hiding space for small aquatic (e.g., Quiapo orPistia stratiotes,one of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a cuspidatum Masters, as well as a animals. the Araceae family; Water Hyacinth or Biological Control Agent of Water Eichhornia crassipes,of the member of Anthurium sect. lettuce.”Biocontrol Science & Pistia stratiotesis reported to absorb Pontederiaceaefamily; the Royal fern or Calomystrium with thick ovate blades Technology.11(3): 301-317. large amounts of heavy metals from Osmunda regalis,the fruit of the Prickly and free basal veins, sometimes even water and are being used in Chaff flower orAc hyranthes asperaof Dray, Jr., T.D. Center. 2002-2004. Water a peltate blade (Fig. 6).Another was a remediation and wastewater treatment the Ameranthaceae family. Lettuce, pp. 65-78. In:Biological deeply three-lobed member of efforts because of their ability to (www.dweckdata.com). However, like Control of Invasive Plants in the Anthurium sect. Belolonchium similar increase water quality (Smirnova & other Araceae, it is poisonous if ingested Eastern United States,R. Van to Anthurium herthae K. Krause from Mironova, 2004). In a comparative because of the calcium oxalate crystals. Driesche (ed.). the Oriente of Ecuador (Fig. 7). study of 10 water plants,Pistia stratiotes Dunn, L. H. 1934. Notes on the Water Several new species of Philodendron showed one of the highest removal References: were found including one with a Lettuce,Pistia stratiotesLinn. as a Figure 6. New species of Anthurium Figure 7. New deeply three-lobed rates for zinc and lead. These heavy APIRS Online, the database of aquatic, thick, ovate blade and deciduous Nursery of Insect Life. Ecology 15 section Calomystrium. Anthurium section Belolonchium. metals were found in or adsorbed into wetland and invasive plants, Center (3): 329-331. cataphylls (Fig. 8). the roots (Awuahet al., 2001). for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, Famine Foods Database: The University of Florida, IFAS On the return to Tulcán, we made www.hort.purdue.edu. Pistia stratioteshas also been used as a http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/search80/N numerous stops at elevations that “famine food” – plants that are not etAns2/ Glazier, K. 1996.Pistia stratiotesL. contained Araceae, collecting many normally considered as crops, but are Ecology and Evolutionary Biology interesting and new species. The Awuah, E., F. Anohene, K. Asante, H. consumed in times of famine (Famine Conservatory. www.eeb.uconn.edu. majority were in flower and large sets Lubberding and H. Gijzen. 2001. Foods Database). In India it was used were collected for type specimens. Environmental conditions and Holm, L. G., D. L. Plucknett, J. V. as a famine food in 1877-1878. In Between El Chical and the Paramo pathogen removal in macrophyte- Pancho, and J. P. Herberger. 1977. China, young leaves are eaten cooked. del Angel, ranging from 1200 to and algal-based domestic wastewater The world’s worst weeds: 2000 m, many species of Anthurium In traditional medicine, dried water treatment systems.Water Science & distribution and biology. East-West section Belolonchium were found, lettuce or tropical duckweed is burnt Technology44 (6):11–18. Center/University Press of Hawaii. most new to science. One species into an ash, then moistened with a pp. 379-384 Bown, D. 1988.Aroids. Plants of the near Maldonado has long internodes drop of mustard oil, and applied in a Arum Family.Century Hutchison thin layer on chronic, enlarged tonsils, and stood more than two meters tall Press. London. twice a day to help get rid of tonsillitis. (Fig. 9).Higher up we found a large (www.bestincosmetics.com). In the Anthurium section Belolonchium with Figure 8. New species of Figure 9. New species of Anthurium Continued on page 15 Philodendron. section Belolonchium. Continued on page 4

14 3 of a previous attempt by the Portuguese to ascend the river. The also led to its spread, in a more Portuguese had to abandon the trip on ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 3 PISTIA STRATIOTES controlled manner. account of the impenetrable duckweed Continued from page 12 (Pistia stratiotes),making Although there are several other aroids Dr. Livingstone’s expedition up the Book of management research and control in considered invasive in various regions, river Shire the first by Europeans Florida for at least two decades. P. stratiotesis by far the most insidious. (Livingstone, website). According to Pimentel etal. (2005) Review... As a case study of invasion biology, Pistia stratiotes,among several invasive Mats of P. stratiotescan also disrupt Pistia stratiotesis intriguing. Rivers aquatic plant species, is altering fish natural ecosystems. They can lead to a Black Magic (2002) states that P. stratiotes and other aquatic animal species, lower concentration of oxygen in reproduces vegetatively and by seed. choking waterways, altering nutrient covered waters and sediments by and Purple Rapid vegetative reproduction allows cycles and reducing recreational use of blocking air-water interface and root water lettuce to cover an entire lake, rivers and lakes. In a study published in respiration. They can degrade water Passion: from shore to shore, with a dense mat 2000, Pimentelet al. determined quality by blocking the air-water of connected rosettes in a short period invasive aquatic plants species costs $10 interface and greatly reducing oxygen Black Aroids of time. This type of rapid million in losses and damages and $100 levels in the water, eliminating reproduction makesPistia a By Karen Platt million in control costs in the US. In underwater animals such as fish. particularly effective invader, where 1994,Pistia stratiotescontrol cost was Extremely thick mats ofP. stratiotescan densities of rosettes can range from less Figures 10 and 11. New species of Anthurium section Belolonchium estimated at $650,000 annually (Center, prevent sunlight from reaching than 100 to over 1,000 per m with blades over 1 m long. 2 in south 1994) in Florida, where it is currently underlying water, possibly eliminating stipitate spadix. We arrived at Florida (APIRS Online). Seed under “maintenance control.” This native submerged plants. The excludes costs associated with Tinalandia, where we spent the night production by P. stratiotes, once cumulative effect of these negative interference with recreational pressing plants on the front porch of thought not to occur in North characteristics of the plant is a loss of opportunities, like swimming and the lodges overlooking the Río Pilaton America, is now considered important biodiversity in invaded habitats. Animal fishing, and impacts associated with communities may be altered by not far below the mouth of the Río to reproduction and dispersal (Dray insects that breed in waterways choked blocking access to the water and/or Toachi. I finished pressing plants the and Center 1989). WhilePistia is not by water lettuce. Dray Jr. and Center eliminating plants the animals depend following day while Chris collected in cold tolerant (Holm etal. 1977), its (2002) estimated expenditures on for shelter and nesting.P. stratiotes the forest around Tinalandia. leaves re-grow after moderate freezes, and it can survive for extended periods increased to over $1 million dollars mats can also serve as a breeding place We left the next day for Ventanas and of time on moist muck, sandbars, and annually in Florida by 2002. for mosquitoes. It reproduces exponentially and reduces the oxygen stayed in Babahoya, where we met banks (Holm etal. 1977), contributing Like Water Hyacinth,Pistia also blocks levels in a body of water by reducing Xavier Cornejo in the morning. It was to its success as an invader. irrigation canals and provides a the water’s surface area (Dunn, 1934). a miserable hotel with roosters breeding ground for mosquitoes and Aroids are superb in any Pistia stratiotescan spread from whole crowing outside the window. The next clogs fishery waters.Pistia stratiotescan colour, but it is amazing how plants or pieces of plants moved on Mechanical controls, like the flail morning we headed to Hacienda inflict a severe impact on the many of them approach boats or fishing equipment from an chopper or harvester, have been Clementina, headquarters of the large environment and economy of infested Figure 12. Anthurium cupulispatha black. It is understood that infested to a clean body of water used to control populations of water banana industry around Babahoya. areas (Rivers, 2002). The dense mats Croat & J. Rodríguez. when we talk about “black” (Rivers, 2002). The most commonly lettuce, but this method is costly. We got permission to collect at Cerro created by connected rosettes of the plants we are encompassing accepted pathway of this species into Biological control is under investi- blades over a meter long and stubby plant lead to the majority of problems Samana, the ultimate goal of the trip. the United States is in ballast water in gation. The South American weevil, purplish red spadices with a broad the darkest colors found in encountered with water lettuce. These ships from South America. Ships that Neohydronomus affinis,can reduce hooding spathe (Figs. 10 & 11). Cerro Samana is an isolated hill about horticulture – from bronze, to mats can have a negative economic travel through mats of water lettuce can populations, but once introduced, the 750 m elevation – one of the few purple to near black. effect by blocking waterways, thus carry fertile plant segments to new weevils themselves continue to spread We made it back to Quito the same remaining areas at this elevation on increasing the difficulty of navigation, I have been researching dark areas. Once established within a water ( day and began pressing the the western slope of the Andes. It will boat traffic, fishing, and hindering plants for over ten years. body,P. stratiotescan be spread by collections. Chris Davidson had be another study site for an aroid flood control efforts. It may become an Aroids being my favourite water currents and floods. arrived the previous day and we florula, so collecting there was important constituent of a sudd – a group of plants, I’ve amassed hurried to get back to the field. Our intense. Species found were dense aggregation of a free-floating a lot of information on them, According to Ramey (2001),P. stratiotes http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/lettuce.html). first field trip with Chris was along Anthurium angamarcanum Sodiro, vegetation.Pistia stratioteseven played chiefly Arisaemas and Arums. continues to be sold through aquarium The moth,Samea multiplicalis,which the Quito-to-Santo Domingo road, A. argyrostachyum Sodiro, A. asplundii a role in the infamous Dr. Livingstone’s I am fascinated by the supply dealers and through the attacks P. stratiotesand Salviniaspp., departing at Chilligallo and ending in Croat, A. brachypodum Sodiro, internet. Rivers (2002) cites that explorations in Africa, where, while spathes and spadices of has been established in Australia, but its Chiriboga. Two species in this region A. cupulispatha Croat & J. Rodríguez dumping of aquarium or ornamental exploring the river Shire, a northern these plants, let alone their impact has not been evaluated. In were a large Anthurium with long pond plants is often the means of tributary of the Zambesi, they learned (Fig. 12), A. dolichostachyum, Thailand, classical biological control internodes and cordate blades with magnificent foliage. I could spread for P. stratiotes. The popularity A. guayaquilense Engl., A. ochreatum has not been attempted, but mass conspicuously sunken tertiary veins, Continued on page 5 of water lettuce as a garden plant has and a very small Anthurium with a Continued on page 5 Continued on page 14

4 13 provided an early avenue for introduction into the St. Johns ECUADOR 2004: PART II Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) – watershed (APIRS Online). Book Review Continued from page 4 Ubiquitous Aroid Invader Pistia stratiotesis a “state listed,” Continued from page 4 “prohibited,”“category I,”“species of Sodiro, A. obscurinervia Croat, hardly contain myself when I By Emily D. Yates, Missouri Botanical Garden concern” or “noxious” plant in at least A. palenquense Croat, A. pallidiflorum also learned of purple and red and Kristen E. Kordecki, Chicago Botanic Garden eight states including CA, AZ, TX, LA, Engl., A. versicolor, Chlorospatha SC, GA, FL, HI and Puerto Rico. While foliaged forms of some dodsonii Madison (Fig. 13), the abundance of water lettuce is species from China. I love the Dieffenbachia sp., Monstera cf. recorded primarily in sub-tropical elegance of Arisaema adansonii Schott, Philodendron regions of the US, it has been sikokianum aptly described by acuminatissimum Engl., discovered in northern states, including one visitor to my booth at the P. platypetiolatum Madison, Ohio and New York (Dray Jr. and Chelsea flower show in 2004 P. purpurascens Engl., P. tenue K. Center, 2002). Several states impose as “like one of Cecil Beaton’s Koch, P. tenuipes Engl., P. umbricolum fines for individuals who posses or hats in My Fair Lady.” It is Engl., Rhodospatha dodsonii Croat, participate in the sale or distribution of probably the most beautiful of Syngonium macrcarpum Engl. and water lettuce, including South Carolina all Arisaemas, a true Figure 13. Chlorospatha Xanthosoma sp. One species of and Texas. The Connecticut Dept. of aristocrat. However, I am also dodsonii Madison. Anthurium is considered new, Environmental Protection will add taken by the deeply coloured A. samanaense Croat (Fig. 14), as well Pistia stratiotesto the list of prohibited spathes of A. speciosum and as two new species of Philodendron. species in October, 2005 and will fine many others. One being (Fig. 15),reasonably individuals who possess it $100 per common on the Pacific slope also plant (CDEP, 2005). It occured in 68 I keep both of these slightly near Piñas and Guasaganda. Clearly public water bodies in Florida by 1982 moist in their pots out in the more time will have to be spent at Figure 1. Pistia stratiotes L. Croat 85014. Photo by Tom Croat. and in 128 water bodies by 1989, but garden over winter (Z7). This Cerro Samana before any florula can total abundance reduced by half over year, for the first time in many, be prepared. unmistakable; it looks like floating the same time period as a result of a ommon names: laitue d’eau, we had a lot of snow. I lettuce (Fig. 1). Many descriptions of statewide management program On the way back to Quito we pistie (French); Lechuguilla the plant abound: see Mayoet al. 1997, thought I might have lost (APIRS Online). collected at the Universidad C de agua, lechuguita de agua, Bown, 1988. them, as they were repollo de agua (Spanish); water Pistia is common in dams, lagoons, unprotected. Thankfully, they Polytechnica Salesiana’s Estacíon lettuce, tropical duckweed, shellflower There is some confusion about the lakes, and also grows in wetland rice. It came through unharmed. Sacha Wiwa. This is another logical (English). origin of water lettuce due to its can also be found on stagnant water Arisaema sikokianum finished site for an aroid florula and worldwide distribution, however, there and rooting on muddy banks. It’s often flowering in May just as collections began there with this in Pistia stratiotes,or water lettuce, is an is strong evidence that it is native to grown in ponds and aquaria, and can A. speciosum was breaking mind. Among the species here not yet interesting, unique aroid. Like any South America (Rivers, 2002).Pistia become a serious invasive pest in the dormancy. They both grow in seen on the Pacific slope in southern potential invasive species, it must be Figure 14. Anthurium stratiotesis now found throughout the tropics. Its capable of forming vast Ecuador were Anthurium laciniosum kept in check so it does not become light shade. Arisaema griffithii samanaense Croat. tropics and subtropics (Glazier, 1996), mats that disrupt submersed plant and Sodiro, A. propinquum Sodiro, destructive; however, it has valuable is another favourite, the and is one of the most widely animal communities and interfere with A. pulverulentum Sodiro, A. urbanii properties, as a medicinal, a food patterning on this species is distributed hydrophytes in the tropics water movement and navigation (Holm incredible. My favoured Arum Sodiro, Philodendron inequilaterum source, and environmental remediator. (Holm et al. 1977).Pistia stratiotes et al.1977); also serves as host for at is palaestinum, for I believe it Liebm. and P. rugapetiolum. requires a wet, temperate to tropical The name Pistia stratiotescomes from least two genera of mosquitoes (Holm is the darkest, but this is hard habitat (Rivers, 2002). Next we headed east and into the the Greek “pister” meaning hollow et al. 1977). It is considered a serious to come by. As with many weed in Ceylon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Ecuadorian Oriente. After trough, in the sense of a drinking Pistia stratiotesmay have been aroids, the smell is notorious Thailand and at least present as a weed continuously having trouble starting trough (Mayo etal. 1997) or the Greek introduced to North America by but I have learned that it often in 40 other countries (Holm etal. the Mazda pickup for over a month it “pistos” meaning water; and “stratiotes” natural means or by humans. It was depends on provenance. I 1977). It is listed by the Nature seem to be getting worse. After meaning soldier. It was classified in spied as early as 1774 by William first discovered this while Conservancy’s Invasive Species driving around by taxi to several 1943 to its own Pistiaceaefamily, but as Bartram, in “vast quantities ... several talking to a journalist in Initiative as a pest in Australia neighborhoods we finally found a result of later research it is now in the miles in length, and in some places a (http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/global/aus Oregon whose family had some kid claiming to be a mechanic. Araceae,subfamily Aroideae,tribe quarter of a mile in breadth” in the St. tralia/aca.html), and has been a target grown Dracunculus vulgaris, He arrived with virtually no tools Pistieae,and is the only species in the Johns River in Florida (APIRS Online). once classified as Arum, for and ended up pouring a bucket of genus Pistia. It has been suggested that trade via St. almost 100 years and he water over the battery to get better Augustine, founded in 1565, may have Water lettuce is a perennial monocot of claimed it had no off-putting ground. I had taken the battery cable the Araceae family. It’s fairly smell at all. Yet it is the plant Figure 15. New species Continued on page 13 of Philodendron. Continued on page 6

12 5 ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 5 ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 10 Book Review coast. They were areas of exploration Obviously, more collecting needs to Continued from page 5 for Padre Luis Sodiro, who made be done in the area. Among the that I receive the most phone most of his earliest trips into the species I saw in this area were: calls about. The conversation region on the back side of Volcán Anthurium aristatum Sodiro usually goes something like Pichincha. Sodiro collected A. cordiforme Sodiro this: ‘I have this plant that frequently in the area between Nono A. corrugatum Sodiro smells like something is and Nanegal and between Tandayapa A. giganteum Sodiro, wrong with the drains...’ I find and Mindo as well as between Advertising A. longicuspidatum Engl this frustrating; after all, Nanegal and Pacto. A. malacophyllum Sodiro animal lovers get used to the A. mindense Sodiro smell of horses, cows and with the IAS The best of the ecological reserves A. ochreatum Sodiro pigs. The beauty of these in the Mindo area is the Bellavista Rates & Options A. ovatifolium Engl plants far outshines any Cloud Forest Reserve – it is astonishingly beautiful. The road A. pulverulentum Sodiro offence to the nose. 1. IAS Website advertisement is narrow, rough and lacking any A. striatipes Sodiro on the home page and on the A. tremulum Sodiro Figure 16. Philodendron asplundii Figure 17. Philodendron I just missed the flowering of Aroid Links page. Ad will be a illumination, but suddenly I saw A. umbraculum Sodiro Croat & M.L. Soares. schmidtiae Croat. Amorphophallus titanum at linked graphic of the company’s what appeared to be a broad, brightly Kew by two days. I’ll regret choice and design. Pricing: on illuminated gate extending over the A. versicolor Sodiro, and in Baeza I stayed at a place made this for the rest of my days. an annual basis at $30 per road. It was quite startling. I found Philodendron fibrosum entirely our of wood and nearly No other plant is so month for $360 for the year, and the manager and tried to negotiate a Sodiro ex Croat. caught it on fire with my plant dryer. outrageous or flamboyant. on a monthly basis of $40. room that I could afford, threatening I also collected along the road Since it is no longer there, I suspect to drive on to Quito if I couldn’t find Having just started up my 2. IAS Newsletter advertising between Bellavista and Mindo. The someone may have succeeded in one cheap enough. Bellavista has nursery again, (I have the with the company’s choice first 10 km are quite rich and the burning it down. some regular buildings near the accolade of being the very of design and content for roadsides are much more invested approximate large business card road, but most are made to look The following day we drove to Lago first person to run a nursery with plants now than ever in the past. sized ad placed strategically like gigantic beehives protruding Agrio, collecting along the way. The specializing in black plants), I For the first few kilometers there are within the layout of the into the canopy. The cheapest places route is much more denuded since hope to be introducing many many points of access into the newsletter. Pricing: on an annual are located on the top floor. The first the last time I was on the road, but species into the U.K. As more basis for the four newsletters Bellavista property. There is a branch two floors have stairways, but the there are still patches of forest with of these plants are introduced published quarterly at $50 per in the road on the right that goes third floor is reached only by aroids. One of these areas is the road to the West, one realises the issue for $200 for the year, and back down to the Mindo Tandayapa climbing up a ladder. Fortunately, that goes from the main highway to wealth and magnitude of dark on a per issue only basis of $75. highway. It also provides access to a aroids and just how easy one of the hotel personnel helped me separate scientific field station the small village of Gonzales Díaz de 3. IAS Website and most of them are to grow. stuff my plants and equipment up operated by Bellavista. It is cheaper to Figure 18. Stenospermation Pineda at the gateway to the Parque newsletter advertising through the tiny opening that stay there, but the facilities are better Nacional Sumaco Napo Galeras. The ——————————— combined: As per items 1 and 2 killipii Croat. accessed the third floor. town lies east of the Río Quijos and above (advertising on the IAS at the tourist camp. The place has Karen Platt is author ofBlack Magic apart so many times that it eventually the area between the highway and the Website and in each issue of the solar hot water and lighting, so it is a and Purple Passion,the only The room was round with beds broke, so on the way down to Baeza river was quite rich in aroids. Among newsletter) with combined good place to stay while studying. comprehensive guide to 2750 dark clustered around the periphery. we stopped at a automobile parts the collections made was of a new pricing of $500 annually. This plants with 425 stunning photos, option also includes a one-year The lighting was not the best, but I That was the last collecting trip place and bought a new terminal. species of Anthurium section available through Ball Publishing at membership to the IAS. You will managed to get the plants described for my 2004 adventure to Ecuador. When I removed the terminal end I Cardiolonchium, Anthurium www.ballpublishing.com. She find this last option very and investigate the area the next Like most of the other areas I visited, discovered that the problem had not amoenum Kunth, Philodendron frequently speaks in the U.S. attractive, and the price is very morning. Although this area is right it was a very rewarding experience. I asplundii Croat & M. L. Soares been terminal itself, but the You can read more about her competitive for an annual in the center of Luis Sodiro’s old am certainly looking forward to (Fig. 16), P. palacioanum Croat & connection. Putting on the new end books (all 14 of them) at her advertising campaign that can stomping grounds, and I could working on the large number of Grayum, P. ruizii Schott, P. schmidtiae solved the problems permanently. website, www.karenplatt.co.uk, be changed with each issue of assume most of the Anthurium aroids collected. With five separate Croat (Fig. 17), Rhodospatha latifolia and become a member of the the newsletter and as often as species were already described by aroid florulas tentatively planned for We stayed at a new place in Baeza Poepp., Stenospermation killipii Croat International Black Plant Society, you like for the Website ads. Sodiro, I was surprised to find how the western slopes and two additional and found it well protected with (Fig. 18), Xanthosoma which Karen founded in 2002 to many species I did not know. The aroid florulas planned for the eastern about half the rooms filled with purpureomaculatum Croat, and an further the knowledge of dark plants, Questions? at www.blackplants.co.uk. Please contact Scott Hyndman Bellavista area is laced with trails slopes of the Andes, there should be soldiers. It was a nifty place where unknown Anthurium in section you could drive inside and park right at [email protected] with access to most of the region and fairly good coverage of Araceae for ❦ next to the room. The last time I was Continued on page 7 there are aroids literally everywhere. the Flora of Ecuador project.

6 11 ECUADOR 2004: PART II on. We drove south to San Gabriel, indigenous people demanding more ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 7 searching the main plaza for a hotel, money for something. While we were Continued from page 6 inspected a miserable example and sitting there studying the map for and traffic had passed. On the lower moved on. By now we were options, one of the local people said side of the road, the drop off is desperate, assuming that we would that it was possible to drive down the vertical and you would need a rope have to drive all the way to Ibarra to railroad tracks that paralleled the ladder to get down. On the upper find a place to press plants. highway. This led out to the main side of the road it is equally as steep, Fortunately, not too far south of San highway and not only had we gotten generally almost straight up. Gabriel we came across a small area past the protest, but we had avoided At one place there was a narrow goat paying the toll. We felt pretty good path snaking up the side of the steep about that. slope. At the top of the cliff it With Chris Davidson and Genevieve flattened out and the Solanaceous Ferry gone, I set about drying plants shrub “naranilla” was in cultivation. and began the long process of sorting Aroids remained, including a large out 3600 collections. During the and beautiful member of Anthurium course of processing the plants, I section Belolonchium (Fig. 20, 21), took a little free time to do two more Figure 20. Anthurium section Belolonchium. and a Philodendron (Fig. 22), that days of fieldwork. I drove to Reserva Figure 19. Unknown Anthurium appeared to be neither P. verrucosum Maquipucuna near Nanegal. The section Cardiolonchium. nor P. findens, yet resembled both. Reserva Maquipucuna has a flora We arrived in La Bonita at dark. We written and the Araceae is to some Cardiolonchium (Fig. 19).Another left for Santa Barbara the next day extent known. I was not able to spend side road to the Río Quijos and and found the area to be much easier enough time there to fully evaluate San Raphael Falls was blocked by collecting. This road from La Bonita the aroid flora, but a few hours ahuge landslide. Later in the day to Santa Barbara was built many allowed me to see the aroids on the we reached Lumbaquí and went years ago and the slopes were not so lower slopes, leading me to believe north on the good asphalt road steep so that it was easier to get into that there are species of Araceae not that heads to the Colombian border. the adjacent forests. The area between yet reported for the flora. For After less than 6 km we found a La Bonita and Santa Barbara was at a example, Philodendron fibrosum remnant of good forest and collected Sodiro ex Croat was common, even high elevation and there were few Figure 23. Somewhat three-lobed seventeen species of Araceae, most near the main station of the reserve, species of Araceae in the region, but Anthurium section Belolonchium. relatively common to the lowland lots of interesting vegetation. and this was not included in the Amazonian basin. Although there were few species of of Hosterias in a special vacation area flora. Additional trips are planned for On August 20th, we returned to the Araceae between La Bonita and Santa that served Ibarra and Tulcán as a Maquipucuna to produce a better Lumbaquí road intending to make it Barbarba, we did find Anthurium weekend resort. We pulled into a aroid florula. Figure 21. Anthurium section Belolonchium. all the way to La Bonita. At about umbraculum, what appeared to be place called the Hotel Oasis, which After leaving Maquipucuna, I went to 4:00 p.m. we were stopped by a huge A. corrugatum Sodiro, a somewhat proved to be very nice and we were about 50 m ahead of us to find the Reserva Bellavista, another area landslide. Since they were already three-lobed Anthurium sect. able to park right next to the lodging. that the operator had been warned that I plan to study for its aroid flora. there with large front-end loader Belolonchium (Fig. 23), and a by one of his coworkers who had Bellavista is located along the old moving the deep pile of rocks and member of section Digitinervium. The following day we collected along been eyeing the forest above the cut the road to Pirampiro in dry, road from Nanegalito to Mindo via mud from the road we decided to and signaled to him to back up as We arrived at Santa Barbara late in disturbed habitat finding a lot of Tandayapa. I remember this road press plants while we were waiting. soon as the soil began to loosen. We the day, assuming that we would interesting species that I had never from trips made in the 1980’s from Suddenly we heard a large noise and realized we were not going any spend the night there, but it proved seen before. Just outside of Ibarra we Quito to Nono and on to Tandayapa. looked up to see the side of the steep further that day. By that time it was to be a cold and barren place with no ran into trouble with the road being In those days Tandayapa was the mountainside falling with the trees dark and we had to drive all the way obvious sign of a hotel. Fearing that blocked immediately in front of the main branch in the road with the still standing mostly erect. This mass back to Lumbaquí, where we spent it might not be a safe place to stay in toll station and traffic was turning road to the left going up onto the of rocks soil and trees hit the road the night. any event, we decided to head for the around and going back to Ibarra. I back of Volcán Pichincha and the with such force that I had to assume main highway south of Tulcán. We knew from past experience that it road to the right going to Nanegal that the man operating the front-end The following day we headed back arrived in Julio Andrade after dark would have been dangerous to try to and Pacto. There was no connection loader had to have been buried alive north again. By the time we got to and it was a nasty-looking, crowded, drive through this crowd of ruffians. with these roads to any area of the or carried down into the steep valley the landslide area it had been cleaned noisy town, so we decided to move Apparently the protesters were Continued on page 11 below. We ran up to the site only Continued on page 10 Figure 22. Unknown Philodendron.

10 7 treatments of two aroid genera, Our computerized record system Philodendron both at Kew and at arevision of Dractonium by has never been in better shape. the Missouri Botanical Garden for Recent Aroid Activities Guanghua Zhu and Tom Croat, the next year. and a revision of Dieffenbachia of We have recently gotten the Central America by Tom Croat. support of Amparo Acebey de Finally, our current efforts are at the Missouri Botanical Garden Krömer to work on the Araceae concentrating on completing the Recently, the revision of treatment for the Flora of Araceae treatment for the Flora of Thomas B. Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden Chlorospatha, a long and detailed Veracruz. Carola, as she is Mesoamerica. Emily Yates has work on this interesting genus commonly called, worked already managed to compile all of ummers are times of great My appeal led Ryan to ask if there sending them on to Aroideana completed by Lynn Hannon, was with me on the treatment of the species of Central America activity owing to the extra was some way he could help this Editor Derek Burch. One major submitted to the Annals. About the Araceae for the Flora of that were previously described, S help I sometimes get from summer. We have managed to project Emily has worked on five years ago I suggested to Lynn Bolivian checklist, and is very into a single document ready to student interns and this year is sort through the backlog of boxes includes the Araceae treatment that she write a key to the existing knowledgeable about Araceae be edited for the Flora not an exception. This summer of plants to be confirmed to for the Flora of the Río Cenepa species of Chlorospatha because (among other epiphytic families). Mesoamericana project. we have two interns, Jocelyn Tsai species by matching them with Region in Amazonas Department, I knew that she had a good She and her husband, Thorsten, Descriptions for those species not and Ryan Kirkman. Jocelyn specimens in the herbarium. With Peru.Rodolfo Vasquez, author of collection of the genus. Later, recently moved to Mexico, where yet described must be prepared, applied for a Howard Hugh’s his help it has been a very the flora, is currently editing this Isuggested that she go a bit Thorsten is working on epiphytes and keys written for genera such Fellowship through Washington efficient way to get this massive manuscript. A total of 47 new further and prepare descriptions at the Los Tuxtlas Biological as Monstera (now vastly expanded University, where she is an job done. He has become skilled species from that flora are also of the species, then one thing Station in Veracruz State of from those treated by Mike undergraduate student, to at entering specimen data into in press for a special issue of led to another until we did a Mexico. Carola is currently Madison in 1977), as well as work with Anthurium section Tropicos3, the Garden’s electronic the Brazilian journal Rodriguezia, full revision. trying to get a grant to work Spathiphyllum and Xanthosoma, dealing exclusively with papers on Araceae of Veracruz as well the three most complex genera, Porphyrochitonium. Although database of herbarium specimens, It was partly due to Lynn’s on Araceae. When this issue as for the Araceae of Mesoamerica which remain unrevised in competition was steep, and the and with our 2005 plant sale in efforts with Chlorospatha plus becomes available IAS members (that portion of Mexico which Central America. award went to another student, full swing, Ryan has been very her outstanding ability to grow will be made aware of how it can lies below the Isthmus of she remained undaunted and helpful in organizing plant lists, tropical plants that she received I hope this discourse about our be obtained. Tehuantepec). decided to volunteer to contribute helping to get plants prepared for the Bette Waterbury Award for activities here at MO gives you to studies in Araceae. She is a packing, and helping to fill plant We have only recently received outstanding accomplishments My student Monica Carlsen, some appreciation of what goes bright and enthusiastic student orders. Ryan’s upcoming project my 2004 collections from in horticulture at the IX Inter- who was awarded the Monroe into the development of aroid who has already mastered for the summer will involve Ecuador, totaling 3600 numbers, national Aroid Conference in Birdsey Award two years ago, is systematics and how this allows ❦ character recognition in this working on a database of all and Emily has finished inserting Kuching, Sarawak last November. currently in England working your plants to get names. complicated group replete Anthurium species names and labels, choosing specimens to be Lynn and I still continue to at Kew on a KLARF award for with new species. Her goal is to their geographic distribution. mounted for MO, and aggregating collaborate on a variety of Anthurium. Monica is doing a sort out as many new species This will eventually be placed on new species we are working on papers dealing with new species molecular study of Anthurium at as possible that have adequate the IAS webpage and will make a describing. The approximately of Araceae, especially those the sectional level for her Ph.D. material to be described. useful tool to better understand 1000 collections from my 2005 involving our work in Ecuador. thesis at the University of These new species will be the phytogeography of trip to Ecuador have not yet Missouri, St. Louis. She and I Emily Colletti, who returned two published in an upcoming Anthurium. been shipped. will be presenting a poster on paper treating new species of years ago to be my greenhouse the sectional classification of section Porphyrochitonium with Emily Yates, research assistant in Another series of Araceae articles manager after a 17 year “vacation” Anthurium at the International her as co-author. Araceae at the Garden, has been was published in the Annals of the to raise her family, has been doing Botanical Congress in Vienna, writing and editing numerous Missouri Botanical Garden 93(3). an outstanding job of organizing Austria, in July. Ryan Kirkman, a high school manuscripts, turning out nearly These papers were first presented the greenhouse. She has been student from neighboring Illinois, 30 in the last year. As editor of the at the VIII International Aroid improving records, making new, Another student, Marcela Mora, responded to an article in the IAS Newsletter she has organized, Conference in 1999. Other papers more permanent tags for existing last year’s awardee of the Monroe Riverfront Times featuring edited and written articles, and is from this conference are being pots, repotting overgrown plants, Birdsey Award, will also be Garden staff. In the article, I involved with editorial work for published in the upcoming and reshuffling collections to presenting a poster at the same talked about the need for more Aroideana, making the final edit volume of Aroideana. Annals of provide better organization and conference. Marcela was also Araceae research and indicated of not only our own papers, but the Missouri Botanical Garden improve growth. I can always rely awarded a KLARF award by that I didn’t have enough help. those of many others before volume 93(4) contained on her to find something for me. Kew and will be working on

8 9 treatments of two aroid genera, Our computerized record system Philodendron both at Kew and at arevision of Dractonium by has never been in better shape. the Missouri Botanical Garden for Recent Aroid Activities Guanghua Zhu and Tom Croat, the next year. and a revision of Dieffenbachia of We have recently gotten the Central America by Tom Croat. support of Amparo Acebey de Finally, our current efforts are at the Missouri Botanical Garden Krömer to work on the Araceae concentrating on completing the Recently, the revision of treatment for the Flora of Araceae treatment for the Flora of Thomas B. Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden Chlorospatha, a long and detailed Veracruz. Carola, as she is Mesoamerica. Emily Yates has work on this interesting genus commonly called, worked already managed to compile all of ummers are times of great My appeal led Ryan to ask if there sending them on to Aroideana completed by Lynn Hannon, was with me on the treatment of the species of Central America activity owing to the extra was some way he could help this Editor Derek Burch. One major submitted to the Annals. About the Araceae for the Flora of that were previously described, S help I sometimes get from summer. We have managed to project Emily has worked on five years ago I suggested to Lynn Bolivian checklist, and is very into a single document ready to student interns and this year is sort through the backlog of boxes includes the Araceae treatment that she write a key to the existing knowledgeable about Araceae be edited for the Flora not an exception. This summer of plants to be confirmed to for the Flora of the Río Cenepa species of Chlorospatha because (among other epiphytic families). Mesoamericana project. we have two interns, Jocelyn Tsai species by matching them with Region in Amazonas Department, I knew that she had a good She and her husband, Thorsten, Descriptions for those species not and Ryan Kirkman. Jocelyn specimens in the herbarium. With Peru.Rodolfo Vasquez, author of collection of the genus. Later, recently moved to Mexico, where yet described must be prepared, applied for a Howard Hugh’s his help it has been a very the flora, is currently editing this Isuggested that she go a bit Thorsten is working on epiphytes and keys written for genera such Fellowship through Washington efficient way to get this massive manuscript. A total of 47 new further and prepare descriptions at the Los Tuxtlas Biological as Monstera (now vastly expanded University, where she is an job done. He has become skilled species from that flora are also of the species, then one thing Station in Veracruz State of from those treated by Mike undergraduate student, to at entering specimen data into in press for a special issue of led to another until we did a Mexico. Carola is currently Madison in 1977), as well as work with Anthurium section Tropicos3, the Garden’s electronic the Brazilian journal Rodriguezia, full revision. trying to get a grant to work Spathiphyllum and Xanthosoma, dealing exclusively with papers on Araceae of Veracruz as well the three most complex genera, Porphyrochitonium. Although database of herbarium specimens, It was partly due to Lynn’s on Araceae. When this issue as for the Araceae of Mesoamerica which remain unrevised in competition was steep, and the and with our 2005 plant sale in efforts with Chlorospatha plus becomes available IAS members (that portion of Mexico which Central America. award went to another student, full swing, Ryan has been very her outstanding ability to grow will be made aware of how it can lies below the Isthmus of she remained undaunted and helpful in organizing plant lists, tropical plants that she received I hope this discourse about our be obtained. Tehuantepec). decided to volunteer to contribute helping to get plants prepared for the Bette Waterbury Award for activities here at MO gives you to studies in Araceae. She is a packing, and helping to fill plant We have only recently received outstanding accomplishments My student Monica Carlsen, some appreciation of what goes bright and enthusiastic student orders. Ryan’s upcoming project my 2004 collections from in horticulture at the IX Inter- who was awarded the Monroe into the development of aroid who has already mastered for the summer will involve Ecuador, totaling 3600 numbers, national Aroid Conference in Birdsey Award two years ago, is systematics and how this allows ❦ character recognition in this working on a database of all and Emily has finished inserting Kuching, Sarawak last November. currently in England working your plants to get names. complicated group replete Anthurium species names and labels, choosing specimens to be Lynn and I still continue to at Kew on a KLARF award for with new species. Her goal is to their geographic distribution. mounted for MO, and aggregating collaborate on a variety of Anthurium. Monica is doing a sort out as many new species This will eventually be placed on new species we are working on papers dealing with new species molecular study of Anthurium at as possible that have adequate the IAS webpage and will make a describing. The approximately of Araceae, especially those the sectional level for her Ph.D. material to be described. useful tool to better understand 1000 collections from my 2005 involving our work in Ecuador. thesis at the University of These new species will be the phytogeography of trip to Ecuador have not yet Missouri, St. Louis. She and I Emily Colletti, who returned two published in an upcoming Anthurium. been shipped. will be presenting a poster on paper treating new species of years ago to be my greenhouse the sectional classification of section Porphyrochitonium with Emily Yates, research assistant in Another series of Araceae articles manager after a 17 year “vacation” Anthurium at the International her as co-author. Araceae at the Garden, has been was published in the Annals of the to raise her family, has been doing Botanical Congress in Vienna, writing and editing numerous Missouri Botanical Garden 93(3). an outstanding job of organizing Austria, in July. Ryan Kirkman, a high school manuscripts, turning out nearly These papers were first presented the greenhouse. She has been student from neighboring Illinois, 30 in the last year. As editor of the at the VIII International Aroid improving records, making new, Another student, Marcela Mora, responded to an article in the IAS Newsletter she has organized, Conference in 1999. Other papers more permanent tags for existing last year’s awardee of the Monroe Riverfront Times featuring edited and written articles, and is from this conference are being pots, repotting overgrown plants, Birdsey Award, will also be Garden staff. In the article, I involved with editorial work for published in the upcoming and reshuffling collections to presenting a poster at the same talked about the need for more Aroideana, making the final edit volume of Aroideana. Annals of provide better organization and conference. Marcela was also Araceae research and indicated of not only our own papers, but the Missouri Botanical Garden improve growth. I can always rely awarded a KLARF award by that I didn’t have enough help. those of many others before volume 93(4) contained on her to find something for me. Kew and will be working on

8 9 ECUADOR 2004: PART II on. We drove south to San Gabriel, indigenous people demanding more ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 7 searching the main plaza for a hotel, money for something. While we were Continued from page 6 inspected a miserable example and sitting there studying the map for and traffic had passed. On the lower moved on. By now we were options, one of the local people said side of the road, the drop off is desperate, assuming that we would that it was possible to drive down the vertical and you would need a rope have to drive all the way to Ibarra to railroad tracks that paralleled the ladder to get down. On the upper find a place to press plants. highway. This led out to the main side of the road it is equally as steep, Fortunately, not too far south of San highway and not only had we gotten generally almost straight up. Gabriel we came across a small area past the protest, but we had avoided At one place there was a narrow goat paying the toll. We felt pretty good path snaking up the side of the steep about that. slope. At the top of the cliff it With Chris Davidson and Genevieve flattened out and the Solanaceous Ferry gone, I set about drying plants shrub “naranilla” was in cultivation. and began the long process of sorting Aroids remained, including a large out 3600 collections. During the and beautiful member of Anthurium course of processing the plants, I section Belolonchium (Fig. 20, 21), took a little free time to do two more Figure 20. Anthurium section Belolonchium. and a Philodendron (Fig. 22), that days of fieldwork. I drove to Reserva Figure 19. Unknown Anthurium appeared to be neither P. verrucosum Maquipucuna near Nanegal. The section Cardiolonchium. nor P. findens, yet resembled both. Reserva Maquipucuna has a flora We arrived in La Bonita at dark. We written and the Araceae is to some Cardiolonchium (Fig. 19).Another left for Santa Barbara the next day extent known. I was not able to spend side road to the Río Quijos and and found the area to be much easier enough time there to fully evaluate San Raphael Falls was blocked by collecting. This road from La Bonita the aroid flora, but a few hours ahuge landslide. Later in the day to Santa Barbara was built many allowed me to see the aroids on the we reached Lumbaquí and went years ago and the slopes were not so lower slopes, leading me to believe north on the good asphalt road steep so that it was easier to get into that there are species of Araceae not that heads to the Colombian border. the adjacent forests. The area between yet reported for the flora. For After less than 6 km we found a La Bonita and Santa Barbara was at a example, Philodendron fibrosum remnant of good forest and collected Sodiro ex Croat was common, even high elevation and there were few Figure 23. Somewhat three-lobed seventeen species of Araceae, most near the main station of the reserve, species of Araceae in the region, but Anthurium section Belolonchium. relatively common to the lowland lots of interesting vegetation. and this was not included in the Amazonian basin. Although there were few species of of Hosterias in a special vacation area flora. Additional trips are planned for On August 20th, we returned to the Araceae between La Bonita and Santa that served Ibarra and Tulcán as a Maquipucuna to produce a better Lumbaquí road intending to make it Barbarba, we did find Anthurium weekend resort. We pulled into a aroid florula. Figure 21. Anthurium section Belolonchium. all the way to La Bonita. At about umbraculum, what appeared to be place called the Hotel Oasis, which After leaving Maquipucuna, I went to 4:00 p.m. we were stopped by a huge A. corrugatum Sodiro, a somewhat proved to be very nice and we were about 50 m ahead of us to find the Reserva Bellavista, another area landslide. Since they were already three-lobed Anthurium sect. able to park right next to the lodging. that the operator had been warned that I plan to study for its aroid flora. there with large front-end loader Belolonchium (Fig. 23), and a by one of his coworkers who had Bellavista is located along the old moving the deep pile of rocks and member of section Digitinervium. The following day we collected along been eyeing the forest above the cut the road to Pirampiro in dry, road from Nanegalito to Mindo via mud from the road we decided to and signaled to him to back up as We arrived at Santa Barbara late in disturbed habitat finding a lot of Tandayapa. I remember this road press plants while we were waiting. soon as the soil began to loosen. We the day, assuming that we would interesting species that I had never from trips made in the 1980’s from Suddenly we heard a large noise and realized we were not going any spend the night there, but it proved seen before. Just outside of Ibarra we Quito to Nono and on to Tandayapa. looked up to see the side of the steep further that day. By that time it was to be a cold and barren place with no ran into trouble with the road being In those days Tandayapa was the mountainside falling with the trees dark and we had to drive all the way obvious sign of a hotel. Fearing that blocked immediately in front of the main branch in the road with the still standing mostly erect. This mass back to Lumbaquí, where we spent it might not be a safe place to stay in toll station and traffic was turning road to the left going up onto the of rocks soil and trees hit the road the night. any event, we decided to head for the around and going back to Ibarra. I back of Volcán Pichincha and the with such force that I had to assume main highway south of Tulcán. We knew from past experience that it road to the right going to Nanegal that the man operating the front-end The following day we headed back arrived in Julio Andrade after dark would have been dangerous to try to and Pacto. There was no connection loader had to have been buried alive north again. By the time we got to and it was a nasty-looking, crowded, drive through this crowd of ruffians. with these roads to any area of the or carried down into the steep valley the landslide area it had been cleaned noisy town, so we decided to move Apparently the protesters were Continued on page 11 below. We ran up to the site only Continued on page 10 Figure 22. Unknown Philodendron.

10 7 ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 5 ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 10 Book Review coast. They were areas of exploration Obviously, more collecting needs to Continued from page 5 for Padre Luis Sodiro, who made be done in the area. Among the that I receive the most phone most of his earliest trips into the species I saw in this area were: calls about. The conversation region on the back side of Volcán Anthurium aristatum Sodiro usually goes something like Pichincha. Sodiro collected A. cordiforme Sodiro this: ‘I have this plant that frequently in the area between Nono A. corrugatum Sodiro smells like something is and Nanegal and between Tandayapa A. giganteum Sodiro, wrong with the drains...’ I find and Mindo as well as between Advertising A. longicuspidatum Engl this frustrating; after all, Nanegal and Pacto. A. malacophyllum Sodiro animal lovers get used to the A. mindense Sodiro smell of horses, cows and with the IAS The best of the ecological reserves A. ochreatum Sodiro pigs. The beauty of these in the Mindo area is the Bellavista Rates & Options A. ovatifolium Engl plants far outshines any Cloud Forest Reserve – it is astonishingly beautiful. The road A. pulverulentum Sodiro offence to the nose. 1. IAS Website advertisement is narrow, rough and lacking any A. striatipes Sodiro on the home page and on the A. tremulum Sodiro Figure 16. Philodendron asplundii Figure 17. Philodendron I just missed the flowering of Aroid Links page. Ad will be a illumination, but suddenly I saw A. umbraculum Sodiro Croat & M.L. Soares. schmidtiae Croat. Amorphophallus titanum at linked graphic of the company’s what appeared to be a broad, brightly Kew by two days. I’ll regret choice and design. Pricing: on illuminated gate extending over the A. versicolor Sodiro, and in Baeza I stayed at a place made this for the rest of my days. an annual basis at $30 per road. It was quite startling. I found Philodendron fibrosum entirely our of wood and nearly No other plant is so month for $360 for the year, and the manager and tried to negotiate a Sodiro ex Croat. caught it on fire with my plant dryer. outrageous or flamboyant. on a monthly basis of $40. room that I could afford, threatening I also collected along the road Since it is no longer there, I suspect to drive on to Quito if I couldn’t find Having just started up my 2. IAS Newsletter advertising between Bellavista and Mindo. The someone may have succeeded in one cheap enough. Bellavista has nursery again, (I have the with the company’s choice first 10 km are quite rich and the burning it down. some regular buildings near the accolade of being the very of design and content for roadsides are much more invested approximate large business card road, but most are made to look The following day we drove to Lago first person to run a nursery with plants now than ever in the past. sized ad placed strategically like gigantic beehives protruding Agrio, collecting along the way. The specializing in black plants), I For the first few kilometers there are within the layout of the into the canopy. The cheapest places route is much more denuded since hope to be introducing many many points of access into the newsletter. Pricing: on an annual are located on the top floor. The first the last time I was on the road, but species into the U.K. As more basis for the four newsletters Bellavista property. There is a branch two floors have stairways, but the there are still patches of forest with of these plants are introduced published quarterly at $50 per in the road on the right that goes third floor is reached only by aroids. One of these areas is the road to the West, one realises the issue for $200 for the year, and back down to the Mindo Tandayapa climbing up a ladder. Fortunately, that goes from the main highway to wealth and magnitude of dark on a per issue only basis of $75. highway. It also provides access to a aroids and just how easy one of the hotel personnel helped me separate scientific field station the small village of Gonzales Díaz de 3. IAS Website and most of them are to grow. stuff my plants and equipment up operated by Bellavista. It is cheaper to Figure 18. Stenospermation Pineda at the gateway to the Parque newsletter advertising through the tiny opening that stay there, but the facilities are better Nacional Sumaco Napo Galeras. The ——————————— combined: As per items 1 and 2 killipii Croat. accessed the third floor. town lies east of the Río Quijos and above (advertising on the IAS at the tourist camp. The place has Karen Platt is author ofBlack Magic apart so many times that it eventually the area between the highway and the Website and in each issue of the solar hot water and lighting, so it is a and Purple Passion,the only The room was round with beds broke, so on the way down to Baeza river was quite rich in aroids. Among newsletter) with combined good place to stay while studying. comprehensive guide to 2750 dark clustered around the periphery. we stopped at a automobile parts the collections made was of a new pricing of $500 annually. This plants with 425 stunning photos, option also includes a one-year The lighting was not the best, but I That was the last collecting trip place and bought a new terminal. species of Anthurium section available through Ball Publishing at membership to the IAS. You will managed to get the plants described for my 2004 adventure to Ecuador. When I removed the terminal end I Cardiolonchium, Anthurium www.ballpublishing.com. She find this last option very and investigate the area the next Like most of the other areas I visited, discovered that the problem had not amoenum Kunth, Philodendron frequently speaks in the U.S. attractive, and the price is very morning. Although this area is right it was a very rewarding experience. I asplundii Croat & M. L. Soares been terminal itself, but the You can read more about her competitive for an annual in the center of Luis Sodiro’s old am certainly looking forward to (Fig. 16), P. palacioanum Croat & connection. Putting on the new end books (all 14 of them) at her advertising campaign that can stomping grounds, and I could working on the large number of Grayum, P. ruizii Schott, P. schmidtiae solved the problems permanently. website, www.karenplatt.co.uk, be changed with each issue of assume most of the Anthurium aroids collected. With five separate Croat (Fig. 17), Rhodospatha latifolia and become a member of the the newsletter and as often as species were already described by aroid florulas tentatively planned for We stayed at a new place in Baeza Poepp., Stenospermation killipii Croat International Black Plant Society, you like for the Website ads. Sodiro, I was surprised to find how the western slopes and two additional and found it well protected with (Fig. 18), Xanthosoma which Karen founded in 2002 to many species I did not know. The aroid florulas planned for the eastern about half the rooms filled with purpureomaculatum Croat, and an further the knowledge of dark plants, Questions? at www.blackplants.co.uk. Please contact Scott Hyndman Bellavista area is laced with trails slopes of the Andes, there should be soldiers. It was a nifty place where unknown Anthurium in section you could drive inside and park right at [email protected] with access to most of the region and fairly good coverage of Araceae for ❦ next to the room. The last time I was Continued on page 7 there are aroids literally everywhere. the Flora of Ecuador project.

6 11 provided an early avenue for introduction into the St. Johns ECUADOR 2004: PART II Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) – watershed (APIRS Online). Book Review Continued from page 4 Ubiquitous Aroid Invader Pistia stratiotesis a “state listed,” Continued from page 4 “prohibited,”“category I,”“species of Sodiro, A. obscurinervia Croat, hardly contain myself when I By Emily D. Yates, Missouri Botanical Garden concern” or “noxious” plant in at least A. palenquense Croat, A. pallidiflorum also learned of purple and red and Kristen E. Kordecki, Chicago Botanic Garden eight states including CA, AZ, TX, LA, Engl., A. versicolor, Chlorospatha SC, GA, FL, HI and Puerto Rico. While foliaged forms of some dodsonii Madison (Fig. 13), the abundance of water lettuce is species from China. I love the Dieffenbachia sp., Monstera cf. recorded primarily in sub-tropical elegance of Arisaema adansonii Schott, Philodendron regions of the US, it has been sikokianum aptly described by acuminatissimum Engl., discovered in northern states, including one visitor to my booth at the P. platypetiolatum Madison, Ohio and New York (Dray Jr. and Chelsea flower show in 2004 P. purpurascens Engl., P. tenue K. Center, 2002). Several states impose as “like one of Cecil Beaton’s Koch, P. tenuipes Engl., P. umbricolum fines for individuals who posses or hats in My Fair Lady.” It is Engl., Rhodospatha dodsonii Croat, participate in the sale or distribution of probably the most beautiful of Syngonium macrcarpum Engl. and water lettuce, including South Carolina all Arisaemas, a true Figure 13. Chlorospatha Xanthosoma sp. One species of and Texas. The Connecticut Dept. of aristocrat. However, I am also dodsonii Madison. Anthurium is considered new, Environmental Protection will add taken by the deeply coloured A. samanaense Croat (Fig. 14), as well Pistia stratiotesto the list of prohibited spathes of A. speciosum and as two new species of Philodendron. species in October, 2005 and will fine many others. One being (Fig. 15),reasonably individuals who possess it $100 per common on the Pacific slope also plant (CDEP, 2005). It occured in 68 I keep both of these slightly near Piñas and Guasaganda. Clearly public water bodies in Florida by 1982 moist in their pots out in the more time will have to be spent at Figure 1. Pistia stratiotes L. Croat 85014. Photo by Tom Croat. and in 128 water bodies by 1989, but garden over winter (Z7). This Cerro Samana before any florula can total abundance reduced by half over year, for the first time in many, be prepared. unmistakable; it looks like floating the same time period as a result of a ommon names: laitue d’eau, we had a lot of snow. I lettuce (Fig. 1). Many descriptions of statewide management program On the way back to Quito we pistie (French); Lechuguilla the plant abound: see Mayoet al. 1997, thought I might have lost (APIRS Online). collected at the Universidad C de agua, lechuguita de agua, Bown, 1988. them, as they were repollo de agua (Spanish); water Pistia is common in dams, lagoons, unprotected. Thankfully, they Polytechnica Salesiana’s Estacíon lettuce, tropical duckweed, shellflower There is some confusion about the lakes, and also grows in wetland rice. It came through unharmed. Sacha Wiwa. This is another logical (English). origin of water lettuce due to its can also be found on stagnant water Arisaema sikokianum finished site for an aroid florula and worldwide distribution, however, there and rooting on muddy banks. It’s often flowering in May just as collections began there with this in Pistia stratiotes,or water lettuce, is an is strong evidence that it is native to grown in ponds and aquaria, and can A. speciosum was breaking mind. Among the species here not yet interesting, unique aroid. Like any South America (Rivers, 2002).Pistia become a serious invasive pest in the dormancy. They both grow in seen on the Pacific slope in southern potential invasive species, it must be Figure 14. Anthurium stratiotesis now found throughout the tropics. Its capable of forming vast Ecuador were Anthurium laciniosum kept in check so it does not become light shade. Arisaema griffithii samanaense Croat. tropics and subtropics (Glazier, 1996), mats that disrupt submersed plant and Sodiro, A. propinquum Sodiro, destructive; however, it has valuable is another favourite, the and is one of the most widely animal communities and interfere with A. pulverulentum Sodiro, A. urbanii properties, as a medicinal, a food patterning on this species is distributed hydrophytes in the tropics water movement and navigation (Holm incredible. My favoured Arum Sodiro, Philodendron inequilaterum source, and environmental remediator. (Holm et al. 1977).Pistia stratiotes et al.1977); also serves as host for at is palaestinum, for I believe it Liebm. and P. rugapetiolum. requires a wet, temperate to tropical The name Pistia stratiotescomes from least two genera of mosquitoes (Holm is the darkest, but this is hard habitat (Rivers, 2002). Next we headed east and into the the Greek “pister” meaning hollow et al. 1977). It is considered a serious to come by. As with many weed in Ceylon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Ecuadorian Oriente. After trough, in the sense of a drinking Pistia stratiotesmay have been aroids, the smell is notorious Thailand and at least present as a weed continuously having trouble starting trough (Mayo etal. 1997) or the Greek introduced to North America by but I have learned that it often in 40 other countries (Holm etal. the Mazda pickup for over a month it “pistos” meaning water; and “stratiotes” natural means or by humans. It was depends on provenance. I 1977). It is listed by the Nature seem to be getting worse. After meaning soldier. It was classified in spied as early as 1774 by William first discovered this while Conservancy’s Invasive Species driving around by taxi to several 1943 to its own Pistiaceaefamily, but as Bartram, in “vast quantities ... several talking to a journalist in Initiative as a pest in Australia neighborhoods we finally found a result of later research it is now in the miles in length, and in some places a (http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/global/aus Oregon whose family had some kid claiming to be a mechanic. Araceae,subfamily Aroideae,tribe quarter of a mile in breadth” in the St. tralia/aca.html), and has been a target grown Dracunculus vulgaris, He arrived with virtually no tools Pistieae,and is the only species in the Johns River in Florida (APIRS Online). once classified as Arum, for and ended up pouring a bucket of genus Pistia. It has been suggested that trade via St. almost 100 years and he water over the battery to get better Augustine, founded in 1565, may have Water lettuce is a perennial monocot of claimed it had no off-putting ground. I had taken the battery cable the Araceae family. It’s fairly smell at all. Yet it is the plant Figure 15. New species Continued on page 13 of Philodendron. Continued on page 6

12 5 of a previous attempt by the Portuguese to ascend the river. The also led to its spread, in a more Portuguese had to abandon the trip on ECUADOR 2004: PART II Continued from page 3 PISTIA STRATIOTES controlled manner. account of the impenetrable duckweed Continued from page 12 (Pistia stratiotes),making Although there are several other aroids Dr. Livingstone’s expedition up the Book of management research and control in considered invasive in various regions, river Shire the first by Europeans Florida for at least two decades. P. stratiotesis by far the most insidious. (Livingstone, website). According to Pimentel etal. (2005) Review... As a case study of invasion biology, Pistia stratiotes,among several invasive Mats of P. stratiotescan also disrupt Pistia stratiotesis intriguing. Rivers aquatic plant species, is altering fish natural ecosystems. They can lead to a Black Magic (2002) states that P. stratiotes and other aquatic animal species, lower concentration of oxygen in reproduces vegetatively and by seed. choking waterways, altering nutrient covered waters and sediments by and Purple Rapid vegetative reproduction allows cycles and reducing recreational use of blocking air-water interface and root water lettuce to cover an entire lake, rivers and lakes. In a study published in respiration. They can degrade water Passion: from shore to shore, with a dense mat 2000, Pimentelet al. determined quality by blocking the air-water of connected rosettes in a short period invasive aquatic plants species costs $10 interface and greatly reducing oxygen Black Aroids of time. This type of rapid million in losses and damages and $100 levels in the water, eliminating reproduction makesPistia a By Karen Platt million in control costs in the US. In underwater animals such as fish. particularly effective invader, where 1994,Pistia stratiotescontrol cost was Extremely thick mats ofP. stratiotescan densities of rosettes can range from less Figures 10 and 11. New species of Anthurium section Belolonchium estimated at $650,000 annually (Center, prevent sunlight from reaching than 100 to over 1,000 per m with blades over 1 m long. 2 in south 1994) in Florida, where it is currently underlying water, possibly eliminating stipitate spadix. We arrived at Florida (APIRS Online). Seed under “maintenance control.” This native submerged plants. The excludes costs associated with Tinalandia, where we spent the night production by P. stratiotes, once cumulative effect of these negative interference with recreational pressing plants on the front porch of thought not to occur in North characteristics of the plant is a loss of opportunities, like swimming and the lodges overlooking the Río Pilaton America, is now considered important biodiversity in invaded habitats. Animal fishing, and impacts associated with communities may be altered by not far below the mouth of the Río to reproduction and dispersal (Dray insects that breed in waterways choked blocking access to the water and/or Toachi. I finished pressing plants the and Center 1989). WhilePistia is not by water lettuce. Dray Jr. and Center eliminating plants the animals depend following day while Chris collected in cold tolerant (Holm etal. 1977), its (2002) estimated expenditures on for shelter and nesting.P. stratiotes the forest around Tinalandia. leaves re-grow after moderate freezes, and it can survive for extended periods increased to over $1 million dollars mats can also serve as a breeding place We left the next day for Ventanas and of time on moist muck, sandbars, and annually in Florida by 2002. for mosquitoes. It reproduces exponentially and reduces the oxygen stayed in Babahoya, where we met banks (Holm etal. 1977), contributing Like Water Hyacinth,Pistia also blocks levels in a body of water by reducing Xavier Cornejo in the morning. It was to its success as an invader. irrigation canals and provides a the water’s surface area (Dunn, 1934). a miserable hotel with roosters breeding ground for mosquitoes and Aroids are superb in any Pistia stratiotescan spread from whole crowing outside the window. The next clogs fishery waters.Pistia stratiotescan colour, but it is amazing how plants or pieces of plants moved on Mechanical controls, like the flail morning we headed to Hacienda inflict a severe impact on the many of them approach boats or fishing equipment from an chopper or harvester, have been Clementina, headquarters of the large environment and economy of infested Figure 12. Anthurium cupulispatha black. It is understood that infested to a clean body of water used to control populations of water banana industry around Babahoya. areas (Rivers, 2002). The dense mats Croat & J. Rodríguez. when we talk about “black” (Rivers, 2002). The most commonly lettuce, but this method is costly. We got permission to collect at Cerro created by connected rosettes of the plants we are encompassing accepted pathway of this species into Biological control is under investi- blades over a meter long and stubby plant lead to the majority of problems Samana, the ultimate goal of the trip. the United States is in ballast water in gation. The South American weevil, purplish red spadices with a broad the darkest colors found in encountered with water lettuce. These ships from South America. Ships that Neohydronomus affinis,can reduce hooding spathe (Figs. 10 & 11). Cerro Samana is an isolated hill about horticulture – from bronze, to mats can have a negative economic travel through mats of water lettuce can populations, but once introduced, the 750 m elevation – one of the few purple to near black. effect by blocking waterways, thus carry fertile plant segments to new weevils themselves continue to spread We made it back to Quito the same remaining areas at this elevation on increasing the difficulty of navigation, I have been researching dark areas. Once established within a water ( day and began pressing the the western slope of the Andes. It will boat traffic, fishing, and hindering plants for over ten years. body,P. stratiotescan be spread by collections. Chris Davidson had be another study site for an aroid flood control efforts. It may become an Aroids being my favourite water currents and floods. arrived the previous day and we florula, so collecting there was important constituent of a sudd – a group of plants, I’ve amassed hurried to get back to the field. Our intense. Species found were dense aggregation of a free-floating a lot of information on them, According to Ramey (2001),P. stratiotes http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/lettuce.html). first field trip with Chris was along Anthurium angamarcanum Sodiro, vegetation.Pistia stratioteseven played chiefly Arisaemas and Arums. continues to be sold through aquarium The moth,Samea multiplicalis,which the Quito-to-Santo Domingo road, A. argyrostachyum Sodiro, A. asplundii a role in the infamous Dr. Livingstone’s I am fascinated by the supply dealers and through the attacks P. stratiotesand Salviniaspp., departing at Chilligallo and ending in Croat, A. brachypodum Sodiro, internet. Rivers (2002) cites that explorations in Africa, where, while spathes and spadices of has been established in Australia, but its Chiriboga. Two species in this region A. cupulispatha Croat & J. Rodríguez dumping of aquarium or ornamental exploring the river Shire, a northern these plants, let alone their impact has not been evaluated. In were a large Anthurium with long pond plants is often the means of tributary of the Zambesi, they learned (Fig. 12), A. dolichostachyum, Thailand, classical biological control internodes and cordate blades with magnificent foliage. I could spread for P. stratiotes. The popularity A. guayaquilense Engl., A. ochreatum has not been attempted, but mass conspicuously sunken tertiary veins, Continued on page 5 of water lettuce as a garden plant has and a very small Anthurium with a Continued on page 5 Continued on page 14

4 13 Burkill, I. H. 1935.Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Philippines, it is used to treat Peninsula.Oxford, England: Oxford gonorrhea.Pistia stratiotesleaves are PISTIA STRATIOTES University Press. ECUADOR 2004: PART II used in traditional medicine for the Continued from page 13 Continued from page 2 treatment of ringworm infection of the Center, T.D. 1994. Biological Control of Weeds: Water Hyacinth and Water rearing and release of the native scalp, syphilitic eruptions, skin Croat & M. Mora, P. rugapetiolatum Lettuce, pp. 481-521. In:Pest noctuid mothS podoptera pectinicornis infections, boils, and wounds, because Croat (Fig. 4), P. subhastatum Engl. Management in the Tropics: has replaced the use of herbicides. it possesses antifungal properties and P. verrucosum Mathieu ex Schott. Research indicates this biological (Premkumar & Shyamsundar, 2005). Biological Control – A Florida Also present is a new species of Perspective,Rosen, D., F.D. Bennett control is not as useful as originally The oil extract ofP. stratiotesis used in Philodendron (Fig. 5) with a narrow and J.L. Capinera (eds.). Intercept hypothesized (Dray Jr.et al., 2001). the treatment of worm infestations, blade similar to P. tenue K. Koch. tuberculosis, asthma, and dysentery, Ltd., Andover, UK. Chemical control can be effective, but and is applied externally to treat skin can be accompanied with its own set of Colborn, T. and K. Thayer. 2000. Known species found in the El Chical diseases, inflammation, piles, ulcers, problems such as bioaccumulation in Aquatic Ecosystems: Harbingers of region that were not found in the syphilitic infections and burns (Kirtikar bivalves, fish and other fauna in the Endocrine Disruption. Ecological Lita-San Lorenzo region include & Basu, 2000).Pistia stratiotesis listed food chain (Colborn and Thayer, Applications, 10 (4): 949-957. A. ovatifolium Engl., A. pulverulentum on the checklist of medicinal plants in 2000). Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Sodiro var. adsimile (Sodiro) Croat & Southeast Asia as effective against boils Rodríguez, P. fibrosum Sodiro ex Protection. June 27, 2005. Figure 4. Philodendron Figure 5. New species of Philodendron Though Pistia stratiotescan be invasive, and ezcema (www.arcbc.org). Croat, P. oligospermum Engl. and it is also an oxygenator for fish, and http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/fishing rugapetiolatum Croat. with a narrow blade. Pistia stratioteshas a high potash /fishinfo/anguide_part1.pdf. Stenospermation densiovulatum Engl. helps keep pond water clear. The Many more species that occur in the species provides food for manatees content (Burkill, 1935). The extraction Dray Jr., F., T. D. Center & G.S. of caustic potash from wood ash for use El Chical region are still unnamed (although Dunn, 1934, states that this Wheeler. 2001. Lessons from and new to science. One is a long- natural predator cannot keepPistia in as an emulsifier is probably one of the Unsuccessful Attempts to Establish bladed member of Anthurium section check). Its roots can provide breeding most ancient ethnobotanic traditions Spodoptera pectinicornis Polyneurium similar to Anthurium and hiding space for small aquatic (e.g., Quiapo orPistia stratiotes,one of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a cuspidatum Masters, as well as a animals. the Araceae family; Water Hyacinth or Biological Control Agent of Water Eichhornia crassipes,of the member of Anthurium sect. lettuce.”Biocontrol Science & Pistia stratiotesis reported to absorb Pontederiaceaefamily; the Royal fern or Calomystrium with thick ovate blades Technology.11(3): 301-317. large amounts of heavy metals from Osmunda regalis,the fruit of the Prickly and free basal veins, sometimes even water and are being used in Chaff flower orAc hyranthes asperaof Dray, Jr., T.D. Center. 2002-2004. Water a peltate blade (Fig. 6).Another was a remediation and wastewater treatment the Ameranthaceae family. Lettuce, pp. 65-78. In:Biological deeply three-lobed member of efforts because of their ability to (www.dweckdata.com). However, like Control of Invasive Plants in the Anthurium sect. Belolonchium similar increase water quality (Smirnova & other Araceae, it is poisonous if ingested Eastern United States,R. Van to Anthurium herthae K. Krause from Mironova, 2004). In a comparative because of the calcium oxalate crystals. Driesche (ed.). the Oriente of Ecuador (Fig. 7). study of 10 water plants,Pistia stratiotes Dunn, L. H. 1934. Notes on the Water Several new species of Philodendron showed one of the highest removal References: were found including one with a Lettuce,Pistia stratiotesLinn. as a Figure 6. New species of Anthurium Figure 7. New deeply three-lobed rates for zinc and lead. These heavy APIRS Online, the database of aquatic, thick, ovate blade and deciduous Nursery of Insect Life. Ecology 15 section Calomystrium. Anthurium section Belolonchium. metals were found in or adsorbed into wetland and invasive plants, Center (3): 329-331. cataphylls (Fig. 8). the roots (Awuahet al., 2001). for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, Famine Foods Database: The University of Florida, IFAS On the return to Tulcán, we made www.hort.purdue.edu. Pistia stratioteshas also been used as a http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/search80/N numerous stops at elevations that “famine food” – plants that are not etAns2/ Glazier, K. 1996.Pistia stratiotesL. contained Araceae, collecting many normally considered as crops, but are Ecology and Evolutionary Biology interesting and new species. The Awuah, E., F. Anohene, K. Asante, H. consumed in times of famine (Famine Conservatory. www.eeb.uconn.edu. majority were in flower and large sets Lubberding and H. Gijzen. 2001. Foods Database). In India it was used were collected for type specimens. Environmental conditions and Holm, L. G., D. L. Plucknett, J. V. as a famine food in 1877-1878. In Between El Chical and the Paramo pathogen removal in macrophyte- Pancho, and J. P. Herberger. 1977. China, young leaves are eaten cooked. del Angel, ranging from 1200 to and algal-based domestic wastewater The world’s worst weeds: 2000 m, many species of Anthurium In traditional medicine, dried water treatment systems.Water Science & distribution and biology. East-West section Belolonchium were found, lettuce or tropical duckweed is burnt Technology44 (6):11–18. Center/University Press of Hawaii. most new to science. One species into an ash, then moistened with a pp. 379-384 Bown, D. 1988.Aroids. Plants of the near Maldonado has long internodes drop of mustard oil, and applied in a Arum Family.Century Hutchison thin layer on chronic, enlarged tonsils, and stood more than two meters tall Press. London. twice a day to help get rid of tonsillitis. (Fig. 9).Higher up we found a large (www.bestincosmetics.com). In the Anthurium section Belolonchium with Figure 8. New species of Figure 9. New species of Anthurium Continued on page 15 Philodendron. section Belolonchium. Continued on page 4

14 3 ECUADOR 2004: PART II in the hotel and even the owner left Kirtikar, K.R. and B. D. Basu. 2002.Indian Review of Continued from page 1 the following day on a trip to Quito, Medicinal Plants.Delhi, Sri Satguru Ittenbach, Stephan. 2003. Revision der afrikanischen leaving us in the care of a friend who Publications. Arten der Gattung Amorphophallus (Araceae) a good field person and a competent lived nearby. Livingstone, D. Missionary travels and plant presser. researches in south Africa Englera 25: 1-263. [Available from Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, El Chical lies on the Colombian Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, 14191 Berlin, Germany ($40)] On the journey to El Chical from border across from a small http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/l/livi ngstone/david/mission/chapter32.html. Quito, most of the route consists of Colombian village on the other side This is a classic revision in the tradition of the German-speaking aroidologists Schott (1794-1865) and Engler (1844-1930), although dealing solely with the arid hills with the highway adhering Mayo,S.J., J. Bogner, and P.C. Boyce. 1997. of the Río San Juan with a foot African (including Madagascar) taxa (35 species and 7 subspecies). However, the The Genera of Araceae. Royal Botanic to long winding slopes with lots of bridge providing its electric current author has worked closely with Wilbert Hetterscheid and, between them, they bus and truck traffic. We had lunch from the Ecuadorians. The village is Gardens,Kew. are masters of this Old World splendid tropical genus. Members of the Aroid in Ibarra, the capitol of Imbabura not connected by road to any other Pimentel, D., L. Lach, R. Zuniga & D. Society may remember Hetterscheid & Ittenbach’s extremely useful (standard) Province, then continued on to part of Colombia, and El Chical has a Morrison. 2000. Environmental and work “Everything you always wanted to know about Amorphophallus, but were Tulcán, the capitol of Carchi Province garrison of Ecuadorian army on the Economic Costs of Nonindigenous afraid to stick your nose into” (Aroideana 19: 7-131. 1997) with its key to all then near the Colombian border. The area hill above the town so the soldiers Species in the United States.BioScience. known taxa of the genus, descriptions, photographs, etc. between Tulcán and Tufino is totally run through the streets in the early 50(1):53-64. The treatment’s frontispiece is a classic photo (taken at the same time as the one devoted to pasture due to its morning doing military exercises. in Aroideana 1: 68. 1978) of young Josef Bogner (now an Ehrendoktor!) standing Pimentel, D., R. Zuniga & D. Morrison. among floweringAmorphophallus angloensissubsp. maculatus.The treatment is elevation of 3500 m. After being The single road continuing from the Figure 2. New species of Anthurium 2005. Update on the Environmental and based on study of about 1000 specimens and living material of most taxa. The stopped by a military checkpoint just town across the Río Chical goes on to Economic Costs Associated with Alien- section Cardiolonchium with a dark chapter on morphology (pp. 11-24) is well illustrated with drawings and before reaching Tufiño, we entered an Peñas Blancas, which is really nothing Invasive Species in the United States. purple spathe & reddish spadix. photographs and the chapter on distribution and habitat (pp. 26-34) gives one a area of shrubby vegetation and began more than a house at the end of the Ecological Economics.52: 273-288. general overview. There is an important discussion of the genus, how its parts collecting; most of the species were road. The house is owned by Elisa’s may have evolved leading to a classification delivered in the forms of synopses, Premkumar, V.G. & D. Shyamsundar. new to me, but the area was too high grandparents and it was here that keys, characters, and descriptions and followed by an evaluation of these 2005. Antidermatophytic activity of characters. All this careful reflection (pp. 35-65) leads to a key to African species for Araceae. Just to the east the road Elisa’s father Jim Levy, then a Peace Pistia stratiotes.Indian J. Pharmacol. climbed higher and we entered the Corp worker trekking into the (pp. 66-68), followed by a discussion of the taxa. The taxa are arranged 37:127-128. alphabetically, which means that you can move quickly from the key to the taxon. Paramo del Angel (Fig. 1),with vast lowlands to work with Awa Indian Ramey, V. 2001.Pistia stratiotes.University This has the disadvantage that the taxa closest to each other are not adjacent stands of Espeletia and Puya communities, met and fell in love making it a bit harder to compare the treatments of similar taxa. extending for more than 20 km. The with Elisa’s mother. The Levys live in of Florida. www.aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/ seagrant/pisstr2.html. The best way to communicate the quality of this work is to report an example of paramo was inhabited by llamas Quito part time and also in a house a treatment of one species and assure you that each species has a comparable occasionally right along the road, and they built just east of El Chical. Rivers, L. 2002.Water Lettuce (Pistia treatment, perhaps missing one or two items or adding something else, but to when the paramo was enveloped in stratiotes).University of Florida and Sea show that this is meaty stuff! We spent our first day collecting in fog, the llamas, barely visible among Grant. www.iisgcp.org/EXOTICSP/ Example: Amorphophallus graciliorHutchinson 1939, which begins on p. 160 the Espeletia, gave an eerie sensation. the area of Peñas Blancas, which waterlettuce.htm and ends on p. 165, is a renaming ofA. gracilisChevalier (1920), a name which contains many Araceae. On the way, Smirnova, L. L. & N. V. Mironova. 2004. was an illegitimate later homonym of the same binomial published by Engler in Beyond the paramo the road dropped at the river bridge near El Chical, we Intensification of Biological 1881. The holotype, from Benin (in Paris), was tracked down and found to be steeply to the west and wandered found a large new species of Afterpurification of Municipal useless because of having been consumed by herbarium beetles and therefore through forested hills where Araceae Anthurium growing in a tree, a he here designates a neotype collected in Nigeria in 1946. A full page photo of Wastewater by Some Pleistophyte soon became conspicuous and member of section Cardiolonchium, the neotype appears on p. 162, followed by a full page distribution map on Species.Water Resources 31 (4): abundant with most of the species and one which was being pollinated p. 163 (with two adjacent dots), followed by the full page drawing on p. 164 with 470-473. ❦ many details. The text begins with the citation of the correct name, its place of being new. Finally we reached by small wasp-like bees. I managed to Figure 3. Philodendron publication, its synonyms, its typification(s), a long description, a long paragraph Maldonado. We drove through town get good photos and collected some esmeraldense Croat. on observations, distribution, habitat, and ecology, and finally, citation of other (as looking for a hotel, but saw nothing bees in a plastic bag for later opposed to type) material, including the herbarium where seen, with an obvious and decided to continue on determination, but they all escaped Anthurium anchicayense Croat, exclamation mark if the author saw the specimen. to El Chical, hoping there would be a by chewing their way out of the bag. A. andreanum Linden, The work closes (after thanking various people and institutions) with (1) a classic hotel there. We arrived in El Chical In another area we found two A. angamarcanum Sodiro, bibliography and, for anyone who might have unannotated duplicates, (2) an just before dark and checked into the additional new species, both also A. dolichostachyum Sodiro, A. michelii alphabetic list of collectors and their specimen numbers identified by a taxon town’s only hotel. It was the only members of section Cardiolonchium. Guill., A. peltigerum Sodiro, number, and (3) an index of scientific names. concrete building in town and One had a dark purple spathe and a Dieffenbachia tonduzii Croat & Would that all aroids were as well studied as these African Amorphophalli! though somewhat primitive, it was reddish spadix (Fig. 2) while the Grayum, Philodendron Dan H. Nicolson, Department of Botany very comfortable after I wired a other had longer internodes and a curvipetiolatum Croat, P. esmeraldense National Museum of Natural History couple of receptacles so we could run flesh-colored spadix. Among the Croat (Fig. 3), P. roseocataphyllum Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 20560-0166.❦ the computer and other essential species previously seen in the Lita- appliances. We were the only guests San Lorenzo region were Continued on page 3

2 15 The Collector’s Plant SourceMalesiana Tropicals the Mail Order Nursery Of IAS Newsletter Exotic & Unusual Plants Malesiana Tropicals are regional Vol. 27 – 3 • July 2005 leaders in offering for sale a wide range of laboratory- and nursery- propagated indigenous Malesian A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL AROID SOCIETY plants including rare aroids, CITES- certified Nepenthes,gingers and Tacca, and soon Begonia, Musa and Hoya species. Explorations for Araceae Our range of plants is continually Alocasia venusta Table of Contents increasing. To keep up to date with new introductions, be sure Contents in Ecuador 2004: Part II more than just a nursery. to subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletterby emailing: Explorations for Araceae in [email protected] “Newsletter Subscription” Ecuador, 2004: Part II Thomas B. Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden unique plants typed in the subject box. By Tom Croat...... 1 for collectors, by collectors. Malesiana Tropicals Black Magic and Purple Passion: n August 2004, I continued my botanical garden would profit if she Suite 9-04, Level 9, Tun Jugah Tower, No. 18, Black Aroids Ecuadorian adventure, the first were to join an expedition to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia By Karen Platt ...... 4 part reported in the last IAS Ecuador. Elisa Levy, a botany student Natural Selections Exotics Ph: (+6082) 419 290 • Fax: (+6082) 423 494 I Email: [email protected] Recent Aroid Activities at the Newsletter. During the second half I at the Universidad Catolica, is a www.NSExotics.com Missouri Botanical Garden visited areas on the Pacific and native of El Chical in Carchi Province www.malesiana.com By Tom Croat...... 8 Atlantic slope. I was accompanied by and proved very useful because she Pistia Stratiotes: An Ubiquitous Genevieve Ferry and Elisa Levy. was very familiar with the area. I had Invader By Emily Yates & Kristen Genevieve arrived from Nancy been warned that it might not be safe Kordecki ...... 12 Botanical Garden in France. I met because of Colombian guerilleras Review of Ittenbach, Stephan, Genevieve during a trip to Europe who frequented the area, and Revision der afrikanischen Arten for Josef Bogner’s honorary Ph.D. thought having a local resident along der Gattung Amorphophallus ceremony. Genevieve has great who the community was familiar FIRST CLASS (Araceae) interest in Araceae, but had never with would provide us with a certain U.S. POSTAGE By Dan Nicolson ...... 15 been to a tropical rainforest. Her degree of cover. She also proved to be PAID PERMIT #1040 Advertisements ...... 16 Director, Romeric Pereil, was LEESBURG, FL convinced that Genevieve and the Continued on page 2 34748 IAS Officers President: Albert Huntington P.O. Box 43-1853 Vice President: Dan Levin South Miami, FL 33143 USA Treasurer: Patricia Frank www.aroid.org Recording Sec.: Lester Kallus Corresponding Sec: Julius Boos Membership: Paul Resslar IAS Publications AROIDEANA Editor: Dr. Derek Burch Scientific Editor: Dr. Tom Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri IAS Newsletter Editor: Emily Yates IAS Website: www.aroid.org Admin: Scott Hyndman Figure 1. Paramo del Angel.

1