MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.

[M Sawmliana]

Location : Lengte, Mizoram

Date : 23-08-2014

Habit : Herb

Habitat : Wild

Note : The spadix is eaten cooked as a vegetable. It has no large tubers like Colocasia esculenta. Plant size is also smaller than C.esculenta. The tubers are not eaten. The spadix is available in local markets. 

With regards,

M.Sawmliana

[J.M. Garg]

Forwarding again for Id assistance please.

Appears to be the same as in another post: Alocasia sp.(Araceae) for ID(A.fornicata?) 
Can it be Colocasia esculenta only ?

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

[surajit koley]

For the two pictures of spadix with spathe and part of the third picture (Colocasia sp. (Baibing) (1).jpg) showing part of the plant I would say, yes, this is wild variety of C. esculenta.

And yes, wild variety is slender, yet sometimes a bit taller than the cultivated ones. Here they grow around village "nullah" (drainage or ditch), having blackish to purplish to reddish petioles. Also its tubers (rhizome) are not eaten.

But, in the picture no. Colocasia sp. (Baibing) (1) - 

the flower shown at the left hand box is from the same plant, then it is not Colocasia esculenta. It would be Xanthosoma sagittifolium. 

I thank Pudji ji here, once again, for introducing me to it.

Please, note that Xanthosoma sagittifolium is more robust than cultivated Colocasia esculenta.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Surajit Koley

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks, Peter ji,
Pl. see more images at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/dfgAON2VjAo

--
With regards,
J. M. Garg

On Mon, 26 Apr, 2021, 7:44 pm Peter J MATTHEWS, <p...@minpaku.ac.jp> wrote:

Dear MS and JMG,

Thank you very much for sending this. This is not Alocasia. The mature spathe and the pistillate zone, and the leaf blade all resemble Colocasia in my view.

The dimensions f the spadix, with enlarged sterile interstice, between the female and male zones, very short male zone, and very long, bulging appendage are very weird!

I will need to check, but as far as I can recall, here is no formally-described species of Colocasia that matches this.

I hope the source population is not restricted to just one location and under threat! The fact that people are harvesting and selling suggests that it is at least locally common.

I have some initial questions, if I may ask...

1) Does this plant produce side-corms, or stolons, or only axillary buds (in each leaf base) that appear dormant?

2) Very little is known about Colocasia spp. generally in Mizoram! Is this plant cultivated or planted in suitable places, or only harvested from spontaneous wild populations?

3) Does the plant have a local name, or do the inflorescences in the market have a special name?

4) Is it just the near-mature spadix that is eaten? All parts of the spadix or just the appendage above the mal and female zones? Is the outer spathe not eaten and therefore discarded?

I would be happy to correspond, and see more photos, if any exist, and to help with further checking that this is in fact undescribed. Does MS live in the area, or is it difficul to revisit?

5) Is there any local botanist or research student who would like to look at this and study the plant further?

Best regards, Peter

________________________________________
From: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, 26 April 2021 4:19 PM
To: efloraofindia
Cc: M Sawmliana
Subject: Fwd: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.

Forwarding again for Id assistance please.

Appears to be the same as in another post: Alocasia sp.(Araceae) for ID(A.fornicata?)<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/dfgAON2VjAo>
Can it be Colocasia esculenta<https://efloraofindia.com/2011/02/18/colocasia-esculenta/> only ?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: M Sawmliana <msawm...@gmail.com<mailto:msawm...@gmail.com>>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2021 at 14:56
Subject: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.
To: indiantreepix <indian...@googlegroups.com<mailto:indian...@googlegroups.com>>


Location : Lengte, Mizoram
Date : 23-08-2014
Habit : Herb
Habitat : Wild
Note : The spadix is eaten cooked as a vegetable. It has no large tubers like Colocasia esculenta. Plant size is also smaller than C.esculenta. The tubers are not eaten. The spadix is available in local markets.

With regards,
M.Sawmliana

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--
With regards,
J.M.Garg

[Peter J MATTHEWS]

Dear MS and JMG,

Thank you very much for sending this. This is not Alocasia. The mature spathe and the pistillate zone, and the leaf blade all resemble Colocasia in my view.

The dimensions f the spadix, with enlarged sterile interstice, between the female and male zones, very short male zone, and very long, bulging appendage are very weird!

I will need to check, but as far as I can recall, here is no formally-described species of Colocasia that matches this.

I hope the source population is not restricted to just one location and under threat! The fact that people are harvesting and selling suggests that it is at least locally common.

I have some initial questions, if I may ask...

1) Does this plant produce side-corms, or stolons, or only axillary buds (in each leaf base) that appear dormant?

2) Very little is known about Colocasia spp. generally in Mizoram! Is this plant cultivated or planted in suitable places, or only harvested from spontaneous wild populations?

3) Does the plant have a local name, or do the inflorescences in the market have a special name?

4) Is it just the near-mature spadix that is eaten? All parts of the spadix or just the appendage above the mal and female zones? Is the outer spathe not eaten and therefore discarded?

I would be happy to correspond, and see more photos, if any exist, and to help with further checking that this is in fact undescribed. Does MS live in the area, or is it difficul to revisit?

5) Is there any local botanist or research student who would like to look at this and study the plant further?

Best regards, Peter

________________________________________
From: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, 26 April 2021 4:19 PM
To: efloraofindia
Cc: M Sawmliana

Subject: Fwd: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.

Forwarding again for Id assistance please.

Appears to be the same as in another post: Alocasia sp.(Araceae) for ID(A.fornicata?)<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/dfgAON2VjAo>
Can it be Colocasia esculenta<https://efloraofindia.com/2011/02/18/colocasia-esculenta/> only ?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: M Sawmliana <msawm...@gmail.com<mailto:msawm...@gmail.com>>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2021 at 14:56
Subject: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.
To: indiantreepix <indian...@googlegroups.com<mailto:indian...@googlegroups.com>>


Location : Lengte, Mizoram
Date : 23-08-2014
Habit : Herb
Habitat : Wild
Note : The spadix is eaten cooked as a vegetable. It has no large tubers like Colocasia esculenta. Plant size is also smaller than C.esculenta. The tubers are not eaten. The spadix is available in local markets.

With regards,
M.Sawmliana

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[J.M. Garg]

Thanks a lot, Peter ji

--
With regards,
J. M. Garg

On Tue, 27 Apr, 2021, 6:16 am Peter J MATTHEWS, <p...@minpaku.ac.jp> wrote:

Dear Sawmliana,

Thanks again. (How may I address you?)

Just to confirm, this is really very different from Alocasia fornicata. It is very likely C. affinis, which I have not seen in the wild unfortunately. Deva and Nathani (1985, attached) published the first substantive description of C. affinis, as far as I can tell, and it does match your plant. They show the double constriction in the spathe, the describe in words the long interstice between female and male zones (not well-illustrated in their sketch, unfortunately). Their sketch of the blade largely matches your photos.

They also mention production of long stolons. Your photos show clumping and also spread of the plant as a kind of understory through the long jhum grass... this is consistent with the way stolon bearing Colocasia spp. spread. As a plant with stolons underground, it may well be tolerant to jhum burning over wet ground.

No-one has photographed or illustrated the stolons of wild C. affinis as far as I know.

A variegated cultivated plant that appears under this name is not so robust. I have only seen the latter, and doubt that the plant under ornamental cultivation is the same as the wild species described by Deva and Nathani (1985), although they mention it as a form of C. affinis.

In sum, your photos may be the first good record of wild C. affinis as described by Deva and Nathani (1985), with a distribution given as in foothills and low altitudes from Himalaya to Assam and Burma. You may also have made the first ethnobotanical record of the use of this plant as a vegetable (I have not yet looked for any local botanical literature from Mizoram).

It would be great if you can publish something based on your observations!

Best regards, Peter

________________________________________
From: M Sawmliana <msawm...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 27 April 2021 12:32 AM
To: Peter J MATTHEWS
Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.

1 . At present, could not answer.
2. This plant is growing wild, not cultivated. Usually found in newly cultivated/jhum areas.
3. The local name is Baibing. Some botanists identified this plant as Alocasia fornicata (you can get some information from Google). This plant is very common vegetation in Mizoram.

On Mon, 26 Apr, 2021, 7:44 pm Peter J MATTHEWS, <p...@minpaku.ac.jp<mailto:p...@minpaku.ac.jp>> wrote:
Dear MS and JMG,

Thank you very much for sending this. This is not Alocasia. The mature spathe and the pistillate zone, and the leaf blade all resemble Colocasia in my view.

The dimensions f the spadix, with enlarged sterile interstice, between the female and male zones, very short male zone, and very long, bulging appendage are very weird!

I will need to check, but as far as I can recall, here is no formally-described species of Colocasia that matches this.

I hope the source population is not restricted to just one location and under threat! The fact that people are harvesting and selling suggests that it is at least locally common.

I have some initial questions, if I may ask...

1) Does this plant produce side-corms, or stolons, or only axillary buds (in each leaf base) that appear dormant?

2) Very little is known about Colocasia spp. generally in Mizoram! Is this plant cultivated or planted in suitable places, or only harvested from spontaneous wild populations?

3) Does the plant have a local name, or do the inflorescences in the market have a special name?

4) Is it just the near-mature spadix that is eaten? All parts of the spadix or just the appendage above the mal and female zones? Is the outer spathe not eaten and therefore discarded?

I would be happy to correspond, and see more photos, if any exist, and to help with further checking that this is in fact undescribed. Does MS live in the area, or is it difficul to revisit?

5) Is there any local botanist or research student who would like to look at this and study the plant further?

Best regards, Peter

________________________________________

From: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com<mailto:jmg...@gmail.com>>

Sent: Monday, 26 April 2021 4:19 PM
To: efloraofindia
Cc: M Sawmliana
Subject: Fwd: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.

Forwarding again for Id assistance please.
Appears to be the same as in another post: Alocasia sp.(Araceae) for ID(A.fornicata?)<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/dfgAON2VjAo>
Can it be Colocasia esculenta<https://efloraofindia.com/2011/02/18/colocasia-esculenta/> only ?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: M Sawmliana <msawm...@gmail.com<mailto:msawm...@gmail.com><mailto:msawm...@gmail.com<mailto:msawm...@gmail.com>>>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2021 at 14:56
Subject: [efloraofindia:383517] MS, April,2021/01 Colocasia sp. for id.
To: indiantreepix <indian...@googlegroups.com<mailto:indian...@googlegroups.com><mailto:indian...@googlegroups.com<mailto:indian...@googlegroups.com>>>


Location : Lengte, Mizoram
Date : 23-08-2014
Habit : Herb
Habitat : Wild
Note : The spadix is eaten cooked as a vegetable. It has no large tubers like Colocasia esculenta. Plant size is also smaller than C.esculenta. The tubers are not eaten. The spadix is available in local markets.

With regards,
M.Sawmliana

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