Re: Aroids

[Dave Wilson <rwilson at octa4_net.au>]

Hello tsuh yang
Thanks for pointing out the mistake with the tacca, I realised later 
when I looked it up in the checklist of vascular plants of the NT and 
was shocked not to see it in the aroids.   I was hoping nobody would 
notice.   I first saw a plant I know as Raphidophora australasica 
growing submerged in streams on the escarpment in the south of Kakadu 
National Park.  The plants growing in the water emerges and climbs up 
trees at the edge of the water, mostly they are terrestrial plants 
with an adaptation to live underwater.   They are available here in 
local nurseries so I put some in an aquarium and some in a pond 
submerged and have had them growing slowly underwater for over two 
years.   They grow much faster out of the water in sandy soil in a 
shaded mist house.

Cheers
Dave

>thanks for the info on Raphidophora.  some species are known as 
>climbers but i didn't know there are some that are aquatic.  now how 
>can you export them to us? :-)  a small correction, Tacca is not an 
>aroid but in its own family, Taccaceae.