Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum ?

I bought some corms of Colocasia esculenta from a seller on ebay this year. The largest one has developed some interesting characteristics which don't fit the standard C esculenta, the others could be the same but are smaller as yet.

The wavy edges, more veins, colouring and a more rounded shape, plus the stem 'eye' joint is dark and it can be seen that the stem at the joint of the leaf behind the big one has a purplish tinge.

This looks to me like the one here

http://ecocrop.fao.org/GPPIS.exe$ShowHost?Host=4772

Can someone, bwilliams? please confirm this for me one way or the other.

Thanks!

It maybe similar to what is commonly called ruffles here. It seems to be a edible form from Hawaii and usually has a red center dot and very wavy edges. It is hard to tell from most besides the waves on the leaves.

Thanks Brian, that possibly means it won't be very hardy then, but I think the seller grows them outside.

I like it!

Ruffles looks like the leaves may be a bit more elongated than yours, but next year you can compare yours with the Ruffles I'm sending you :)

Neal, that's what I was thinking but these things are so darn difficult to pin down! Hasn't yours got red stems?

BTW, this one has a pup already, it's in the greenhouse and I think it will have to stay there, frost last night prob to -3C but nothing there was touched.

Yes, the red stems were the first thing that drew me to it.

Hello All-
My ruffles don't have red stems. Some of them do have the interesting striated patterns though.
If you like red stems, definitely try Pink China which has pink/red stems and is more hardy. I got this just this year and have been really happy with it. I also like C. Red Stem and Alocasia Aurora.
ROX

Gemini if the stems are a different color it may be somthing totally different. If you can get a pic or have one of the whole plant it would be interesting to see. I am not sure if I can ID it after that. It does look similar to another form that may have some coloration on the stems it is a form that produce large tubers and is well known for eating. I am not sure of the Hawaiian name but it can be found at local markets as Taro. If you go to a good market you may fine a few forms of tubers availible. I have grown them out to see what they are and this resembles one I grew out this season.

Here ya go. The tubers look different from my others too; I'll get a pic of those now that they are dug.

Might be able to see the stems more on this one.

The leaves on mine do look just like the C. esculenta Red Stem on agristarts, but the stems are not red, only have a purplish tinge at the top. Could they turn red at a more mature age?

I think the tubers were a very dark reddish colour.

http://www.agristarts.com/colo_redstem.htm

This pic from Japan is C antiquorum var. esculentum, the leaves could be the same from what I can see but no good view of them, the stems do have a purple top. It shows the tubers, I'm sure mine were darker than those, beetroot almost in colour.

http://www.cc9.ne.jp/~ssuto/y-satoimo.htm

The Japanese have a tendency to put things backwards way on, as in their writing, there apparently isn't one called that but according to desert tropicals Colocasia antiquorum is a synonom for Col. esc. var. antiquorum

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Araceae/Colocasia.html

The leaves still look dead on the same as the one at agristarts, Red Stem.

We are assuming of course that these pics have the correct naming, agristarts give their original sources but what is the proper species, will we know for sure? Do these cross easily, if so we can't be sure.

Here is a pic of my Red Stem.

Here is Pink China. (Plant on left)

Aurora. Hiding in the echinacea.

Hi rox,

Thanks for the images, you do have some great plants there!

Looking at Red Stem it does look to have the same number of veins, i.e. 6 from the eye and a triple branched one at the top. I wonder if the amount of sun may affect the red coloring on the stems, but mine are basically green. The leaves I think are the same. The stems I can't explain.

I love Aurora, the stems are a lovely pink. Is the black stemmed one Alocasia Black Stem? It's a beauty! Those two together en mass would really make a show.

Thanks for the compliment.

The purple stem EE is C. esculenta Fontanesii.
This year it grew to 6 feet wide by 6 feet tall! Quite the monster.

Re: the stem coloring.
I now have all my EE inside and the red stem are definitely less less with less light.

ROX

Wow, I don't think it would reach that size here, but I would like to try! We only have a few of them here, I do envy your large selection!

I think Brian's Botanicals can ship outside the US. He has a great selection!
Regretfully, I don't think that I can....can I?
ROX

rox, some businesses do ship but they have to charge for a phytosanitary certificate which is expensive.

The answer to 'can I' is yes, many of us do, but you have to be 'quiet' about it.

Speak later, late here.........

If you need I can get the Japanese Site translated......

It's much easier to ship plants to Canada then to England.
Something about there being a common History or something like that......
Don't have any Canandian contacts at the moment though.

We send packages (not plants) to Cuba thru Germany!
Dumb since we could about throw them there to Cuba from Florida.......lol

Must have been a LATE night in England. I was speaking w/ Baa at 10:30 our time.......
Ric

henry it's OK, the name is in English for the plant on the Japanese site, thanks, well if you really want to I won't complain!

That is strange to go through Germany to Cuba! Must be a good reason for it.

It was 2.29am my last post, not TOO late!

USA can't trade w/ Cuba.
We have a friend there who's having a baby.
We did that round-a-bout route for the shower gifts.
Nuts I know but what are you going to do.......LOL

Ric