Good evening Sir While a large section of West Bengal people likes to eat this variety of * Arum* others do not even touch it. It is not sold in our local market, the people collect it from its natural habitat. They call it KALO-KOCHU (black-arum).
I do not know if this *Arum* grows corm. But i have been told that the leaves and the foot-stalks are eaten, and the same had been noted by Roxburgh<http://ia600607.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=mobot31753000967882&itemPath=%2F18%2Fitems%2Fmobot31753000967882&server=ia600607.us.archive.org&page=n500_w1150.jpg>in Flora Indica. This variety is well distributed in entire Hooghly. I cover about 30 km area to record our flora, and i have seen it in all places. The main inhabitants within this 30 km range often destroys them since they consider it as a weed. But, if left undisturbed they can grow upto 4 ft high. Roxburgh noted three wild species in addition to two cultivated species of * Arum*. It appears to me that it is one of those three wild ones. We have another, more common, wild variety and i uploaded the same at - https://groups.google.com/d/topic/indiantreepix/oVEpOpOg5GE/discussion. No one eats this common variety of wild *Arum*. Both of the above two varieties are more or less similar to their morphology and habitat. Thank you very much. Regards, surajit On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 5:52 PM, Matthews <[email protected]>wrote: > Dear Surajit, > > That looks well within the range of variability of *Colocasia esculenta*(L.) > Schott sensu latu (cf > *Plucknett* 1983. Taxonomy of the genus *Colocasia*. In: *Taro* a review > of *Colocasia esculenta *and its Potentials). > > In such modified habitats, it could be a natural wild form (wildtype) > taking advantage of open, wet conditions, or it could be a cultivar that > has naturalised. Our present knowledge of variability in wild and > cultivated populations of *C. esculenta* is not really enough to > recognise *C. antiquorum* as a species (which was probably described by > Schott on the basis of a cultivated form). > > It would be useful to ask local people if they consider it an edible, > corm-forming type, or an acrid wild form with little value, or with minor > uses. If considered inedible by them, and if the same form widespread both > in modified habitats and more natural environments in your area, and if it > forms a breeding population - then it could be a natural population that > has expanded into modified habitats. If the distribution is very localised > and mainly in modified habitats, then it is more likely to be a feral > (naturalised) cultivar. > > The petioles of cultivated forms of taro range in colour from pale yellow > through light green to dark green, purple and near black, leaf shapes are > extremely diverse, spadix morphology is also diverse (sterile appendage > varies greatly from absent to very long), and vegetative side shoots range > from cormels, to short stolons with cormels, and long stolons without > cormels. > > When the morphology of a wild form lies within the range of the > variability of a highly polymorphic cultigen such as *C. esculenta*, we > need to know a lot more about a particular wild population before we can > consider it it to be a wildtype, or a natural species distinct from the > cultigen. > > Peter M., Kyoto > > > > On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 6:57 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Forwarding again for Id confirmation or otherwise please. >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: surajit koley <[email protected]> >> Date: 18 January 2013 23:34 >> Subject: [efloraofindia:144239] Hooghly Today : Colocasia antiquorum >> Schott. (wild purple var) >> To: efloraofindia <[email protected]> >> >> >> Sir, >> >> This is another wild variety KOCHU, found in ditches and in wet places. >> >> ID key in >> FoC<http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=107697#KEY-1-4> >> - >> (i) Leaf blade adaxially matte...... (water sometimes forming "mercury >> droplets") ------- *C.esculenta* (L.) Schott >> (ii) Leaf blade adaxially glossy and wettable ..... -------- *C. >> antiquorum* Schott >> >> "Bengal Plants" >> describes<http://ia700604.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=mobot31753000237419&itemPath=%2F32%2Fitems%2Fmobot31753000237419&server=ia700604.us.archive.org&page=n453_w1150.jpg> >> :- >> (i) Leaves with a bronze margin; spathe dark yellow --------- *C. >> nymphaeifolia* Kunth. >> (ii) Leaves not bronze-margined; spathe pale yellow --------- *C. >> antiquorum* Schott >> >> F. B. I. vi. 523, describes the above species - >> http://ia700604.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=mobot21753000004381&itemPath=%2F12%2Fitems%2Fmobot21753000004381&server=ia700604.us.archive.org&page=n526_w1150.jpg >> >> "Flora Indica" gives more detailed account :- >> >> - >> >> http://ia700607.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=mobot31753000967882&itemPath=%2F18%2Fitems%2Fmobot31753000967882&server=ia700607.us.archive.org&page=n499_w1150.jpg >> - >> >> http://ia700607.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=mobot31753000967882&itemPath=%2F18%2Fitems%2Fmobot31753000967882&server=ia700607.us.archive.org&page=n500_w1150.jpg >> >> I recorded these pictures today, in Hooghly. >> >> Thank you, >> >> Regards, >> >> surajit >> >> -- >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> With regards, >> J.M.Garg >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 >> 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' >> The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species*& >> eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged >> alphabetically & place-wise): >> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use >> them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image. >> For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, >> please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group: >> http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 2030 members & >> 1,42,000 messages on 31/12/12) or Efloraofindia website: >> https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database >> of more than 7500 species). >> Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of >> India'. >> > > > > -- > Dr Peter J. Matthews > Field Sciences Laboratory & > Department of Social Research > National Museum of Ethnology, Senri Expo Park, Suita City, Osaka 565-8511, > Japan. > > Tel. +81-6-6878-8344 (office). > Tel. +81-6-6876-2151 (exchange, J. only) > Fax. +81-6-6878-7503 (office) > > Administrator: The Research Cooperative - for researchers, editors, > translators, illustrators and publishers > http://researchcooperative.org Please visit and join! > --
