Hey Daniel and others.....I was wondering if it possible to have an aroid forum on here. I have noticed quite a few threads recently that would be applicable to this category. As you know, Aroids cover a fairly large and diverse group of plants, a lot of which are quite common, Philos, Spaths, Anthuriums etc and also a lot that are very interesting and rare. Also gardeners may not know what an Aroid is, yet they may be growing quite a few in their garden! I just wanted to see if there would be any of interest in this???? Ed
I'm with you Ed! As you know, quite a few of us who use UBC have been corresponding privately. Due to the fact I maintain a website that is largely aroids, I know for certain the interest is now high world wide. I receive hits from well over 100,000 individuals each year. Most are looking for information on Anthurium, Philodendron, and Alocasia but there are numerous other aroids of interest including Caladium, Xanthosoma, Spathiphyllum, Amorphopahllus and others. So Daniel, this idea has my vote!
Would that not be stepping on the toes of the AROID-L list? It's one of the reasons we don't have an alpine garden forum on here, though it'd be a good fit for what we do here at UBC - a lot of alpine garden enthusiasts are already entrenched in lists / discussion forums elsewhere. I'm not ruling out the idea, though.
I really don't think so Daniel. A fair number on this board are also regulars on Aroid l. The moderator of that forum is a friend as are most of the regulars. Some visit my atrium from time to time. The guys and gals on Aroid l like to get into some very deep issues, some I doubt a lot of people who are just interested in growing many aroids would not care to converse about. There are quite a few botanists over there and sometimes the conversations require that I get out my dictionary! Great if you are serious like some of us, but deeper than some might enjoy. Most aroiders are just interested in seeing the interest in aroids spread and the majority of us are doing what we can right now to kindle even more interest in this unusual group of species. So my vote would be not to worry. And since I'm one of the "big mouths" over there (I'm sure someone will second that), I'm sure I'll take the heat if there is any, not UBC! OK guys, I opened the door, so jump on me!
I agree Steve, I am a member of Aroidl also, and it gets very technical over there at times. I was thinking, if we were to have one over here, that it would be more general and would introduce other gardeners into the world of aroids. IMHO, I can't see general discussions over here stepping on the toes of botanists and others, where the discussions are anything BUT general Ed
Well, just to make sure, I sent a post to Aroid l and copied it to you and Daniel. We shall soon see if anyone thinks this is a bad idea! But I sincerely doubt it!
If this does not get as technical as Aroid, it would be a nice to place to discuss and to learn about "Aroid"..... So please explain in simple English what Aroid means and what are the plants that belong to the Aroid group. I have asked friends from US living here in Mexico "What are/is Aroid"? no one can tell me.
Well, I think I can answer that one! Aroids are recognized by their reproduction process. That process always includes the production of a spathe and spadix. The spathe may take on many different forms and may be many different colors. A lot of people call the spathe a flower, but it is not. The spathe is simply a specially modified leaf used to protect the spadix during the production of berries which contain seeds. But the general design and purpose is one and the same. The reproductive organs of the plant are found on the spadix. The group includes Philodendron, Anthurium Alocasia, Colocasia, Xanthosoma, Caladium, Spathyphyllum, Arisiaema, Amorphophallus and several other smaller genera. All are members of the larger family we call aroids or Araceae. And that is about all their is to it!
I'm all for seeing and learning much more about Aroids! I only have four at the moment, but would love to know more and see what's out there and possibly acquire more down the road. I'm sure you would have a following on such a forum!
I sent an email to Daniel Mosquin about this subject; Aroid-l is a different format altogether from this forum, IMHO. In fact, I would go further to say that listserver discussion groups in general are more 'antiquated" compared to today's forums. Why? Listservers take much more time to deliver the posts to the members, and ONLY the members of the listserver can see them! On a forum, posts appear immediately and anyone browsing the forum can view them, even browsers from forums dealing with other plants. These differences mean that when we ask if an aroid forum here would detract from aroid-l, we are talking about whether apples would step on the feet of oranges; it can't happen because they are two different kinds of fruit. I say, go ahead with the aroid forum. There are already a number of aroid forums on other websites and none of them take away from aroid-l, IMHO. Besides, aroid-l is not an organization that dictates who may or may not run aroid forums or other aroid enthusiast groups! I participate in at least three different aroid forums, plus the aroid-l, and each of them has their own audience with particular interests and needs. Long live diversity and sovereignty! LariAnn Garner Aroidia Research http://aroidiaresearch.org
All right, we'll give it a go. I don't have the time at the moment to move threads into the forum, though. It's been put in the Trial Forums area, but I suspect it won't be long before it has enough activity to move it to the Plants by Taxonomic Groupings area.
well, hmmm! i posted here last night. i'm sure of it. k. it's possible i thought i'd hit submit and i didn't (twas late and i was really tired). no matter. i think an aroid forum is a good idea! and i doubt it would interfere with (or offend) the aroid l either - not only is that not a public thing, its format and postings are much more technical/scientific than what we see here (generally). the all-around gardener will be much more likely to post questions in this type of format. having a specific forum here (which WOULD be well supported as evidenced by the numerous recent postings about aroids) would be an opportunity for everyone here to learn a bit more about these fabulous plants!
