Thanks, guys. That's depressing, but I'm sure you're right.

>> Taxonomy and breeding change so rapidly that as soon as a list is "finished", it is out of date. They are still finding new plant species in China every week!

It also seems that "they" change their minds about genus and species names. Maybe not often, but I keep stumbling on instances of "obsolete" names.

I may grumble about it a lot, but I do understand. Any effort to force evolving living things into rigid categories is doomed to have raggedy edges where rectangular and triangular pegs of different sizes just plain do not FIT into uniform round holes. Life and evolution seem to delight in exceptions, blurred categories, and cross-overs.

Bacteria are even worse than plants. They seem to DELIGHT in imitating each other while crossing genus lines.

Science (and I) would like everything to be neat, tidy, and fit into one simple descriptive scheme. But life seems to prefer "interesting".

I don't envy the taxonomists their task, I'm just glad we have them. In researching Xanthosoma I read numerous posts in the Aroid-L, International Aroid Society, mailing list. These date back to the early 2000's, regarding ongoing research by Eduardo Goncalves of the Laboratorio de Fitoquimica - Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo. He traveled in the southern U.S., Caribbean, Central and South America before publishing his revision to commonly cultivated Xanthosoma in 2011, Aroideana vol. 34. Dedicated folk.

When applicable, I tend to favor the efloras: Flora of China and Flora of North America. The FOC was a 25 year project, and I believe the last of the 44 volumes is being printed this year. The first volume is already 20+ years old. The project was a collaboration of hundreds of botanists from around the world. The continuing additions are the work of Chinese botanists only. Our Minnesota North American Rock Garden Society chapter was fortunate to have Nick Turland, Associate Curator, and Co-director of the Flora of China Project speak at one of our meetings. I also got to talk with him over a private dinner with only one other Chapter member! At least for me, who loves everything language and botanical, it was a real treat, indeed.

The FONA is not finished, but what is finished is available online. So if the genus is there, all recognized subtaxa will be there.

Does anyone else think this thread should be made a "sticky?"

I personally think there's too much contradictory and extraneous information in this thread to warrant sticky status, but you can make it your own "sticky" by "starring" it.

You're probably right about that, Zuzu. But it would be kind of nice to have a sticky for agreed upon reliable sources. I know I'm never sure where to check. Just a thought.

I agree that it's probably a good idea to start a new thread for that purpose, Woofie. Let's recruit @eclayne to do it.

Great idea.

It would probably be best to compile them into a single post and lock it so no one, but a moderator can add to it. If anyone thinks of a new source they can notify the moderator to add it to the list.

Sounds like a good idea to me, Jay!

I'd be happy to work on this. Please be patient.

Oh, sigh, Evan. Remember who you're talking to? Dave has us waaaaay spoiled! But thank you for taking this on! It will be very helpful!