The Aroid Family, Part 2

Part 2 of a long-ass video about Aroids with the aroid expert Tom Croat.

[@kscottz]

This guy is great. Can you do more of these long format interviews with these wise old professors?

[@Deipnosophist_the_Gastronomer]

It's been a pleasure listening to him.

[@eric_has_no_idea]

The part about habitat destruction was depressing. It was a really interesting ride from beginning to end. Really look forward to more interviews like this.

[@TreeHairedGingerAle]

"I had no idea beetles were so raunchy", is somehow the exact sentence that I needed to hear today. 😂 Thank you 🎉🤣😭

[@javitl7382]

Costanza beetles

[@RandomAjay]

“Beetle orgy” had me laughing so hard. Definitely was not expecting that😂

[@captainmidnite93]

Tom is mad cool, he really engaged me with his enthusiasm and dissertation .

[@jonathanwatt9582]

Nov.25 Thank you for interviewing Dr Croat and please seek out other people like him, as what they have seen and done is so important to know. I have known Tom for 40 years, gone on a collecting trip with him, worked in the greenhouse and helped key out plants. He is truly a unique person and totally dedicated to his research but to botany and ecology too. Ask him for a tour of Valley Escondido! That would be a great program! Thank you again for doing the interview and keep up the great work, your site is wonderful.

[@Rubrum89]

If I get reincarnated i wouldn't mind ending up as one of those beetles, sounds like a nice life.

[@katiekane5247]

Lol I was out picking blueberries with a friend today. Out of left field, her 12 year old says "I wanted to be a bug when I was little" seems she saw a ladybug happily living in & eating a berry. Bugs Life was quite popular when it came out. Does sound nice!

[@ZaviaaDHagwood]

Or the flower itself

[@fluuufffffy1514]

New idea for my birthday party! 😘

[@fluuufffffy1514]

"sex and buffet" 👌

[@BubuH-cq6km]

can't beat eating and screwing at the same time

[@beefchicken]

I love that he used a radar analogy. Tom served as a radar tech for two years in the 50s, I love that it’s still influencing his analogies.

[@Nate770]

shout-out to whoever is grinding/cutting/breaking shit up with power tools in the background. really adds to the ambience

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Beats the sound of mortar shells, I suppose. Only slightly.

[@checkthefishbox8556]

For real lmao

[@andrelevesque2405]

This gentleman is a treasure for all of Humanity. Thanks for interviewing him.

[@mellymurloc]

I'm so happy there is a part 2!!! ☺️

[@RobinMarks1313]

I like Tom Croat.

[@katiekane5247]

Bet he's a popular professor.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Awww, badass! Tysm, Tone. Was hoping for a part II on this. I enjoyed part I immensely.

[@odysseyorchids9507]

Perfectly said mate

[@ms.hedgepig458]

This old gentleman is a real gem. Great stories!

[@ripoffrecords]

Monstera borsigiana 'albo' is a good example of how crazy plant prices have become in recent years. This channel itself is a great gateway for people to learn about plants, conservation and how both are integral to the quality of life. He was very interesting thanks for sharing.

[@HolidayGlow]

Albo is nothing... a few thousand at their height. Meanwhile some of the really rare ones were cracking upwards of $50k O_o

[@Gee-xb7rt]

M. deliciosa "borsigiana albo" is "rare" because is its a massive mutant, the white variegation is a detriment to the plant making the plant more difficult to grow. Variegation isn't particularly stable either. Meanwhile you can find a lot of considerably rarer plants for sale at Ecuagenera, like plants Dr Croat has collected and published, two of my faves are smallish shelf plants Anthurium timplowmanii (not plowmanii) and Spathiphyllum ivanportillae named after the owner of Ecuagenera. I think they sell for about 35. usd. Actual rare plants aren't quite the same as popular "rare" plants. Thanks to tissue culture propagation some plants are becoming considerably less rare and more affordable.

[@katcervantes6312]

I love how he showed up wearing his suit. He was ready to talk about plants!

[@MBroam]

I grew up knowing these names as houseplants, Philodendron, dieffenbachia, etc, but watching this has been so illuminating about how fascinating these all are! 💚

[@HyrimBot]

love that background noise of dying machinery!! i was in a noise music band called soundtrack to our demise and we played a noise fest called zombiefest at a crappy bar in downtown st. louis back in the '90s. i'm glad you posted this interview anyway despite it. imagine being able to see electromagnetic pollution! lol 🙈💩

[@fluuufffffy1514]

I can't believe how captivating this old dude is. I could listen to his botinizing stories all day!

[@bumbleguppy]

Banger. Thank you so much both of you. Gonna start wishing for a part 3 someday

[@infowarriorone]

The Aroid Beetle Sex Dungeon, nice.

[@katiekane5247]

Nature provides! At least they're keeping it private 😊

[@babyhands9287]

The legend returns! These are great.

[@odysseyorchids9507]

If you get over to Sarasota Florida hit me up there are a couple orchid growers that you could do this same long format with and I’d love to introduce you to them. I wish my mentor was still alive he worked for selby gradens back in the 70-80s doing the seed germination. He was a wealth of knowledge roger Miller was his name. Anywho palmers orchids and tropiflora are the guys I’m referring to, peep it out.

[@adritalvarez6113]

I had an Anthurium very similar to that one in my backyard in Cuba. It was collected in a small limestone hill in the west side of the country. Around 300 m amsl, seasonally dry deciduous forest

[@junglie]

Perfect timing I've just been noticing the patch of cuckoo pint plants that grow alongside the lane leading into our village flowering at the moment , the red berries look good too later when they ripen. always wondered what they were. thanks for educating me.

[@Gamerkat10]

LOL, sometimes you could barely get a word in- but the good doctor was excited. Excellent conversation, and what a greenhouse... I'd kill to visit.

[@Toddis]

That sound in the background was crazy 😆

[@woofhound]

Hope this is a 10 part series :)

[@AmyHamilton-sm5qk]

As a St. Louisian glad to hear you like it. Mobot is one of my favorite spots here.

[@anschn7166]

The aroid talk was great, but I didn't really follow the point he made with the economy. Singapore (and other rich countries) only have it so peaceful because they've outsourced the destruction (directly caused by their consumption) to poor countries, and the only reason rich countries have been staying rich over the last decades is by outsourcing labor to countries where salaries are low and environmental regulations close to non-existent. And even in the richest countries there is a continuous struggle between environmental activists and corporations that want to exploit the last remnants of wilderness for different types of resources..

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Fascinating. Excellent talk.

[@katiekane5247]

Always nice to hear a discussion with a person of true intellectual curiosity who's also a cool guy. Thanks for part 2!

[@Toddis]

I grew up in St. Louis, spending about 25 years there. I absolutely LOVE MOBOT, it's one of my favorite places ever, id go there and take photos whenever I felt the need and it gave me so much. St. Louis also has an amazing free zoo near by. The city is kind of shitty, but there are some gems.

[@rooteddwellings]

I've been thinking about a way to start nursery type area's for poverty stricken villages near vulnerable rainforest that have the threats of environmental destruction due to poverty stricken communities and put together a program for a person in the tribe to get certified for plant export and work a deal with the government of that region. I will find the funds if any one is interested and has time to work with this idea! i am serious it's been one of my life's mission! I started a business to eventually get my brand to be able to provide this sustainable business. I have 8yrs of plant and soil sciences then switched degrees to sustainable agriculture and then horticulture. I could easily find investments for this project and really want to try!

[@katiekane5247]

Hell of an opportunity, too bad I'm old 😔

[@StuffandThings_]

Iirc, some local collector in Colombia may have saved Zamia montana by collecting it and (responsibly) producing seedlings for export. It may very well now be extinct in the wild due to all the drug cultivation in the cloud forests. Sadly I think the nursery that offered those is defunct now, but it definitely illustrates a similar concept. Conservation through cultivation is an interesting concept, and something I too support when done right. Ideally things shouldn't go extinct in the wild in the first place, but when things are desperate you take what you can get. It would encourage people to see value in the forest, and generate economic revenue for the people that doesn't require destruction of habitat for resources. Not to mention all the amazing plants out there that have never entered cultivation due to near impossibility of ethically obtaining them. Unfortunately, I am in no position right now to join in such a venture, but it sounds like a great idea and I wish you the best of luck!

[@milkrecu]

There is much that can be done. Show the people what is possible by doing it. Give the person a fish, they eat. Show them how to fish, they will never be hungry.

[@peloidvoid1619]

Sounds intriguing. I would like to know more about this 🖐

[@heheheiamasuperstarcatgirl8485]

I'm intrigued! Working on a b.s. in biology with a focus in botany, would be curious for more info

[@zeno3630]

what got into botany was my Giant taro that I bought on a whim when I moved. It had mealybugs and just was not doing well, after learning about it and treating it I fell in love with aroids and other large leaf plants. The alocasia is named big geoff and stated and about 3ft tall and was dying and is now 8ft ish and is just thriving

[@juliashearer7842]

This was fascinating. Thank you so much for this interview. What an amazing thing to be able to hear some of this man's lifetime of knowledge and experience. Fantastic interview.

[@richardlawton1023]

Thanks so much for this. What a wealth of knowledge. A national treasure .

[@azuredivina]

engrossing. all of it. i found myself effortlessly paying attention the entire time, which almost surprised me. grateful to learn so much from these interviews. thanks for all you do!

[@InconspicuousOwl]

This dude is a wealth of information! 🔥😎

[@OnlySlightyRadioactive]

Fascinating interview thanks.

[@OperationDarkside]

So fun to listen to. We need to make more PR for botany. 16:00 Some ancient flower is dying here

[@Bootsz2010]

What a fascinating man! Great interview! 💙🦋💙

[@OliverWhite-vz6zl]

thank you for not cutting any of this out!

[@nikolasalmodovar6420]

Thank you, your content is something, man! And this type of video should be long - it's great!

[@CookieOutaSight]

Invaluable interview. Thank you

[@kscottz]

I have an Anubias barteri flowering in my aquarium. I'm tempted to go dissect the flower now.

[@innovativeatavist159]

Huh...so this is Statler's day job. I wonder if Waldorf ever shows up to heckle the aroids with him.

[@douglaslarsen162]

YO!!! i can watch this guy talk about plants all day everyday lol i love this old man so much haha

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

That screeching was hellacious, but worth enduring👍Brilliant two parter, Tone

[@poodwood]

I could listen to this man all day

[@coricrider2606]

I Love St Louis! I am so glad you visited our fine city.

[@c.i.demann3069]

love hearing this guy talk.

[@flamingstag2381]

man this place is burning up lots of energy hope it has its own PV system !

[@johanneswerner1140]

Orchids are really easy. (1hr mark), at least they thrive in my apartments, at least the normal stuff you get at the florist's or the DIY store (or supermarket). I have to figure out what the plans are we bought with the house, maybe I need to get one of them on a tree or somesuch.

[@speedy19085]

just wanted to let you know that your report about the river turtle hit germany's private news media. keep up the good work

[@negativegains]

Was digga wo

[@speedy19085]

@@negativegains stand letzte Tage im Google feed. ne Tageszeitung aber ich komm grad nicht drauf welche das war

[@negativegains]

Ja hab gefunden Enter "schildkröte chicago" ... or "schnappschildkröte chicago"

[@teuth]

ya know i had aroid for a while but then i got some cream for it and it cleared right up

[@sharon1775]

This was highly entertaining, TY

[@HolidayGlow]

Holy crap, you could just spend decades picking this guys brains and finding new interesting stories and plants and such. Fifty new types of spaths in his paper... damn now there is something I need to read and see!?

[@moominsean]

I could watch a dozen of these videos!

[@odedeinat5810]

great tour! thank you for that!

[@densidste9137]

heck yeah was a great time last vid.

[@RobertBardos]

Wicked good stuff.

[@Purwapada]

really great series hoping for a part 3 that part about government not allowing local people to make a living selling plants really annoys me. lots of bullshit like CITES and the Nagoya protocol "protecting" plants into extinction. As well as botanic gardens who never share plants with anyone

[@soundpalette2438]

My snake lily opened yesterday, I looked in and saw many beetles cavorting around inside and just out of the spathe. If only I knew what I was looking at...

[@niteman555]

I wonder the speciation rate is with these areas that are so prone to mirco-endemic populations

[@johnnycashmoney69420]

3:20 Oh hey, I'm munching right now! No screwing though. Busy beetles be having their cake and eating it nice. GFY

[@anaritamartinho1340]

Female beetle goes to eat on the lipids of the Spadix, and then appears the male that go uppon to the female to mate,..., the female beetle is eating and mating to the male😅...doing twoo things in the same time, have to be a female😅...i learn sooo much with this videos, about Aroid, ..., rise the wish to go to Colômbia

[@steel1182]

This is a lot of knowledge❤ thanks

[@HotelPapa100]

We have Amorphophallus titanum blooming in the botanical garden of Basel right now. Talk about impressive...

[@JornSilverblade]

A little thought experiment. 95% of Ecuador's lowland rainforest has been destroyed in the last few decades. Despite this, dozens of new species are described from Ecuadors remaining habitats every year and I have already discovered new species there myself on iNaturalist through images that people have photographed on site. Despite the gigantic destruction of the forests and other habitats there, there are far more species in the whole of Ecuador than in the whole of the USA! The extent of the destruction is even greater in Madagascar or the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil... Or imagine the vast lowlands of China or India, which have been densely populated for a relatively long time and where most of the land is used for agriculture or other purposes... There were once incredibly species-rich ecosystems there, of which almost nothing is left. Every time I think about how many fascinating and wonderful creatures we have unknowingly eradicated forever, I could cry. Many people urgently need to stand up for the protection of the remaining biodiversity on the planet, otherwise I see a very bleak future for the planet's ecosystems. We should not forget that not only we, but also our descendants will populate the planet. What should they think of us?

[@n8loux]

how they just ignore the occasional demonic screeching in the background is impressive

[@yusufalfyfer9415]

This man is awesome ❤❤❤❤

[@goncalodias1975]

Prof. Croat should have told you to: "Go and collect!" Leave Louie on vacation and make some videos while at it.

[@vlong7112]

How delightful to tune in for the plants and also hear about poverty and quality of life as they impact our relationship with the planet 🥹

[@ericdoe2318]

16:30 well next time I’m at the greenhouse I’ll remember to bring some Wd40

[@andersnrregren9087]

45:00 sound so wild but plz remember what was on the fields befor we made em in to fields

[@alecmagician]

Damn it! I actually learned something new today!

[@ShunNiikura]

great guy! Like him! 👍

[@socialcontracttheory]

awwwwwww yissssssss, this guy again

[@samaylward5342]

bro just rips off those flowers like they don’t take years to produce…that’s how you know he’s the GOAT in his field 😭

[@eleSDSU]

I don't think they take years to produce, I'm not an expert on Aroids but all of my Zantedeschia Aethiopica produce at least one or two flowers per season

[@ericdoe2318]

5:17 Jesus… you said it man

[@B.H.4444]

I really like this guy. My family did conservation work in Columbia too. Respectfully… I do not agree that poor people are the problem. I understand that his studies are in plants but just would like people to notice that there could be an error in the solution proposed.

[@frankmacleod2565]

🍿

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

I probably missed it but ,was the reason for some Philo spaths heating up? Never heard why that's needed.

[@katiekane5247]

I think it got lost in the discussion or I missed it too.

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

@@katiekane5247 I would think only fleas and ticks would seek more warmth. What good are they to a plant?

[@andrewgraves4026]

Thought it was to waft out the pheromone…

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

@@andrewgraves4026 Sounds reasonable. Only done by the large Aroids seems to me.

[@eleSDSU]

​@@StanTheObserver-lo8rxafaik some smaller African Aroids also do this and can reach very high temperatures

[@Wonton1]

Can you do something like this with Bruce Baldwin?

[@jackbennett2269]

nice

[@OkNoBigDeal]

Had I known you were in the neighborhood I’da bought ya dinner.

[@pier6976]

I love this. I would follow this guy around all day long just to listen...fuck the monoculture!

[@aaronskoy957]

He really needs to replace that fan.

[@bonanza27]

this man is a gd treasure and he must be protected at all costs

[@beefchicken]

When I’m 85 I want to be as sharp as this guy.

[@alexdelapaz22]

what a legend

[@GrifynKristianBowman]

❤

[@BubuH-cq6km]

Screwing and Eating" 😂 🤣 😅 What a life 🌺 💪🏼 😎

[@EliezaBaby]

Imagine Boss if global botanical conservation save all those seeds and grow it. And sale it to raise money to protect where all those plants comes from 🤔 who agree with me ? And it stop porching as well 😉

[@maroosk]

Awesome

[@pvtpain66k]

God Bless you for enduring these excellent but tedious ramblings about cool shit. My ADHD can't stand this guy, but really wants to hear one of his stories at a time. For example; "Now let me tell you a story... I don't know how but she she got shot." Come the fuck on man...

[@1Kent]

I like Tony but I got limits.

[@givemoney-o9v]

beginning of Psychocandy squealing in the background

[@Toddis]

Maybe the male bees rub the scent of a specific flower on them, and the females can discern where that flower is to go meet the male to have sex in there later?

[@annarboriter]

It sounds to me that the most expedient way to improve the livelihoods of Colombianos and to conserve the forests and various livezones is by decriminalizing cocaine and other coca derivatives