Colocasia (Qolqas) samples needed!!!

Dear members of Research Co-op Iran,

Many years ago, one of my colleagues saw Colocasia (qolqas) in a market in the city of Bam, or nearby, two weeks before the terrible earthquake there.

Is it more widely grown or sold in Iran?

I am a specialist for the history of Colocasia worldwide, but have learned very little about the crop in Iran. My student, Ilaria Grimaldi is looking for samples from areas near North Africa.

Her request for help is posted here: http://researchcooperative.org/forum/topics/colocasia-esculenta-samples-needed

Best regards, Peter Matthews, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.