Podophyllum

Podophyllum aurantiocaule

(tsayuensis)

Our plants are Podophyllum aurantiocaule subspecies aurantiocaule. A rare white-flowered species from China, or more accurately from Tibet where it grows only in the S.E. of the country in woodlands under spruce and pine. Totally different in appearance to hexandrum.

It was described by T. S. Ying in 1979 in Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica, a tome seemingly little studied by western experts in Podophyllum, Li1ium and many other genera.

This has a pair of opposite, palmately-lobed leaves. It is worth noting that the leaves are pubescent on both upper and lower surfaces. The 3cm white flower is attached at their juncture on a 2-4cm pedicle. In larger plants a small cluster of flowers is borne. The flowers have yellow anthers and a green-white ovary that becomes pink in fully opened flowers. Before maturity the flowers are flat-faced, becoming reflexed only later, the intensity of the pink in the ovary is also affected by age. Flowering is reported as being in May but here our plants have flowered as late as August and September some years. A red squashy fruit follows in September or October.

Podophyllum aurantiocaulepodauraur	£17.50
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Podophyllum delavayi

Podophyllum delavayi has just one or two leaves each of which is some 10-15cm across. In appearance they are a little like softly-textured hexandrum leaves, but they are held above the ground on only a very short stem. They are deeply cut in the manner of versipelle but unlike all of these species they are a fabulous bright red on emergence and hold this colour until well into the season developing marbling and patterning above the red background.

The flowers are borne in a stalked cluster just below the leaves but as they a bright red and very conspicuous, you won't have trouble seeing them. They do need time to settle before they commence flowering, please be patient.

This is one plant will have you wondering if all of the specimens can possibly be the same species. It is however one of those "Snowflake" plants, in the sense that no two are ever the same. A remarkable plant which we think will have a big future.

Photograph © Bill Cooper, with permission

Podophyllum delavayipoddeldel	£15.00
crop failed Large view

Podophyllum difforme

This perennial has variably-shaped, but basically, angular, and often sharply polygonal, leaves. These are green with a central whitish spot and often they have red or purple zoning at the edges. They are held on a bristly peduncle atop a stem 10-20cm tall.

The rounded flowers, up to five per leaf, are held stiffly pendant below the leaves and are 1-2cm long and of deep russet, although “salmon” is also recorded in the wild.

Full or half shade in a moist, but well-drained, leaf-soil.

Podophyllum difformepoddifdif	£14.50
strong, home produced, flowering sized plants Large view

Podophyllum hexandrum Bhutan

Yet another new strain this time one raised from seed collected originally in Bhutan and characterised by its shiny green, unmarked leaves and lovely white flowers and most unusual small red fruits which hang below the leaves in late summer and early autumn.

The seed is less abundant on this one (the fruits are smaller remember) so they are more expensive, but it is just as easy to grow as the others.

Podophyllum hexandrum Bhutanpodhexbhu	£7.00
Strong cultivated, propagated plants. Large view

Podophyllum hexandrum Pink

We have kept this separate as it is pedigree material raised from seed collected in China.

The species is variable and this form seems mostly to have attractive, large pink flowers over leaves that are nicely bronzed and marbled on emergence. Flowering is in April and May and the plant later yields an attractive red fruit which hangs below the leaves.

Easy. Best in a humus-enriched soil in part shade, but tolerant enough to take full sun as long as it does not dry out at the roots.

Podophyllum hexandrum Pinkpodhexpin	£7.00
Mature plants (seed raised, not divisions) Large view

Podophyllum hexandrum White SEP.266

This is a very distinct strain of P. hexandrum, originally of Pakistani provenance and raised from the Swedish Expedition to Pakistan seed, which has white flowers.

A superb, long-lived peat or shade-garden subject. The shiny tooth-edged leaf sits below a very attractive, large flower which in this form is pure white. The flower has a green ovary surrounded by yellow anthers. This is all followed by a spectacular large pulpy fruit (which should not be eaten) that ripens to vivid scarlet.

These are lovely strong nursery grown plants raised from seed of plants raised from the original seed! (the flower colour comes true). Best left to establish, they will go from strength to strength.

Podophyllum hexandrum White SEP.266podhexwhi	£7.50
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Podophyllum mairei

The precise delimitation and description of some of these Chinese forest species is not easy. This one has branching stems with tooth-edged leaves which are almost round, whilst being almost polygonal. The leaves vary in colouring but are usually lizard green and leathery purple in varying patterns, veering towards almost all purple at times.

Below these (paired) leaves, is held a cluster of pear-shaped, pendant, deep purple flowers hanging from the junction of the two leaf stems. Woodsy conditions suit it well here.

Podophyllum maireipodmaimai	£12.50
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Podophyllum peltatum

Fat creeping rhizomes suddenly produce a polished umbrella of lizard green with a coppery sheen that fades as it unfurls and matures.

The large green flower bud sits below the leaves and matures and opens to a lovely, quite large, white, up-facing blossom.

I was amazed to see in Spring 2012 to see that almost all of ours were not only larger than expected, but they were pale pink in flower. As they have always been white in previous years I assume this is an age, or environmental effect. (see below, left. The flowers are lovely in their own right but are later followed by a fat, green, crab-apple-like fruit.

The plant slowly makes an open clump but is never bad-mannered and always lovely.

Easy in the peat garden, or in almost any "woodsey" spot with humus worked in. It looks very good under a small, open shrub such as a Japanese Maple. Part sun (full sun if not allowed to dry out) or light shade.

The sole representative of the genus in North America.

Podophyllum peltatumpodpelpel	£5.00
freshly lifted, divisions of flowering size (but it needs a year to settle and we cannot guarantee flowering in the first year) Large view

Podophyllum pleiantha

A tuberous, forest perennial from Tibet and China. This has a stem which can attain 60cm although they are more like 20cm here.

This stem carries 1 or 2 lobed (5-8 lobes), cut and lacerated leaves which are edged with fine teeth. These are highly ornamental and many are splashed, blotched or zoned with deep purple markings, in their juvenile state - not when mature as a rule.

The flowers appear in May and are deep red-purple. They are held in clusters of up to 15, on a short bristly stem just below a leaf. Each flower is some 3cm long and is followed by a 4cm fruit.

Enjoys a spot sheltered from the wind. Recorded as hardy at Kew where it was grown in semi-shade in leafy soil, it has certainly been hardy here since 1997. Strong rhizomes.

Podophyllum pleianthapodpleple	£9.50

Podophyllum veitchii

Endemic to China, this has a 20cm umbrella leaf (rarely two) deeply cut into 6-8 lobes. The juvenile leaves (but not those on flowering plants) are usually spectacularly patterned, marbled, zoned and blotched in shades of green, bronze, black and white. No two leaves are alike but some of them are incredible in their colouring.

After the leaves the flowers are less remarkable but there are 2-6 hanging pear-shaped blooms underneath each leaf pair. These hang on a hairy red stalk. The exterior is of a very deep purple- to garnet-red, around a paler madder-pink interior.

One of those quietly attractive woodlanders that will appeal to true plant lovers. You will not become a connoisseur by trying to like this, but if it instantly appeals without anyone needing to explain why it is so incredible, then you have already passed through the gateless gate.

These are lovely strong tubers, obtained from China and grown here since, they are well capable of flowering. A rare plant hardly seen out of its native Szechuan, China since it was described by Helms and Wilson in 1906, from light woodland there.

Podophyllum veitchiipodveivei	£15.00
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Podophyllum versipelle

Podophyllum versipelle is endemic to China and has remained very little known over the years. It has a 40-70cm tall stem with one large (20-50cm) umbrella leaf (rarely two) deeply cut into 6-8 lobes, underneath hang 2-15 rounded flowers of very deep purple- to garnet-red, with crinkled tips to the petals, all set around a paler madder-pink interior.

The flowers (produced in a cluster under one of the leaves) flare open with age, to reveal the inner battery of yellow anthers, and as they mature in succession, the cluster of usually has open 3-7 blooms and thus lasts for a long time. I have noticed that the flowers are 'scented' of corned-beef!

Strong plants, established here in a light leafy soil in humid shade and seeding well from clustered, damson-like fruits.

The rhizome becomes large, deep-seated and very drought resistant with time. A splendid accent plant. (Ours are subspecies versipelle, with hairy pedicels)

Podophyllum versipellepodverver	£9.50
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