Tricyrtis propagation

Spring is always an exciting time when fresh plant shoots emerge and the garden springs back to life. Spring is also a very good time to propagate your favourite plants. Not only germinate lots of seeds, softwood and basal cuttings also root easily and quickly from late March onwards as temperatures warm up and daylight hours lengthen.

In my horticultural career I have been propagating many plants. Mostly by cuttings and seed, but I have also done grafting of fruit trees and roses in the summer. However, so far I have only propagated Tricyrtis by division.

Division is one of the easiest propagation methods. It basically splits an existing clump into smaller chunks which then bulk up over the growing season to the same size as the stock plant once was, meaning they most likely will flower in that same season too. In other ways: clones are produced as the genetic material is 100% identical. Quite often this is the most reliable way of propagation, especially when cultivars need to stay true and potential reversions need to be avoided. Taking cuttings achieves this equally by multiplying the same genetic material.

Tricyrtis hirta 'Taiwan Atrianne'

As I visited the RHS garden at Wisley today, I walked through the garden centre on my way out. Their offer of Tricyrtis is rather limited and those that were for sale were only a common selection. Nonetheless I was tempted enough and bought a pot of each cultivar Tricyrtis hirta 'Taiwan Atrianne' and Tricyrtis 'Tojen'.

Generally I refrain from buying plants targeted at the middle class, as the RHS tends to be pricey. On the other hand, customers not only then expect five star quality but also that names and cultivars can absolutely be trusted. The plant quality was indeed superb. Each 2l pot was filled out completely with a very healthy specimen.

Although a pot did cost £8.99, I was able to divide each plant into three clumps so that I ended up with a total bargain. Having bought two pots paying £17.98 at the garden centre, I have now six strong specimen added to my collection. Effectively each pot now only cost me around £3.00 plus a bit of compost for the division.

pot as purchased Tricyrtis 'Tojen'

same plant after dividing Tricyrtis 'Tojen'

And there we are, another addition to my growing collection!

Tricyrtis macranthopsis MASAM. - Liliaceae - Plant Profile

Tricyrtis macranthopsis by eol.org

Authour: Masamune, Genkei (1899-1993)
Synonym: Tricyrtis macrantha subsp. macranthopsis (Masam.) Kitam. or Tricyrtis macrantha var. macranthopsis (Masam.) Okuyama & T.Koyama
Distribution: C. Japan (Kii Pen.) 38 JAP, GPS area 33.73N, 135.38E, Tanabe, Wakayama

Description by Crûg Farm:
Beautiful species from Japan, but is exacting with its demands. Best planted in a raised position, to view the stunning long deep yellow, pendent flowers, which are red spotted internally, carried in the axils of the arching stems from August-November in this variety. Requiring full to part shade, with adequate moisture provided during its growing period, in an acidic to neutral humus rich soil that is well drained. Not surprisingly it is found growing alongside waterfalls in the wild.

To find out more about the original climate of Tricyrtis macranthopsis I looked up climate data of the Tanabe, Wakayama area in Japan. (Data provided by WorldWeatherOnline.com, also with help from climate-data.org)

In Tanabe, the climate is warm and temperate with significant rainfall throughout the year.
Reported min./max. temperatures for the past eight years have been during winter 3°C/7°C and 25°C/33°C for the summer. This concludes to an average annual temperature of 16.8°C in Tanabe. The rainfall there averages 2151mm. Annual humidity varies between 70-90%. This climate is considered to be "Cfa" according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. "Cfa" translates to Humid Subtropical Climate. England is classed as "Cfb" Oceanic Climate with average annual temperatures around the 11°C mark and annual precipitation between 650 and 900mm. Despite the subtropical origin of Tricyrtis macranthopsis, it is considered hardy in most of the UK.

Although its original habitat is located in C Japan the climate seems very similar to the Kyushu, Southern Japanese climate we learned about when looking at Tricyrtis ohsumiensis.

In comparison to the description above, this is a snippet of an original publication of Flora of Japan : in English : combined, much revised and extended translation / by the author of his Flora of Japan (1953) and Flora of Japan, Pteridophyta (1957) ; edited by Frederick G. Meyer and Egbert H. Walker. Tricyrtis macranthopsis was first published in 1935 in Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 25: 251 (1935).

Flora of Japan (1953) - biodiversitylibrary.org

Tricyrtis macranthopsis Masam.
Brachycyrtis macranthopsis (Masam.) Honda; T. macrantha var. macranthopsis (Masam.) Okuyama & T. Koyama Kii-Joro-Hototogisu.
Rhizomes short; stems 40-80cm long, reclined above; leaves distichous, narrowly oblong-ovate, 7-17cm long, 2.5-5cm wide, lustrous above, glabrous, gradually acuminate, cordate and clasping with 2 basal auricles or the lower edges placed on each side of the stems, pale green beneath and subglabrous to sparsely hirsute on the nerves; flowers axillary and terminal, solitary to few, pendulous, 3-4cm long, tubular-campanulate, glabrous; tepals oblanceolate, clear yellow, with brownish purple dots inside, the outer ones with a short spur at base, short-mucronate. Aug.-Oct., Mountains; from Honshu (Kii Prov.); rare, Occasionally planted in gardens.

Tricyrtis macranthopsis Added to the Collection

Today I received another plant delivery. This one included an eagerly anticipated addition to my collection: Tricyrtis macranthopsis. Sadly they have got a bit squashed during their transit but otherwise in good condition. The foliage looks very bright green, usually a sign when plants have been grown in polytunnels - the extra shelter encouraging soft fresh growth. But as I am unfamiliar with this particular species time will tell whether they always shoot this brightly in spring. Again I am incredibly excited to see this one growing in my own garden from now on.

Tricyrtis macranthopsis

Tricyrtis macranthopsis

Below shows an overview of my collection so far. Yes, yes... still not that impressive but we are getting there.
So there are Tricyrtis ohsumiensis, Tricyrtis macranthopsis and Tricyrtis formosana now. I am still waiting for my big Tricyrtis plant order to arrive. Haven't heard from the nursery, perhaps I ought to chase them up...

My Tricyrtis collection as of March 2017

Making contact with Plant Heritage

@PH spring prop meeting 2017

On Wednesday I attended the Hampshire Group Meeting of Plant Heritage. It was a lovely social event where Rosie Yeoman taught us about spring propagation at Lynsey Pinks' House. I definitely crashed the average age by far as all other members were 60+ and I felt like the black sheep at first. But everyone made me feel welcome and it turned out a very nice afternoon with new friends.

Very fortunately our Hampshire chairman Doug Smith also joined us so I found myself surrounded by quite a few committee members. I breached the subject of Tricyrtis and was able to ask a few questions. Rosie pointed me towards Sophie Leguil and was delighted to hear about my interest of Tricyrtis as there is indeed a lack of conservation on that front.

After contacting Sophie I found out there have been previous National Collections of Tricyrtis in the past, one in Gloucestershire and one in Carmarthenshire, both no longer exist, yet there might be a small chance of exchanging knowledge perhaps. As mentioned before, Crûg Farm is also a good place to enquire about more details on Tricyrtis, as well as Beeches Nursery in Essex seem to have a good range of Tricyrtis on offer, some of which seem unavailable otherwise.

Sophie also mentioned a French nursery which offers an extensive range of Tricyrtis. I had only a brief look at their online catalogue so far and I found some new names which are not on any of the RHS lists or Plant Lists. I think I will focus on British sources first and will look at French or German growers when I am more familiar within the Tricyrtis subject. At the moment it feels overwhelming as my brain is trying to sort the flood of information into a more structural system.

I have sent emails to varies people, hoping they are happy to answer some of my many questions. Of course, I would much prefer talking to them in person. I am impatiently waiting until May when I head towards Wales, however, at present I am unable to make it to Essex.

With Plant Heritage being contacted and informed about my intend to collect Tricyrtis I feel the pressure is now on and no turning back. This whole project is very thrilling. I am excited to meet professional colleagues and make new friends.

Tricyrtis ohsumiensis MASAM. - Liliaceae - Plant Profile

An online research

Author: Masamune, Genkei (1899-1993)
Commonly misspelled as Tricyrtis oshimensis

from bethchatto.co.uk

Synonym: Tricyrtis flava subsp. ohsumiensis (Masam.) Kitam., Coloured Ill. Herb. Pl. Jap. 3: 146 (1964).
Distribution: S Japan (Kyushu: Ôsumi Pen.) 38 JAP (GPS area: 31.21N, 130.62E)

Description by Beth Chatto:
An exotic-looking plant for cool, shady conditions and damp leaf-mould soil. Forms clumps of many stems with pairs of rich-green, pointed leaves facing opposite ways are wrapped round the stem, each forming a cradle for butter-yellow, lily-like flowers 5 cm. across, faintly peppered with red. Protect from slugs in early spring. Height 61 cm

Description by Crûg Farm:
A delightful relatively small species originating from Kyushu southern Japan. Forming a stocky plant with stem-clasping waxy leaves which are heavily blotched hiding the stems (20-30cm tall extending to 50cm after flowering). The upward facing sizeable pale yellow spotted flowers are borne in the axils August-September. Best cultivated in a humus rich leafy but well drained soil in full-part shade.

I found a good looking map of Japan and added the origin of Tricyrtis ohsumiensis, according to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Map of Japan edited with Tricyrtis ohsumiensis distribution added

To find out more about the original climate of Tricyrtis ohsumiensis I looked up climate data of the Ibusuki, Kagoshima area in S Japan. (Data provided by WorldWeatherOnline.com, also with help from climate-data.org)

Reported min./max. temperatures for the past eight years have been during winter 4°C/13°C and 22°C/34°C for the summer. This concludes to an average annual temperature of 18.4°C in Ibusuki. The rainfall there averages 2310mm. Annual humidity varies between 70-85%. This climate is considered to be "Cfa" according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. "Cfa" translates to Humid Subtropical Climate. England is classed as "Cfb" Oceanic Climate with average annual temperatures around the 11°C mark and annual precipitation between 650 and 900mm. Despite the subtropical origin of Tricyrtis ohsumiensis, it is considered hardy in most of the UK.

The original habitat suggests woodland conditions with rich, moist soils and plenty of leaf litter or organic material. Simone Armer writes in her travel blog a fascinating description of climbing up Mt. Kaimondake, which overlooks Ibusuki with breathtaking views of Lake Ikeda. Worth a look to get an idea of the southern Japanese geography.

Hiking Mt. Kaimondake, Ibusuki by SimoneArmer.com

In comparison to the descriptions above, the original publication has been made in the Journal of the Society of Tropical Agriculture. [Nettai nogaku kwaishi]. Taihoku [Taipei] - J. Soc. Trop. Agric. 2: 41 1930, superseded by J. Agric. Assoc. China (Taipei). Below is a snippet of an original publication of Flora of Japan : in English : combined, much revised and extended translation / by the author of his Flora of Japan (1953) and Flora of Japan, Pteridophyta (1957) ; edited by Frederick G. Meyer and Egbert H. Walker.

Flora of Japan (1953) - biodiversitylibrary.org

Tricyrtis ohsumiensis Masam. TAKAKUMA-HOTOTOGISU.
Stems 20-50cm long, nearly glabrous; lower leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute, the upper elliptic to oblong, clasping, abruptly acute, 5-20cm long, 2-6cm wide, glabrous; flowers axillary and terminal, one or 2, yellow, nearly spotless, 2.5-3.5cm long, the pedicels slightly shorter to longer than the flowers, the tepals narrowly obovate or obovate-oblong, about 1cm wide, the inner segments slightly narrower. Sept.-Oct. from Kyushu (Osumi Prov.) S Japan.


As I gather more of my own experience and photos I will of course add those to this blog too. And another entry on my bucket list: travelling to Japan.

New additions to my collection

When I started thinking about this new project of maybe starting a Tricyrtis collection, I only had T. formosana, the most common toad lily growing in my garden. Last autumn when they were in flower again, I got so excited and delighted, realising how much I love those plants. That was the beginning for all this.

Since many hours of research and learning more about this beautiful genus I have been itching to add new specimen to my garden. T. formosana looked quite lonely and any of you would have laughed at me:

Is that all you are having? All this fuzz for three pots of T. formosana? You call that a "collection"?

But hey: Don't we all start small? And one has to start somewhere, right?

So after I determined what species and cultivars are available within the Tricyrtis genus and which of those are considered rare I was keen to do some shopping. As any passionate person can relate, such shopping adventures can lead to some expensive spendings. Pace yourself! I told myself. Little by little, as fundings allow. Or to phrase it famously: Rome wasn't build in one day.

I was happy to spend (or invest as I see it) £100, which is already quite a big start. I went ahead shortlisting my favourites and ordering those online. I tried to order them in threes, as required by Plant Heritage and also to have backup for the worst case scenario. Not to forget of course my trip to North Wales when I will be visiting Crûg Farm with yet another shopping list.

• T. ohsumiensis
• T. macranthopsis
• T. flava
• T. ishiiana
• T. latifolia
• T. 'Sinonome'
• T. 'Moonlight Treasure'
• T. 'Golden Leopard'

Quite a few of them still have to be confirmed by the nurseries, as they apparently shoot late and they don't want to send me a potentially empty pot. Patience is required here it seems.

My T. ohsumiensis, however, has already arrived. Needless to say I am incredibly excited to be able to call this gem my own from now on. I cannot wait to see it growing and flowering and then being able to take my own pictures.

Three T. ohsumiensis added to my collection

More Research Results from the PlantList.org

Tricyrtis perfoliata, from plantdelights.com

A second research went towards what botanists in the world know about the genus Tricyrtis. So I went to the Plant List, an online collaboration of major botanic gardens and institutes to list all known plant species ever found, discovered and described. Although on this list there aren't any descriptions published, it still gives a pretty reliable idea of how many species within the Tricyrtis genus have been discovered in the wild and which botanist did the original naming and description. That information is essential if one would want to dig real deep into the botany of this genus.

This list also gives valuable information about previous names, now synonyms, as plants have been revised over time. As I am sure many of you might have come across this obstacle, plants seem to have more than one name, and that does not even consider the numerous common names that exist. A very confusing matter and even more complicated trying to untangle the name jungle. No surprise that I will not dig deep there for now, although I am fairly curious to find out more at a later date perhaps.

Accepted names within the genus Tricyrtis according to the Plant List are as follow:

• Tricyrtis affinis Makino
• Tricyrtis chinensis Hir.Takah.bis
• Tricyrtis flava Maxim.
• Tricyrtis formosana Baker
• Tricyrtis formosana var. glandosa (T.Shimizu) T.S.Liu & S.S.Ying
• Tricyrtis hirta (Thunb.) Hook.
• Tricyrtis imeldae Guthnick
• Tricyrtis ishiiana (Kitag. & T.Koyama) Ohwi & Okuyama
• Tricyrtis lasiocarpa Matsum.
• Tricyrtis latifolia Maxim.
• Tricyrtis macrantha Maxim.
• Tricyrtis macranthopsis Masam.
• Tricyrtis macropoda Miq.
• Tricyrtis macropoda var. chiugokuensis (Koidz.) Ohwi
• Tricyrtis maculata (D.Don) J.F.Macbr.
• Tricyrtis nana Yatabe
• Tricyrtis ohsumiensis Masam.
• Tricyrtis ovatifolia S.S.Ying
• Tricyrtis perfoliata Masam.
• Tricyrtis pseudolatifolia Hir.Takah.bis & H.Koyama
• Tricyrtis ravenii C.I Peng & Tiang
• Tricyrtis setouchiensis Hir.Takah.
• Tricyrtis stolonifera Matsum.
• Tricyrtis suzukii Masam.
• Tricyrtis viridula Hir.Takah.bis

This knowledge opens up a whole new research tree and many more questions. (... this is when I get distracted easily...) Who are these botanists? Where have they found those species? And what are those original descriptions?

I have not yet looked further into the authors but they seem at first glance mostly Japanese which could make research into their notes and descriptions rather tricky. If their journals are written in Japanese I will have no chance reading any of it. Unless there are translations to find somewhere? We will see. At the moment I am curious to find standard descriptions for each species to familiarise myself with each and learn more about the different Tricyrtis.

Plant Guardian Scheme

When considering to start a National Plant Collection, sometimes people may already own a few specimen. More often than not, however, people would like to start a collection without any previous accumulation of specimen and the thought of holding an official National Collection is only vague (or daunting). Quite often the first thought is just to collect for the joy of it, rather than with a purely scientific aim.

So not surprisingly I fall into that same category. I would like to start a Tricyrtis collection mostly for the fun of it, so that I can enjoy their diverse beauty in my own private garden. As I would love to learn more about this genus I would then be able to study specimen more in depth right in my backgarden. The thought of making that a National Collection is more a long term goal, thinking years ahead. Although of course, I am very interested in how this whole Collection business works, hence my research so far.

Since 2013 Plant Heritage offers a small scale conservation scheme, where members can register as Plant Guardians. This scheme appeals to those that are not able (or simply do not wish) to cultivate an extensive range of plants within a genus and merely focus on just one ore two species (or cultivars). The only requirement here is that the plant has to be rare of course, so it supports the conservation of that particular plant.

There is a list published on the Plant Heritage Website with entries of all the rare plants which have been added under the Plant Guardian scheme. Interestingly there is not a single Tricyrtis entry to be found.

My thought process takes me towards this scheme at the moment, since I don't own a collection as such yet and only have a couple of rare species in my garden, I am considering registering as Plant Guardian.... I will keep you posted.

First RHS Research Results

With the first research done, I have now got a better idea of what I am aiming for. I spent many, many hours looking up varies information, as outlined in my post "And so it begins..."

Results so far seem encouraging, meaning I have not changed my mind and am still keen to start collecting. I enjoyed the research part so much, it took me right back to my good old University times. Also I have been very easily distracted with tons of ideas whizzing through my head, information I want to add to my files etc, ways of organising the information and structuring tables, displaying info and most of all finding really interesting websites that completely take me away from my original purpose of the research. All too common... so stay focused!

Within the 163 hits on the RHS plant finder I have now added the amount of suppliers per entry. At the same time I have checked each supplier listed based on their internet appearance. Disappointingly many of those suppliers do not always actually offer those plants for sale, or at least not publicly on their website. Either they are not offering an online shop or mail order service all together, in which case I have no means to check the availability of a particular plant, unless I visit in person or ring them up. But even those nurseries that have a plant catalogue online, don't always list those species or cultivars according to the RHS entry. Whether their stock plants have perished or propagation simply has been discontinued as there was very little demand for that plant, it remains unknown. Fact is that those Plant Finder entries turn out rather unreliable and totally outdated.

Tricyrtis flava, from Shikoku-garden.com

However, I did make an interesting find as I was looking through all the suppliers and which Tricyrtis they offer at what prices etc. Crûg Farm stood out the crowd with the most extensive range of Tricyrtis on offer for sale. Not only that, most of those have been collected in the wild, which is what Crûg Farm is well-known for.

I had heard about Crûg Farm many times before, I mean who in the British plant world has not? And yet I know very little about this nursery, assuming their wild collections focused on shrubs mainly and foremostly. Well concerning Tricyrtis this was a fantastic find for me. As there was a potential trip for my wedding anniversary planned, I cleverly arranged it so we are heading to North Wales in May 2017. Well excited! This project reached a whole new level. I have so many questions to ask:

• With such an extensive collection of wild collected material, why haven't they registered Tricyrtis as National Collection?
• Or maybe they had in the past? And simply don't have the time for the research and paperwork anymore, as I would imagine all those other thousand wild collected plants need looking after too.
• Why is there not a single Tricyrtis specimen in the Plant Guardian Scheme listed, as many are inevitably rare?
• Would they be happy to be interviewed on Tricyrtis?
• Would they be happy to share notes of their expeditions? Are there any notes? Photos?
• Are they planning to travel to Japan again with the aim to look at more Tricyrtis? Can I join?

Apart from this mega find, I also noticed during the research that a lot of those RHS entries are listed without any suppliers. So I am wondering: Are those already lost/extinct or is somebody still quietly cultivating some incredibly rare specimen in a private garden, just not commercially? But would then that not fall under the Plant Guardian scheme? And yet there was no Tricyrtis entry on the Plant Guardian list.... mmhh. So many more questions....

Off to more research.

Detailled Requirements to Consider

Apart from the passion for a specific plant and a keen willingness to research information about that plant, there is a little bit more required if you want to pursuit registering a National Plant Collection.

First of all you should become a member of Plant Heritage, that really goes without saying. Make yourself familiar with your local group within the organisation and perhaps start talking to fellow collectors and committee members. They usually have lots of passion for their own collection, but most of all can share their experience first hand as they went through the same process.

If you are still determined to make your plant collection official, then follow these steps as stated on the NCCPG website:

1. Fill in a simple Proposal form and send it back to Plant Heritage. At this stage you do not need to have a large collection of plants. Do have a look at our detailed Information sheet.
2. Get in touch with your local coordinator who will be able to help you through the process, or with our friendly Conservation team.
3. The Proposal is passed on to our Plant Conservation Committee who will provide advice, direction and contacts.
4. Once the collection is ready you will be able to fill an Application form, which gives a full picture of the collection: types of labels and records, local climate, facilities, contacts with other growers, research undertaken, etc.
5. Your local coordinator will visit and review your collection so that it can be presented a second time to the Plant Conservation Committee, who will decide to award you National Collection status.

(I would imagine that sounds more scary than it really is. I will happily share my personal experience on that matter when it comes to that. For now I am still researching... so please read on.)

From the NCCPG twitter

OK, so now we know what to do in what order. But still not quite sure what exactly is involved to run a National Collection. I will enlighten you. These detailled requirements have been copied from the application form which can be found on the Plant Heritage Website.

• The applicant must check that they have chosen the most appropriate Category for the Collection, a Collection may cover more than one category, but one must be selected as the primary one.
• A substantial number of the available taxa within the agreed scope should be held in the Collection, as determined by prior agreement with the Plant Conservation Committee.*
• Applicants and Collection Holders are encouraged to ensure that their Collection is as complete as possible within the agreed scope.
• There is no minimum number of taxa to be held in a Collection but for species where there is limited taxonomic diversity, a greater level of genotypic or geographic diversity would be expected.*
• In most cases the Collection should include at least 3 plants of each taxon for annuals, tender and hardy perennials, and at least 1 for trees & shrubs, with evidence of on-going propagation.*
• The plants should be, within reason, free from pests & diseases and physiological disorders.
• The site should be weed free and allow sufficient space for the development of the Collection.
• Cultural practices should be appropriate to the Collection and the area.
• The plants should be in a permanent position and the Collection needs to have been established for a certain amount of time before it can be considered by the Plant Conservation Committee.
Guideline establishment periods:
• 2-5 flowering seasons – annuals, herbaceous plants;
• 3-5 growing seasons – fast growing trees & shrubs;
• 5-10 growing seasons – slow growing trees and shrubs.
• Labelling must be permanent and visible to visitors, including name and accession number as a minimum. A robust back-up labelling system is required in case of the loss of labels. If security is a problem, plants may be numbered in conjunction with interpretative material for visitors.
• The minimum amount of information held in the Collection records should be the full name of the plant, accession number, date of acquisition and source. Collector’s numbers and changes in nomenclature should also be included if appropriate.
• A written succession plan detailing what will happen to both plants and records should the Collection Holder be unable to maintain them.

Also to consider:

• A Collection Holder agrees to grant reasonable access (paying or not) at relevant times of year through open days or by appointment; and access at any time of year for authorised officers of Plant Heritage by prior agreement.
• Within reason and in accordance with national and international legislation, the Collection Holder agrees to provide material, either plants or propagules to Plant Heritage or bona fide individuals, commercially, by exchange or as a gift.

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What it takes to start a National Plant Collection?

You may wonder what it actually involves to start a National Plant Collection (NPC). Is it enough to simply add new species or cultivars to your garden? Well, it is a little more scientific than that. Equally, it is not overwhelmingly technical either.

The Plant Heritage website unfortunately is not too informative on that subject until you dig deeper. The application form for a NPC gives a lot more detail, although many would not necessarily look here when they are only at the very beginning of 'maybe having a NPC'. So for those that may not pursuit this idea with full steam but are generally interested in the subject will not find comprehensive information without more in depth research.

'This conservation scheme relies largely on your research.'

And that is already the essence of preparing for a NPC. This conservation scheme relies largely on research. How else would you know what to collect and which plants are rare or endangered? In depth research is required at all times and therefore also the knowledge of how to acquire genuine information.

Nowadays research could not be easier. The internet enables us to access everybody and everything. Countless amounts of files and data is stored on online servers to provide the whole globe with shared knowledge, historical facts and personal experience.

I dare to imagine what research must have been like 50 years ago. Computers were not available to the general public. Only libraries collected knowledge in form of books and magazines, yet most libraries would only have very limited if any information on specific topics such as rare and endangered plants. Even today libraries are poorly stocked on that matter as it is far too specific and rarely demanded by library general users.

Specific scientific knowledge on rare topics requires specific libraries which offer such information. I only know of one library in England that would fulfill such expectations: the library at Kew Gardens in London.

Library at Kew Gardens, London, UK

It is indeed one of the most important botanical reference sources in the world. Not only books are available, this library also stores botanical illustrations, photographs, letters, manuscripts, periodicals, many of which are many decades old and origin from the colonialistic age when botanic expeditions frequently set out to explore the world. Letters and journals tell stories about incredible adventures and how botanists saw the plant world in those days. Many descriptions and most of all plant names have been revised (and potentially changed) since, so a lot of the information might be difficult to match up with knowledge we know today.

So despite the internet being a fantastic tool when it comes to research, some written knowledge is still on paper the 'old fashioned' way. In any case, research is time consuming, not only to find relevant information but also to filter out genuine information amongst the junk which is cluttering the internet, as well as books.

And so it begins... research!

So last night I have done an initial research of Tricyrtis. Rather than just having a dreamy idea I want to determine what it really involves. What is out there? How many Tricyrtis are we talking?

As National Plant Collections (NPC) are heavily relying on the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and their annually published plant finder, I looked up how many entries of Tricyrtis the RHS lists. 163 results for Tricyrtis, that includes species, hybrids, varieties or cultivars which have been grown for ornamental purposes and have been or still are commercially available.

163 sounds a lot to start with (although nothing in comparison to other genera, thinking of the endless Iris or Rose cultivars out there), but at a closer look it is actually much less. Many entries refer to a synonym which means in fact several entries are copies of each other.

I copied every single entry into my Excel file, where I will start collating all the information. Now I will compare those entries with a search on The Plant List, a collaboration of all major botanic gardens which lists every known latin plant name. For lazy reasons I will refer to that as the 'Kew list'.

So this is Kew's list for Tricyrtis. It basically includes every single species of Tricyrtis ever known, discovered or described and also includes all synonyms and name changes. That should enable me to cross out synonyms and filter relevant names and species. But the Kew list does not count garden varieties and cultivars. Therefore Kew 'only' provides a comprehensive list of Tricyrtis species ever known to us, whereas the RHS gives an indication of cultivars ever known to us.

Screenshot of Tricyrtis Search on the Plant List

After that I will look back at the RHS search to determine which of those entries are still available on the market (supplied). In the end I should have quite a good idea of the current Tricyrtis situation. Which species and cultivars exist, which ones are readily available and which ones are rare or only growing in the wild and not in cultivation at all. Wish me luck.

I need 48hr days...

Conservation through Cultivation

Plants as we know them today will be very different tomorrow. As plant breeding continues, fashions come and go, as well as habitat loss in the wild, many plant species and their bred varieties will quietly disappear over time. To collect species and hybrids within a chosen genera in British gardens, those plants and their genes will be kept safe from extinction.
 

" We keep rare plants growing… "

Much like an art collector is accumulating original oil paintings to preserve their superb condition. Or much like a zoo keeps endangered species to ensure their survival.

So with this idea the National Council for the Conservation of Plants & Gardens (NCCPG), or short Plant Heritage, has been founded as a registered charity in 1978. It was "to combine the talents of botanists, horticulturalists and conservationists with the dedication of keen amateur and professional gardeners to encourage the propagation and conservation of cultivated plants in the British Isles; encourage and conduct research into cultivated plants, their origins, their historical and cultural importance and their environments; and encourage the education of the public in cultivated plant conservation."

There are many ways of supporting this scheme. 

One of the easiest ways is probably to sign up and become a member. Just by being a member and joining Plant Heritage in the promotion of plant conservation already helps a lot and comes with a few perks. Once a member one could set up their own NPC by starting to research and collect plants leading towards the application of NPC status. Although this is time consuming and requires a fair amount of passion and space to grow your favourite plants. The more special the plant the better. Or become a plant guardian, where instead of growing many specimen within a genera only one or two rare species or varities are enough for the application. Or simply donate without any further comittments.

More information can be found on the Plant Heritage Website here.

Why Tricyrtis?

On the question of 'Why of all plants have you chosen Tricyrtis?'

I like so many plants, it is indeed difficult to pick only one that ranks as ultimate favourite of all. A common 'problem' (if a problem at all) amongst plant enthusiasts and collectors. Certainly then having to choose a genus as an all time favourite is even more difficult, because the plant species within a genus may vary quite significantly. However, on my rather long plant list of favourites, Tricyrtis has always been fairly high up.

To be honest, until recently, I did not know much more about Tricyrtis then the popular T. formosana. As much as I could guess that there were more out there, yet that species alone won my heart instantly. I love the exotic look of the flower, its star-shape appearance with those maroon dots and freckles all over, and then topped by this mysteriously looking stigma. And if you look closely the surface of the petals and tepals is so velvety it sparkles in the sunshine. A highly attractive flower.

Tricyrtis formosana

When I first learnt about Tricyrtis about 10 years ago, it was talked about as a speciality, thought to be tender and therefore a tendency to be classed as a rare plant. Indeed, Tricyrtis is not a common sight in English gardens. Generally I like special or rare plants, gems amongst the sea so called of easy-maintenance and good performance plants. This does not necessarily mean rare plants are all difficult to grow, but there certainly is a tendency, hence their meager success in the commercial world. But more so, uncommon plants are just different to what you see every day and stand out of the crowd, an aspect I always cherish.

Now as I learn more about this wonderful genus, Tricyrtis actually is not that tender at all so long one does not live in the deep freeze. They can cope with frost alright. Perhaps not so well on the continent, where frosty spells last several weeks potentially (although the climate is changing and seasons are by no means predictable anymore).

Another big brownie point for Tricyrtis is that it loves shady woodland habitats, just like my other top favourites: ferns. My all dream garden (beside a lush subtropical one) is full of ferns (Adianthum, Cyrtomium, Dryopteris, Polystichum, only to name a few), tree stumps, Ophiopogon, Luzula, lots of moss, a few hostas and witch hazels, snowdrops, bluebells and maybe a small stream meandering through. Tricyrtis fit in perfectly!

So with my initial research I searched for a Tricyrtis National Collection on the Plant Heritage Website, thinking to learn more about these plants from an expert collector. To my surprise, there is no registered NPC. I wonder why? Does Tricyrtis not appeal for collection? I do know that many people do collect plants but are simply put off by the NPC paperwork and therefore never appear on searches like this.

Who will I be in future? Maybe I will become that expert collector one day as part as the conservation scheme, or maybe I remain in the background? I have not made my mind up as yet. Only that I love this genus and I am keen to learn more about it.