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.