Polygonatum sp.

[WimB]

Today I received this plant from a friend without a name. Since I'm far from an expert in Polygonatums I wondered if anyone here might know which species it is. It's a very fragrant species.

[Maggi Young]

Nice plant, Wim..... you need Aaron Floden for this ID, but , having read his Polygonatum thread, I'd hazard a guess at P. odoratum... he has various pictures there on pages two and four, I think....

[Afloden]

 Looks like an odoratum - especially if its fragrant. There are others that are scented, but P. odoratum, hybridum, lasianthum, and amabile have a very similar scent - like baby powder.

 It is unusual to have the flowers open before the stem is more mature. It looks like a very nice clone.
 
 Aaron

[WimB]

Thanks for your replies Maggi and Aaron. It smells like baby-powder indeed.
I'll plant it out and see if it's as quick to flower next year.

[TheOnionMan]

Thanks for your replies Maggi and Aaron. It smells like baby-powder indeed.
I'll plant it out and see if it's as quick to flower next year.

Wim, a good looking P. odoratum, if that's what it is.  

I recently added a new to my garden, P. odoratum 'Carlisle', discovered in the nursery of local nurseryman Leo Blanchette at his home/nursery in Carlisle, Massachusetts, USA.  He grows a great number of Polygonatum (Aaron, are you in touch with him?) and he considers this among the very best of variegated odoratum cultivars, with extra broad and bold color.  It is also rather short growing compared to most odoratums, at about half the normal height.

Interesting about the baby powder scent.  The only other plant I know that has a baby powder scent, is the beautiful ericaceous native Sourwood Tree, or Oxydendron arboreum.

[Afloden]

 Mark, yes I have contacted him. He did not seem too interested, but he does offer a few things I'd like to see - acuminatifolium, manchuricum (what is it?), and some of the variegated "odoratums" from Japan. I got a wide margined form from Roy Herold that is broader than the typical forms.

 The scent in Polygonatum is distinctive in a few groups (I have not looked to see if the scent follows taxonomy yet, but it may). The odoratum types from Europe, but not Asia are fragrant of baby powder. Most forms from Asia are not fragrant, but I do have one with a really pleasant flowery jasmine-like fragrance. Like odoratum, some of the lasianthum have fragrance (subsp coreanum syn P. taquetii) and P. amabile (formerly syn with lasianthum). P. hybridum sometimes has the fragrance, but not all clones.

 P. hirtum, P. humile - both divergent forms, P. involucratum, P. cryptanthum, P. pubescens, and maybe P. inflatum have strongly cinnamon scented flowers. P. prattii is scented like violets, P. kingianum (= P. huanum) has the lovely ethereal fragrance of some Tiarella clones, and P. sp aff. macropodum has a cookie dough fragrance. Most are unscented though.

 Aaron

[TheOnionMan]

Mark, yes I have contacted him. He did not seem too interested, but he does offer a few things I'd like to see - acuminatifolium, manchuricum (what is it?), and some of the variegated "odoratums" from Japan. I got a wide margined form from Roy Herold that is broader than the typical forms.

 The scent in Polygonatum is distinctive in a few groups (I have not looked to see if the scent follows taxonomy yet, but it may). The odoratum types from Europe, but not Asia are fragrant of baby powder. Most forms from Asia are not fragrant, but I do have one with a really pleasant flowery jasmine-like fragrance. Like odoratum, some of the lasianthum have fragrance (subsp coreanum syn P. taquetii) and P. amabile (formerly syn with lasianthum). P. hybridum sometimes has the fragrance, but not all clones.

 P. hirtum, P. humile - both divergent forms, P. involucratum, P. cryptanthum, P. pubescens, and maybe P. inflatum have strongly cinnamon scented flowers. P. prattii is scented like violets, P. kingianum (= P. huanum) has the lovely ethereal fragrance of some Tiarella clones, and P. sp aff. macropodum has a cookie dough fragrance. Most are unscented though.

 Aaron

Aaron, that's quite the full pantry of aromas going on in that genus!  You sound like me, the first thing I do with any plant is to sniff the flowers, it is such an enjoyable often overlooked dimension to plants.  The scent on Trillium is also interesting, for eaxample, the decumbens flowers of some forms smell like pepper.

I do have acuminatifolium, added it last year and it is currently budded, PM me about it