Polygonatum, A pictorial guide

[annew]

Thank you for showing these. I love Polygonatums, but unfortunately sawfly caterpillars eat almost all of them. It's a shame they don't seem to like P. humile which is making a take-over bid. 

[ruweiss]

Aaron,thanks for showing us so many beautiful species of this family which is so underrepresented
in common botanical literature.

[Afloden]

Here is another part and a few comments on the last.

 I think P.odoratum is represented by several species. P.simizui was recently shown to be different by its terete stem, more leaves per stem, and smaller flowers (Systematic position of Polygonatum simizui (Convallariaceae) based on morphological,cytological and chloroplast DNA sequence data. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (2001), 137: 291-296. With 8 figures doi:10.1006/boj1.2001.0481, available online at httpj/www.idealibrary.com). The link does not actually seem to work. I think thunbergii, pluriflorum and a possibly a few others are different enough to be recognized as the species that they were originally described as. I have about a half dozen other P."odoratum" from Europe to Japan and they are all similar but have a few distinct characters that gives them a distinct "feel." I dissected flowers of all those that flowered this year and they are all similar, but distinct. There were two new species described from Korea in the past decade. Both of them were lumped in with P.odoratum previously (Polygonatum grandicaule and infundibuliflorum).

 And now for a continuation of pictures.

 Polygonatum pubescens is the other American native by current accounts. It has abaxially pubescent leaves with smaller flowers, mostly 2 per axil, but looks very similar to P.biflorum. The rhizome is distinct and the leaves are more rounded. It is most common in the mountains and rich woods of the Appalachian regions.

 The third is P.punctatum as received from Chen Yi. I missed the flowers while I was away this spring for a week. I am pretty sure on the ID though. The only thing that is strange is that it does not try too hard to remain evergreen.

 The next few pictures are unidentified species, but with an affinity to;

 1. aff. cathcartii. This did not flower this year, so I could not confirm the ID. The leaves are mostly opposite or alternate at the base, and fairly scabrous if I remember right on the abaxial surface.

 2. aff. fuscum. These were received from a friend and flower the first year and have not since. They were in the verticillate group of species and seem to fit in with fuscum more than any other. The flowers are similar to P.zanlanscianense, but are born individual pedicels without bracts. Maybe next year I'll find out for real.

 Then this is a European form of P.verticillatum which looks very different from the next. It has small white flowers, whorled leaves and is not that exciting or vigorous here.

 Finally, this is what is sold as P.verticillatum Rubrum. Not really red, but pale pink flowers. I don't see how this is lumped into verticillatum. This has a tuberous gingeriform rhizome, not terete, more slender leaves of a different texture, flowers that are larger and probably differing perianth morphology (will have to wait for flowers on verticillatum). Does anyone know the origin of this? I assume Chinese just by the way it looks. It may fit better near sibiricum or erythrocarpum.
  

 Polygonatum_pubescens_abax-lf2.JPG
 Polygonatum_pubescens_PortersCreek_2008.jpg
 Polygonatum_punctatum.jpg
 Polygonatum_sp2_CY.JPG
 Polygonatum_sp_aff_fuscum_ Blom4.JPG
 Polygonatum_verticillatum_ CN_2.JPG
 Polygonatum_verticillatum_CN_3.JPG
 Polygonatum_verticillatum_rubrum_flowers3.jpg
 Polygonatum_verticillatum_rubrum_flowers.jpg
 Polygonatum_verticillatum_rubrum_whorl.jpg

[Afloden]

 I have many more species that are yet to be identified and also many species I am still looking for. For those across the pond you are lucky to have Crug Farm! I am very jealous until I look at the prices. I'll need some grants for study or no more tuition payments before I can afford those.  

 [The last species that I have photos of is Polygonatum zanlanscianense. The first time this flowered I was stunned. The stem was over five feet tall and and filled with flowers. It has done well, but I never get seed. Then I got several more plants that all flowered, but were differently colored. White and purple vs green and purple. I dissected flowers of both this spring and they are both P.zanlanscianese. They must be from differing parts of its range. The odd thing is that Jeffrey's paper on the East Asian Polygonatum says white flowers. His sp. A has some of the same characters (a scabrous peduncle) and the new FOC treatment lists white, purple, and yellow. P.anhuiense and P.kungii are synonomized under this species. ]

7-3-10 -- I must say my concept has changed on this mess.... Polygonatum zanlanscianense was described from a plant sans flowers, but likened to another with flowers, P. trinerve. I believe that P. zanlanscianense should have white flowers, but may have a different valid name in the future. So what is picture here I prefer to call P. fuscum for the time being, well, at least the green and purple-brown flowered plant. The white and purple is distinct in its rhizome, leaf morphology and the overall shape of the perianth -- the former is compressed near the middle and the tepals flare while the latter merely tapers downward and the tepals barely flare out. Under which name this belongs is still unclear to me, but I think P. lebrunii is close. Some herbarium specimens with Wang and Tang annotations match this plant.

 Here is the protologue of P. lebrunii (1) and P. bulbosum (2), so the latter would have priority being named a year earlier:
1 Affine P. ericoideo Levl. sed floridbus dimidio brevioribus albis violaceo marginatis distinctum. Pedunculo communi nullo; floribus 2-6 aggregati, E grege P. sibirici.     Yun-Nan: Sous bois de Tcheou-Kia-Tse-Tong, 2550 m, mai 1912    (E.E.Maire). Juveni Lebrun amore botanicae flagranti et e casu mortali in alpis servato dicatum.

2 E grege P.verticillati. Insigne propter radicem non rhizomatosum sed bulbosam et propter flores parvos, lageniformes, lobis margine coloratis.    Yun-Nan: Paturafes des montagnes derriere Tong-Chouan, 2700 m, juin 1910 (Maire in herb. Bonati, 7471).

 
 The very last picture is a species that has not flowered at any point in the last 5 years, but has the most amazing red pigmentation at the leaf and stem juncture. The leaves are whorled it has a tuberous gingeriform rhizome. This flowered (5-2010) and is the same as the brown and green flowered plant.

 Thanks
 
 Aaron Floden
 Knoxville, TN
 TENN (herbarium)

Edit: see also this post on page 4 of this thread:  http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2033.msg140307#msg140307


Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_CY_S-143_1.JPG
 Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_CY_S-143_3.JPG
 Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_CY_S-143_8.JPG
 Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_CY_S-143_10.JPG
 Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_white-purple_flowers3.jpg
 Polygonatum_zanlanscianense_white-purple_flowers.jpg
 Polygonatum_sp-2.jpg

[Staale]

A very exciting tread indeed. Thank you, Aaron. I have found good litterature about Polygonatums hard to find, and your postings are an inspiration.

[Kristl Walek]

Aaron,
I know the years of work you have put into this---and the many hours synthesizing it into this post.

I too am grateful. And perhaps my highest praise is that after reading it, I immediately ran out to the overgrown Polygonatum collection and spent an hour pulling weeds and re-newing name tags.

[ranunculus]

A tremendous piece of work Aaron ... and excellent photographs.  Many thanks.

[annew]

Thank yopu for your interesting pictures. I have a plant that was eventually thought to be P. zanlanscianense, and it sets
seed every year, in black berries. Would you, or anyone else, like some? Also, can you confirm our identification? It grows to 2-2.4m high and has clasping tendrils at the leaf tips.

[Katherine J]

Wonderful!!! Many many many thanks!! 

[Maggi Young]

It grows to 2-2.4m high

Goodness me... so tall?!!

[annew]

Afraid so - and me only 1.6m 

[Afloden]

Hello Anne,

 Sorry classes started this week and I had not been to the site for a week. I ID'd the pic sent to PBS and I thought it would make it to you, but I guess not. Yeah, that looks like one of the forms of P.zanlanscianense that I grow. Two flowers most often per peduncle and the large bract.

 Would love some seed. Mine has never set seed. I think the white and purple forms may have one or two fruits this year.

 Aaron Floden

[shelagh]

I wonder if the devotees of this thread can help me with identification of two plants which may or may not be polygonatums.  I took the photos at Tartu Botanic Garden in Estonia, but they were just in a shady border under a hedge and were not labelled.

[Afloden]

Shelagh,
 
 The first with red stems is an "odoratum" variegated form probably from Japan. This is commonly sold as P.falcatum variegata/um or multiflorum variegata. The Asian "odoratum" have no scent and look different from the European forms. From my flower dissections the filaments, anther, and other details are different so the pluriflorum, maximowiczii, etc may be valid species. Someone besides me should do the "necessary" molecular work to clarify the relationships.

 The second is a P.humile form similar to one a friend collected in Jilin province China and one Tony Avent at Plant Delights sells which may be the same as the former, but under another accession number. It is equally as vigorous as the typical P. humile, but more slender and a few other minor details.

 Aaron Floden
 Knoxville, TN

[mickeymuc]

Hi there,

I have some Polygonatum species that are not yet included in this guide, so I post them here - two of them are not yet identified, I'd apprechiate any help with that !
I start with P. hookeri, a dwarf species very different but cute. It comes from alpine regions in China and is very tough and hardy, though maybe best cultivated in a pot to apprechiate the flowers in spring.