Epimedium - various threads gathered together here

[TheOnionMan]

I posted a picture of this epimedium elsewhere, its flowers are small and insignificant, but the foliage is so interesting: Epimedium lishihchenii

Chris, beautiful mottled foliage, but I'm afraid your plant is not E. lishihchenii.  The real E. lishihchenii has bold textured (rugose) leaves which are chartreuse green in spring and not mottled, and very large yellow spidery blooms; I was hybridizing with it today.  Here are three photos:

1.  E. lishihchenii - spring foliage above base of evergreen leaves, large claw-like yellow blooms.
2.  detail view of the flowers
3.  glossy, rugose, thick-textured leathery winter foliage

I'm not entirely sure what species or cultivar you do have, there are a number of these richly mottled asian species that are VERY expensive to buy, so there are a number of them I don't have yet.

[ChrisB]

Hmmm I wonder what I have then.  Must contact the nursery I bought it from.  It certainly wasn't *that* expensive.  Its not bulking up very quickly either.

[TheOnionMan]

Hmmm I wonder what I have then.  Must contact the nursery I bought it from.  It certainly wasn't *that* expensive.  Its not bulking up very quickly either.

Chris, it might be E. sagittatum, a species that does have very small flowers.  Be careful google researching this one online, the species is mostly known for medicinal uses, in particular as an aphrodesiac, and it is hard to find legimate images of it.  There is a cultivar of this species named 'Warlord' introduced by Darrell Probst in 2007, with tiniest of white and yellow flowers, but grown for the striking red mottled foliage, and the long narrow shield-like leaf shape similar to the photo your provided.  I'm afraid the $125 price makes 'Warlord' unobtainable for me.

[ChrisB]

So I hurried out to look again... Here are pictures close up of the flowers, they are, tip to tip, about 1.1cm in size.  Quite interesting once I looked more closely.  Had to cut off the flower raceme, which was about 25cm in length.  I can see why this plant, whatever its identity, is a bit more expensive, it has not clumped up much in the three years since I bought it.  Anyway, here are its flowers:

[ChrisB]

And here's another.  I got this from Edrom, so I reckon it has the right name - E. 'Amber Queen'.  It has lovely large flowers and this equally lovely fresh foliage:

[WimB]

Chris, your first one certainly isn't lishihchenii.
I would have guessed E. myrianthum but since I haven't seen E. sagittatum in reality I can not compare; so, I'm not really sure.

[ChrisB]

Wim - when I googled it, the flowers of E. myrianthum are different in form and colour to those of my plant.  I just love the foliage.

[WimB]

Wim - when I googled it, the flowers of E. myrianthum are different in form and colour to those of my plant.  I just love the foliage.

You're right, myrianthum has longer spurs too so you should stick to E. sagittatum.

[ChrisB]

Wim/ I've just had a reply from the nursery that sold it to me, and they too think it is E. myrianthum, and they say they got it from a reputable Japanese source.  They were most apologetic of course, but I told them I was perfectly happy with what I did get anyway...  The plot thickens.....

[WimB]

Wim/ I've just had a reply from the nursery that sold it to me, and they too think it is E. myrianthum, and they say they got it from a reputable Japanese source.  They were most apologetic of course, but I told them I was perfectly happy with what I did get anyway...  The plot thickens.....

Chris,

like with any other Epi, there's always variation within the species itself so it might be myrianthum anyhow...maybe someone else can solve the riddle...Mark??

[ChrisB]

I've written to John Jerrard too.  Lets see what he says...

[TheOnionMan]

Wim/ I've just had a reply from the nursery that sold it to me, and they too think it is E. myrianthum, and they say they got it from a reputable Japanese source.  They were most apologetic of course, but I told them I was perfectly happy with what I did get anyway...  The plot thickens.....

Chris,

like with any other Epi, there's always variation within the species itself so it might be myrianthum anyhow...maybe someone else can solve the riddle...Mark??

Sorry folks, been busy out in the garden.  I agree it could be E. myrianthum too, mine is just showing buds.  Darrell Probst says about myrianthum "similar to E. sagittatum with tiny flowers, but with over 100 flowers per stems, creating an airy mass".  Both sagittatum and myrianthum have similar color tiny flowers (white and yellow), but in myrianthum the flowers have "irridescent blue-black outer sepals enclosing the flowers in tight bud", more or less its hallmark as a species are the tiny shiny blue buds.  Chris, it seems in the second close-up shot of the flowers, I can see the outer sepal color and it looks dark blue-black color... does the description of the unopened irridescent blue-black buds ring true for your plant?  If so, it is myrianthum, if not, then probably sagittatum.  In my plant the leaves are lightly mottled in spring, but there are selected plants with bold mottling; he sells one called E. myrianthum 'Mottled Madness'.  I think you have something special there.

[TheOnionMan]

This Friday, May 7th, 2010, I'll be out to Garden Vision Epimedium nursery, and I can hopefully compare first hand the differences between E. sagittatum and E. myrianthum.  This year, my visit will be to look and photograph only, not buying plants (man it stinks watching the wallet while unemployed )

[Maggi Young]

Sorry folks, been busy out in the garden.  I agree it could be E. myrianthum too, mine is just showing buds.  Darrell Probst says about myrianthum "similar to E. sagittatum with tiny flowers, but with over 100 flowers per stems, creating an airy mass".  Both sagittatum and myrianthum have similar color tiny flowers (white and yellow), but in myrianthum the flowers have "irridescent blue-black outer sepals enclosing the flowers in tight bud", more or less its hallmark as a species are the tiny shiny blue buds.  Chris, it seems in the second close-up shot of the flowers, I can see the outer sepal color and it looks dark blue-black color... does the description of the unopened irridescent blue-black buds ring true for your plant?  If so, it is myrianthum, if not, then probably sagittatum.  In my plant the leaves are lightly mottled in spring, but there are selected plants with bold mottling; he sells one called E. myrianthum 'Mottled Madness'.  I think you have something special there.

Mmmm.... I see what you mean, McMark.... here is the portion of CHris' photo (Though the original was much reduced in file size even though the width of the pic was average  ) ....

[TheOnionMan]

Many Epimedium are now finishing up their floral show, while a smaller number of later flowering species and cultivars continue.  I have a large backlog of photos, which I'll share in batches as time permits.

1-2   Two photos of my woodland/epimedium garden expansion... bye-bye sod.

3-4   Two more photos of E. x 'Amanogawa'; better closeup showing the flowers with unique color cups and spurs.

5-6   Epimedium ilicifolium - this is a particularly hardy form, a low growing species with narrow spiny holly-like leaves, intersting brown mottled in earlier spring, and just coming now are large spidery yellow and green flowers in horizontally spreading sprays. A neat growing species.

7-10  Epimedium hybrid with davidii, one of my own seedlings that is really cute, with small but chunky bright yellow flowers and deep pink sepals.  The plant shown is 3 years old, it'll be interesting to see how it looks when bulked up.  Very fertile, I shall be using it as breeding material.  Based on the very hairy stems and flower pedicels, and very small flower size, I believe this is a cross with E. brevicornu.