June 27 - Today's features, and more, in the Asian Garden

There's always a featured plant of the day, but today there were three, all in the Asian Garden:

Indigofera kirilowii - there were two of these, one with much smaller flowers than the other. I didn't notice the tag on either of them.


Rhododendron hemsleyanum - this large rhodo has big white fragrant flowers. It's just past peak bloom.


Styrax japonicus var. fargesii - this one had relatively large blossoms, if I remember correctly.


There were lots of other Styrax too. I like this Styrax confusus, near the entrance to the Administration Building.


Nadia and I did a little Stewartia comparison, since these two are right near each other. Here's Stewartia pseudocamillia, the one with the mottled trunk. I've been noticing the frilly edges on the flowers, and today I noticed a green marking on one of the petals.


The Stewartia serrata flowers are smaller, no frilly edges, and very noticeable red calyxes.


There are plenty of Hydrangea petiolaris around town, but I don't think any of them compares to this one.


I have to mention the big excitement - the new leaves on the Neolitsea sericea. Maybe the excitement was that it's supposed to be hardy only to zone 9. Nadia was disappointed that it doesn't have flowers and fruits together with the new leaves, as she's seen in Japan, where it was growing in a warmer climate. My camera did not care for this tree at all. But I do like seeing new leaves that open in a very different colour to the mature leaves. [Edited]I remember now - we were told the undersides of the new leaves were covered in silky fuzz. I'd forgotten that by the time we saw it.


Speaking of new and old leaves, here's my favourite today, Rhododendron rex subsp. Arizelum 'Brodick'.

 

The key feature of Rhododendron hemsleyanum is the eared leaf bases. Stewartia pseudocamellia is not like other species seen in western gardens. S. serrata on the other hand is of a piece with SS. monadelpha, rostrata and sinensis. A row of one each of three of these species used to be near the tunnel entrance, on the left after you come out and head right, begin moving toward the main garden entrance and buildings.

 

Thanks, Ron. And I see the ARS mentions undulate leaf margins, both of which are visible in the second photo on that row, though I wasn't noticing those features at the time.

 

I would recommend to see and compare two latest chestnuts, Aesculus chinensis (from Chine) near parking lot and Aesculus californica(from California) in the Garden across the road.


Actinidia arguta 'Ananasnaya', a hybrid of A. arguta and A. kolomikta, kiwi whose name means 'pineapple like' in Russian! Looking forward to see fruits!

 

Viburnum parvifolium(small leaved) from China


Just beautiful Calycanthus chinensis or Sinocalycanthus chinensis with unusually white for Calycanthus flowers. But flowers and leaves look like Calycanthus and smell like Calycanthus.

 

Still can enjoin very rare plant Cornus macrophylla(Large-leaf dogwood)
link to the article about this tree in UBC garden
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2005/06/cornus_macrophy.php


But of course, N1 highlights for the garden two in full bloom Carpenteria californica bushes. They are in Alpine Garden, be sure to to see them. Flowers remind me poppy and camelia, anemone and even roses, surprisingly, this plant doesn't belong to any of this families, it is a close relative to Philadelphus, Hydrangea family. Look close, maybe you would see the secret of this relation?

 

If that is a true Aesculus chinensis and not the A. indica that has been grown in its place in western horticulture that is noteworthy. The example shown does look like A. indica.

The Actinitia cultivar is often listed as a pure form of A. arguta, as you have done here yourself. If it is in fact a hybrid it should be listed as A. 'Ananasnaya', without arguta between.

 

I am just copied labels, if something wrong, it is not my fault:)
I often myself not sure about labels what I see in the garden, but for sure people who are there more professional than me, I prefer to trust.

 

We found Stewartia rostrata today. The flowers have crinkly margins, like S. pseudocamellia, but the bark isn't smooth or peeling like that species. The calyxes are red, like on S. serrata, but the serrata flower edges are very smooth. We were surprised how rigid the flowers are on all of these.

Nadia was sure that we were missing one species she'd seen previously in the garden, but we haven't found it yet.

 

See this article.

http://www.arboretumwespelaar.be/userfiles/file/pdf/080600_Stewartia Plantsman published.pdf

 

Thanks for the article comparing several Stewartia, Ron. I see that S. rostrata is said to bloom in May, and in general, Stewartia should bloom between late May and late June. Well, there were lots of flowers on the ground. The rostrata fruit looks very nifty in the photograph there - I'm looking forward to seeing them now.

 

Note also at least one reference to planting(s) in the Lam Garden.

 

OK, Stewartia pteropetiolata. I'll see if we can find out where to look.

 

Unfortunately, that one is dead. Here are the living Stewartia accessions. 8 is the nursery, so you won't find those either.

Stewartia hybrid 020360-0437-1980 1P01(3)
Stewartia malacodendron 040795-5672-2011 8(3)
Stewartia malacodendron 041120-5716-2011 8(1)
Stewartia monadelpha 029069-0577-1990 2A10(2)
Stewartia monadelpha 029700-0571-1991 3AE8(1)
Stewartia ovata 041119-5402-2011 8(1)
Stewartia pseudocamellia 023914-0104-1984 3AA3(1)
Stewartia pseudocamellia 027411-0545-1988 3AF1(1)
Stewartia pseudocamellia 040714-0068-2011 8(5)
Stewartia pseudocamellia cv. Koreana Group 019890-0104-1982 3AB5(1),3AD1(1)
Stewartia rostrata 024804-0349-1985 3AA5(1),3AF7(1)
Stewartia serrata 019888-0104-1981 3AA5(1),3AC7(2),3AC8(1)
Stewartia sinensis 019887-0104-1982 3AB5(1)
Stewartia sinensis 020761-0104-1980 3AA5(1)
Stewartia sinensis 035113-0660-2000 LAS4(1)

 

Today we found Stewartia monadelpha. The flowers seemed smaller than the others (not that I measured the others), edges are not crinkly, bark is pale cinnamon-coloured, not mottled.


We also noticed the Stewartia hybrid in the Carolinian garden (I think that's the area). Flowers are large, not crinkly edges, bark is flakey, but not particularly attractive.

 

As well as keeping the Stewartia together (see previous posting), I'm also trying to keep Styrax together, though there are so many of these that I really hope I don't get any urge to start comparing them. There are still blossoms on this Styrax faberi, which we're sure we'd never be able to distinguish from S. confusus (first posting this thread). OK, the leaves are totally different. Maybe we won't be confused by the delicate curled-back flower petals.