Is this Aspidistra fimbriata, "Cast Iron Plant"?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by photopro, Jun 6, 2008.

  1. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Is this Aspidistra fimbriata F.T. Wang & K.Y. Lang commonly known as the "Cast Iron Plant"?

    This specimen was a gift from a Florida grower but came with no name. I've tracked down the name Aspidistra fimbriata published in Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 16(1): 76-77, pl. 1. 1978. (Acta Phytotax. Sin.) with a common name of "cast iron plant" That species is Found in China: Fujian: Ningyang, 450 m, in forests along ravines at 400--500 m., Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan. It was possiblly found in 1932

    But I can't verify this is it! If you know the plant, please offer any info.
     

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  2. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    I seen one similar yearterday at the nursery, but didn't pay much attention to the species name. I thought the leaves on your one look thinner, but I can't confirm whether the one at the nursery was A fimbriata. But it was definitely an Aspidistra.
    I can't even remember which nursery it was, I went to about 5!!
     
  3. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Can you double check that Ed? I found photos on the net (which I rarely trust) that did not look like my plant. But all the scientific evidence I can locate leads me to believe this one may be the species!
     
  4. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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  5. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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  6. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Yes, and several more like it. Some sellers call it the "Vietnam" plant and other made-up names. No one I can find uses a species name for this cultivar. By the way, technically a cultivar is a naturally produced plant that is not a hybrid. It is similar to a throw back but if it is unique, at least in the U.S. a grower may patent it and give it any CV name they choose, even if it is a named species. That is why I am suspicious mine is a CV. The dots could be juvenile marks and will vanish with age allowing the plant to appear more like the plant photo Liz posted. These are questions I can't resolve. The grower told me the plant was a juvenile he had taken off his own adult plant but I don't have a photo of the adult.

    So still more questions than answers. If you've got good answers, post them!
     
  7. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    The plant I saw matched with the plant in Chris' link, which looks like yours, Steve. I can't remember the name I saw at the nursery but I have a recollection that it was something Asian ala Singapore or Vietnam. More than likely just a made up name. In Liz's link I have both those plants, normal and variegated. My guess is yours is a CV...

    Ed
     

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