Tuesday, April 26, 2005
This is Podophyllum 'Kaleidoscope', a hybrid of two or three of the species, selected by Terra Nova Nurseries. It's a gorgeous thing, with large, patterned leaves. I'm not convinced its leaves are any neater than hexandrum, but Kaleidoscope retains its spots during the growing year (in fact the patterning becomes more prominent as the year progresses), whereas the spots fade in hexandrum. The downside to Kaleidoscope is that (probably from its Pleianthum parent) it inherits the tendency to come up VERY early in the spring, and I suspect it would be damaged by sub-freezing temperatures if not covered (I haven't tested it, and probably won't... old flower pots are a lot cheaper than this plant)! It does seem very vigorous; I just planted it last spring as a single-stalked plant, and this year it produced three stalks. There is another new Terra Nova hybrid, 'Spotty Dotty', that looks way cool, but too pricey yet.
// posted by IBOY @ 7:54 PM 
