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 December
2002
 Pedicularis
kanei ssp kanei
November
2002
Crocus
tournefortii
October
2002
Cyclamen
mirabile
September
2002
Sternbergia
sicula
Colchicum
byzantinum album
August
2002
Gentiana
septemfida
 July
2002
Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis
June
2002
Silene
caroliniana
May
2002
Jeffersonia
dubia
April
2002
Tulipa
vvedenskyi
March
2002
Draba
aizoides
February
2002
Diapensia
lapponica
January
2002
Chamaecyparis
obtusa 'Nana'
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2003
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2001
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2000
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1999
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1998
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1997
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Plant
of the Month
July
2002
Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis
by Iza Goroff
Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis is a member of the Fabaceae, the
legume family. The Fabaceae family contains many important
genera for both agriculture and horticulture. The genus
Oxytropis has about 300 species, many suitable for the rock
garden. A closely related genus is Astragalus, with even
more species, and distinguishable only by two
characteristics from Oxytropis:
- The keel petal in Oxytropis is beaked, not so in
Astragalus.
- Astragalus usually has leafy stems, usually not in
Oxytropis.
Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis is a rare plant, endemic to one
mountain, Mt. Shokanbetsu, on the island of Hokaido.
The plant
form of Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis is similar to a fern with each
grayish green leaf arising from a basal rosette and each
leaf divided into leaflets. The leaf is about 6" (15 cm)
long and 1.2" (3 cm) across, tapering to the leaf tip. The
plant out of flower is about 10" (25 cm) across and 6" high.
The flowering scape is about 8" (20 cm) long, not quite
vertical. Flowers are about 1" (2.5 cm) long and about 1/2"
(1.2 cm across). The pictured plant is growing in a sand bed
with a half day of sun. In full sun one should expect the
plant dimensions to be more compressed
The best
way to propagate Oxytropis
shokanbetsuensis is from seed. One might experiment
with the innoculants sold for encouraging growth in other
legumes. The pictured plant has formed several rosettes,
making division possible, though risky.
I expect
that Oxytropis shokanbetsuensis
to be cold hardy throughout the 48 United States and lower
Alaska and Canada.
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