Syneilesis

Funky!  I've never tried them.

Carlo wrote:

Wonderful plant...I've had it around for years (going from garden to garden with me). My clump here is now 18 or so stalks. It is much further along than Lori's--already putting up buds. While the flowers are beautiful (at least when you get close), it is the early, felty growth pushing through the ground like some kind of green mushroom that is really the star.

Carlo, mine sounds like it's at a similar state as your plants, already showing flower stalks and the plants getting big.  The best part of this plant is the spring foliage emergence.  The plant gets fairly large, 18" (45 cm) tall or so, and spreading to 2' (60 cm) in 5-6 years.

For those who are curious, this is a small genus of Asian plants in the Asteraceae, related to Ligularia.  It is available from a number of nurseries, here's the Plant Delights Nursery listing:
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/03400.html

I have tried this plant several times but you know, do I have to repeat? (The slugs of course.)
I haven't stopped trying so 6 seedlings wait to be big enough to be planted out!

I grew Syneilesis aconitifolia from seed in 2008 also.  That summer, circumstances caused an overflow of my roof rain gutters, splashing water down on the seedlings.  When I came home from work that evening, I found half of the soil washed out of all the pots, and the leaves supported by the convergence of root "stilts" at the crown.  Yet almost every one survived.  

Picture #2 is in 2009.  Only a few plants produce more than one leaf that season.  The single blue pot filled with round leaves is first year seedlings of Syneilesis intermedia.

1. Syneilesis aconitifolia on left (third season), Syneilesis intermedia on the right (second season).  I am not sure if the upturned leaves of S. intermedia is indicative of the species or not.  This is only their second season, and I have yet to have another year to compare.  All is fine now, but at the time this pic was taken, they seemed a little peaked, like they are in pots to large for their size.

2. Another "treat" for buyers at our Society plant sale coming up.

RickR wrote:

1. Syneilesis aconitifolia on left (third season), Syneilesis intermedia on the right (second season).  I am not sure if the upturned leaves of S. intermedia is indicative of the species or not.  This is only their second season, and I have yet to have another year to compare.  All is fine now, but at the time this pic was taken, they seemed a little peaked, like they are in pots to large for their size.

2. Another "treat" for buyers at our Society plant sale coming up.

Rick, you're like a one-man nursery :o :o :o  Awesome seeing all those potted seedlings, once again I think all of us want to come to your NARGS chapter meetings!  Not familiar with S. intermedia, but even in the young plants, I love the upswept pagoda arrangement of the leaves.

Well I wasn't kidding when I said I was a mad propagator.  Anyone here is welcome at my house.  I like to see the variation in species, so I like to grow many plants.  I have both white flowering and pink flowering S. aconitifolia.  Currently, I have Anemone rivularis growing from seed from several sources.  (I just hope those sources didn't all get theirs from the same place.)

It's a lot of fun having a forest of miniature "palm trees" outside my kitchen window.
Syneilesis aconitifolia, still immature foliage.

Show me your Syneilesis aconitifolia flowers (or other Syneilesis species)!  Actually, there isn't much to them, I usually cut off the stems, but left them on this year to remind myself why I cut them off. 

A magnificent dry summer day here, 80 F (22 C), hypnotic strong breezes and occasional northwest gusts made getting photos difficult to focus.  The flowering stems lean, they would be 3-1/2' (105 cm) tall if they stood straight, and the flowers.... eesh, just whitish things along the lines of a Prenanthes :P, the involucre stained dull lavender.  I'll try to get a better photo if it's not so windy tomorrow.  Rick, you mentioned your plants having "pink" flowers... let's see them.

I agree! The flowers are not much to beheld but without flower no seed!
I have planted out some of my seedlings and wonder if they are still alive when I get back home.

Rick, if you ever get seed......what a great sale you must have.  Wish I could be there!

I should add, as negligible as the flowers are, they do have a sweet scent.

Mine haven't opened yet.  Withholding a final judgment, but so far it looks like prenanthus is the better flower.  Actually, we have a very nice wild pendant species that grows in the moist areas here.

Will see about seed, Todd.  Although in the garden, one I planted did not flower, and the other, the flower stem broke off.  Seed would be from woefully underpotted plants, and therefore may not be in the best of health.  It is surprising, however, to observe the tenacity of the species under these adverse conditions.

Skulski wrote:

Nothing to offer here re. flowering... I still have only single-leaf plants, but I'm pleased that both S. aconitifolia and S. palmata have made it through 2 winters now!

Winters - no problem! Slugs are!!

RickR wrote:

Mine haven't opened yet.  Withholding a final judgment, but so far it looks like prenanthus is the better flower.  Actually, we have a very nice wild pendant species that grows in the moist areas here.

I have grown a couple "not too bad" Prenanthes species in the past, the nodding flowers on some are kind of "interesting".  So, here's two much better photos of Syneilesis aconitifolia flowers today.  The flowers opened more, and when adorned with "protruding bits" it is an amusing site at close hand, the sweet scent of the flowers wafting on this hot day (90 F, +32 C).

My talk of pendant flowers was about Prenanthus spp.  Syneilesis flowers are upright and do extend way above the foliage, as the previous pics show. 

My plants are from the NARGS seed ex with seed collected in 2007.  Every single seed germinated.  They were winter sowed on February 3rd and left outside here in Minnesota.  Most emerged April 18-25.  Seedlings are curious things, as they produce only one leaf the entire first season, that is very different from the mature leaf form.

You can see in a previous pic here: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=252.0;attach=4043;i... first year seedlings of Syneilesis intermedia in the lower left quadrant.  S. aconitifolia seedlings look exactly the same.

When I winter sow, I plant up the pots inside, water from the bottom, and then they drain uncovered for a day (or two if I don't get to the them) still inside.  Then I enclose the pots in a clear plastic bag and put them out side.  If temps are below zero F, I might put them in the garage for a few days first, before putting the outside.

These plants are really showy upon leaf emergence.  Here are two views taken the same morning recently, one before the sun was fully up, the second taken in morning sunshine, thus a different look.  Syneilesis aconitifolia:

My Syneilesis spp. haven't even poked out of the ground yet!

Skulski wrote:

The first furry little troll is finally emerging...

That's the cute stage... too bad they don't stay like that longer. ;)

Mine are jumping out of the ground; a photo from a few days ago:

RickR wrote:

My Syneilesis spp. haven't even poked out of the ground yet!

Then we are two, Rick! But of different reasons I assume. Here the slugs are the culprits :(

Ahhh, but they are up now, Trond.  after giving some away and donating eight at the local Chapter sale (they sold for $6 and $7 for the white or pink flower forms), I still have many left.  The one in the ground emerged a few days later, but is now farther along.

RickR wrote:

Ahhh, but they are up now, Trond.  after giving some away and donating eight at the local Chapter sale (they sold for $6 and $7 for the white or pink flower forms), I still have many left.  The one in the ground emerged a few days later, but is now farther along.

I planted many seedlings last year and they grew well but I haven't seen anything to them this year :'( Two plants I had in pots were fine though and I have planted them out but I don't know how long they'll survive!

Geoffrey, great seeing this one, even as an "aff." species, thanks for showing us this rarely seen species.  Checking it out on The Plant List, S. tagawae is one of 6 accepted species, never heard of it before, I see that a synonym is Syneilesis aconitifolia var. tagawae, so perhaps it is closer to S. aconitifolia.

I have never visited the Crug Farm nursery list, oh my!  Truly unique and intriguing plants, you're so lucky to have access to their offerings.  I enjoy the small genus of Syneilesis, wonderful additions to the woodland garden; I have an eye out for seed of other species.

I have not grown S. palmata, but I was under the impression that it was the real beauty of the bunch.  Your selection, Geoffrey, looks like a giant aconitifoilia, superficially at least.  I didn't know such a species existed either.  Would that be near meter high foliage or flower stalks?

Do you grow any of the other Syneilesis species?  Is the culture any different for S. aff. tagawae?

I thought that accession designation looked familiar.  Crûg Farm is the only place I have ever seen that has the real Lilium hansonii.  (Everyone thinks hansonii is yellow, but it's not.)  What a couple of very interesting (and learned) owners they must be!

I managed to buy some plants from Crûg Farm last month but I didn't dare to buy Syneilesis as all my beautiful plants were destroyed by slugs last year :'(

Geo wrote:

I love such "umbrella" plants as Dysosma and Podophyllum, and the slugs too...

So Syneilesis tagawae grow in light shade, damp soil, humiferous, with Podophyllum, Saruma, Epimedium etc.

Yes Geoffrey, there is something about "umbrella" leaved plants that adds intrique to the garden, I too like such plants.  Do you grow Diphylleia cymosa?  It's one of my favorites, great in the shady garden with adequate moisture; since I grow mine in average to at times dryish soil, it stays much smaller and manageable in such conditions, growing massive in a wet boggy situation.  The mottled brownish color of the spring leaves is a definite attraction, as are the expanding leaves, flowers, and berries.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=253.0

I noticed Saruma henryi in some of your Epimedium photos, another of my favorite woodland plants, it is starting to seed around quite a bit too.

Paris is a genus that I would love to try, fascinating plants, but seldom ever offered here.  Trying to get a few more Polygonatums introduced in the garden, I have failed with some that I've tried.  You mentioned in a previous message the genus Chloranthus, one that I first encountered at Darrell Probst's nursery, utterly unique and charming plants; I must beg a piece from Darrell sometime.

kalle-k.dk wrote:

I mean Syneilesis palmata is one of the best woodland plants and there are several Japanese forms. They come up early and still where we can get frost at night, but it seem that they not get any damaged.

I would love to grow them but the slugs have damaged them every time I have tried :'( Maybe they tolerate frost but not slugs >:(

kalle-k.dk wrote:

I mean Syneilesis palmata is one of the best woodland plants and there are several Japanese forms. They come up early and still where we can get frost at night, but it seem that they not get any damaged.

Karl, those Syneilesis are the epitome of horticultural whimsy, just fantastic, and I'm totally smitten with what you show. Are these generally available in Europe?  I assume these all come out of Japan, did you import them or obtain them from a European nursery?

Slugs are no problem here in my dryish New England garden, so I suspect if these whimsical Syneilesis were to become available here, they should grow just fine in our climate.  Thanks for showing these wonders.

Karl, in your experience, do these varieties come true from seed, or do seed-grown plants offer lots of variability?