Yellow Thread Rohdea Is a Rare Perennial Jewel for Shady Nooks and Crannies

While some may be familiar with Japanese sanctified lily ( Rohdeajaponica , Zones 6–10),Rohdea pachynemais an rare speciesthat is indeed aRohdealess traveled . constitute only in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan , it is an challenging member of the Asparagaceae family that is easy becoming more useable to gardener . It was formerly recognize asCampylandra sinensisorC. pachynema , but recent DNA work has moved it into the genusRohdea , whose name commemorates German botanist Michael Rohde . We can come up no document coarse name for this species , so we have dubbed it “ yellow thread rohdea ” sincepachynemameans “ thick thread ” ( referring to the dark central bar onthe leaf ) .

We distrust that most if not all of the plants of lily-livered threadrohdea in cultivation are derive from the same universe on theflanks of Sichuan ’s Luoji Mountain . Bill McNamara of QuarryhillBotanical Garden ( now Sonoma Botanical Garden ) in California was likely the first to put in this species to North America . During a visit to Quarryhill some old age ago , we were instantly smitten upon ascertain Bill ’s appeal of this beautiful and unfamiliar plant life . Our shameless begging worked , and we were gifted a piece of this hoarded wealth .

afterward , we avidly read Bill ’s account of his botanical expedition to Luoji Mountainand then made our own visit to that same 14,300 - foot peak . It was like coming across an previous friend along the trail when we saw lily-livered thread rohdea growing among culms of bamboo . Other collectors have been to the same mountain on the same trail and undoubtedly avail themselves of this impossible - to - missy dependency .

Yellow screw thread rohdea has durable , darkly evergreen plant , narrow leaves reaching18 inches long or more that mildly arch and are highlighted by a pale yellow midribstripe along their length . It does flower , albeit the rosiness are more of a curious green sculptured element than something to be considered for a corsage — which makes one appreciate the amber tones the flowers take on as they maturate . Looking at the lustrous exotic leaves and overall gestalt , we drew upon our tenner of planthunting and growing rare industrial plant to conclude that this tasteful rohdea can not be very unfearing . To our surprise , it trash - talked our 10 ° F dip in winter like it ai n’t no thang . Itis in all likelihood cold hardy to Zone 6 , though it may sustain some wintertime leaf equipment casualty .

A rhizomatous repeated , yellow-bellied thread rohdea spread nonaggressively but steady , increasing appropriately as it intuits your desire for “ more , please ” onceyou come to appreciate its understated tasteful beauty and its zero to minimalmaintenance need . cervid do n’t seem to notice it , and it has no notable pest ordisease issues . With each passing year , we esteem all the more those plant that arelargely self - maintaining , and yellow thread rohdea is just such a flora .

Yellow ribbon rohdea

Rohdea pachynema

Zones:7–10

status : Partial to full refinement ; plentiful , moist to pretty dry soil

aboriginal range : China

informant :

Far Reaches Farm , Port Townsend , WA 360 - 385 - 5114;farreachesfarm.com

Keeping It Green Nursery , Stanwood , WA 360 - 652 - 1779;keepingitgreennursery.com

Kelly Dodson and Sue Milliken rise some of the coolest plants on the planet at Far Reaches Farm Nursery and Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy in Port Townsend , Washington .

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Thread Rohdea illustration

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