Tricyrtis “Tojen”
Family: Convallariaceae
Common names: Toad lily
Description: The genus Tricyrtis comprises ten to sixteen species of rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial herbaceous plants. The flower structure is unusual and striking, with a branched, in-curving three-lobed stigmatic column and six anthers held beneath.
Flowers are in axillary or terminal cymes.
Tricyrtis “Tojen” is thought to be an interspecific hybrid between T. hirta and T. formosana. T. “Tojen” is an open-flowered cultivar with little of the speckling that is found in many of the species: its flowers have white tepals, tinged with pink and darkening towards the tips. The leaves are glossy, mid-green, lanceolate. Plants are slightly arching in habit.
Areas of the garden where the plant is found: Tricyrtis “Tojen” can be seen on the Broadwalk in bed 8, near the copper beech, and in bed 1A, next to the Circle of Decision.
Distribution, habitat and conservation status: T.“Tojen” is a cultivated variety that is well represented in gardens. In the wild, Tricyrtis species are distributed from the Eastern Himalayas to Taiwan and Japan. They are found in moist woodland habitats in mountainous areas.
Derivation of name: From the Greek root tri- and kyrtos (convex) in reference to the three pouch-like nectaries at the base of the outer tepals.
History: The origins of this hybrid are not known with certainty but the number of Japanese Tricyrtis hybrids and garden forms is evidence that Tricyrtis has been cultivated in Japan for much longer than it has in the West.
Cultivation: Tricyrtis do well in partly shaded situations, beneath the canopy of trees or in shady borders, and will benefit from mulches of leaf mould. T. formosana, a possible parent of T. “Tojen”, may be slightly less hardy than the other species which will tolerate temperatures down to -20C. At NBG Wales T. “Tojen” grows without any special protection and has been in flower continually for over six weeks.
References:
New RHS Dictionary of Gardening
NCCPG website: www.nccpg.com
