#helwingia

[rin3]

curious plant that sprouts mid-leaf by Rin FUKUDA Via Flickr: Helwingia japonica ハナイカダ（花筏）, found wild @Hakone 箱根乙女峠

[olivernurseries]

Helwingia chinensis

            If you've read through our previous plant spotlights, you might have picked up on a theme of unique historical relevance.  Though obviously true of the previous posts, that was more of a random happening than a set out theme.  As much as historical uniqueness does intrigue us here at Oliver Nurseries, we have plenty of plants with unique traits that are just as interesting as other plants' unique histories.

            There are an endless number of plants with amazing flowers or different and unusual leaves, but few catch your eye because of where the flower is positioned. Epiphyllous (Epi = upon and phyllon = leaf) flowers have a bizarre positioning of growing from the middle of the leaf. This rare morphology comes from a fusion of the petiole (the leaf stem) and the pedicel (the flower stem) in the middle of the leaf.

            Helwingia chinensis is one such plant that carries this characteristic.  Given to Dan Hinkley by JC Raulston in the 90s, Dan was very intrigued and began a search to find it in its native area of China and then introduce it to North America.  This unusual plant is part of a monotypic family (comprising only a single genus, Helwingia), and all three species are native to the Himalayas and eastern Asia (Note: To learn about a monotypic genus, check out our write-up on Franklinia alatamaha).  Similar to Ilex (commonly known as Holly), Helwingia chinensis is a dioecious shrub, requiring separate male and female plants in order to pollinate and get fruit. 

            The rareness of this species makes it a collector's choice.  As it is in the early stages of being cultivated, its hardiness is unknown, but is assumed hardy to zone 7.  In addition, it has been hard to come by both male and female forms.  This has led to the plant being a great addition for its unique flower location and look, not for pollination and fruit. 

            An evergreen plant with medium green, narrow leaves, H. chinensis is a great addition to a partial shade area; best if planted with protection, such as under a tree's canopy, or nestled amongst some evergreens.  It is a vigorous growing shrub to roughly six feet tall and three feet wide.

            We just planted one in our garden, and it'll definitely be a plant to watch as it grows.  Never intrusive, rare, with a flower that is all but guaranteed to start a conversation; Helwingia chinensis brings a different level of beauty to any garden.

            As always, hop on over to our Facebook page to learn more about Oliver Nurseries: http://www.facebook.com/Oliver.Nurseries.