Jeffersonia

[McDonough]

Wow, I must have not so worthy diphylla genetics, or else you have really nice ones, Mark.  Or is it just all the rain you've been getting?
These are the blooms on mine from last year.  While J. dubia in the same garden is blooming now, J. diphylla is only five inches high.

Rick, your plant looks like many do... with space between the petals.  Never really thought about my plant being anything different or special, but Twinleaf is rather variable based on photos I've looked at (see photo links below).  In my plant, the petals overlap for a fuller looking flower.

Not sure where I got my plant originally, had it when I was a boy, at age 10 I started a wildflower garden, and most likely bought my plant at a local nursery.  When I moved to my current location 23 years ago, I dug up lots of plants still growing in my old gardens at my parents house, so my plant sources all the way back to my original plant.  The plant in my photograph, has been in the same spot for those 23 years ... talk about longevity!  In all those years it hasn't seeded around much, just in the last few years has it started to spread.  I upload a photo taken yesterday, still looking good (even though I took off a few flowers, to use as pollen material for attempted crosses), and a photo of a young seedling.  Now that I train my eye looking for seedling plants, I'm finding them all over the place.

Around midday (noon) the pollen on both species is ripe and ready.  I dabbed pollen of dubia onto diphylla (easy to see the purplish pollen on the yellow stigma) and I tried the reverse cross as well.  I'll let you know in about 4 years whether I get hybrids

Four pages of photos showing Jeffersonia diphylla, some flower variability, but the leaf shape and size vary dramatically.  And I love the seedpods, some photos here.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=%22Jeffersonia+diphylla%22&m=text#page=0

(By the way folks, using Flickr photo searches is a fast way to find photos of plants one is interested in seeing.  Mind you, there will be some misidentifications, such as a few J. dubia showing up as diphylla.  Use "Search - Everyone's Uploads" then put quotes around the plant botanical name as the search criteria.)

Cute little one, distinctively cut leaves
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sklockwood/4158868636/

Image of J. diphylla BONAP Distibution Map

[RickR]

Indeed your foliage is different than mine also.

[Paul]

Hello all,

I've been thinking about moving my Jeffersonia dubia, only because it is under a Rhododendron that is beginning to cover it too much and it isn't so visible anymore, although it still seems happy where it is.  I've also wondered about dividing it when I move it.  Is this advisable and if so, when would be the best time?

[McDonough]

Hello all,

I've been thinking about moving my Jeffersonia dubia, only because it is under a Rhododendron that is beginning to cover it too much and it isn't so visible anymore, although it still seems happy where it is.  I've also wondered about dividing it when I move it.  Is this advisable and if so, when would be the best time?

Hi Paul, welcome to NARGS Forum!

I received my plants from a friend who was closing her nursery; she had gobs of Jefferesonia dubia and we dug them in late summer or early fall, then I literally sliced into the very dense mats of roots to separate them, and they did just fine.  However, my guess is the best time to move any spring ephemeral is in early summer, well after the plant has flowered and had time to set seed, then divide, replant, and water well to re-establish them before fall/winter.  Jeffersonia dubia seeds around like crazy, always wondered why the plant is considered such a high-priced specialty, when it is so ready to reproduce itself.  Seedlings can be moved any time to semi-shady spots and they'll do just fine.

[McDonough]

Indeed your foliage is different than mine also.

Rck, your largely untoothed Twinleaf plants has me thinking, I must increase my Twinleaf form representation here, to start getting a wider range of forms.  The leaves on your plant are not dentate as they are in mine, more of the classic "Twinleaf" form.  Again, this is the fascinating aspect of growing plant species, so much variation, often moreso than one imagines.

[RickR]

I've never had a need to divide any Jeffersonia (but maybe this year), but I do transplant mature seedlings regularly from our Arboretum garden for our Chapter sale.  Because of convenience, I transplant after they bloom and leaves are mature.  They weather the transplanting just fine.

BTW, my best tool for dividing plants is one of those Ginsu knives that are never supposed to dull.  It's true!  I bought it at a garage sale, just to try, and after years of use, it still cuts through soil and plant rhizomes/tubers/roots like butter.  It is the cat's meow for trimming soil balls to fit into pots for the Chapter plant sale.  If I ever lost it, I would definitely go out and buy another.

[McDonough]

BTW, my best tool for dividing plants is one of those Ginsu knives that are never supposed to dull.  It's true!  I bought it at a garage sale, just to try, and after years of use, it still cuts through soil and plant rhizomes/tubers/roots like butter.  It is the cat's meow for trimming soil balls to fit into pots for the Chapter plant sale.  If I ever lost it, I would definitely go out and buy another.

Thank Rick, maybe I should get a Ginsu knife for slicing up Epimedium, they're an absolute bear to divide, the rhizomes grow so dense and tough.

[RickR]

Thank Rick, maybe I should get a Ginsu knife for slicing up Epimedium, they're an absolute bear to divide, the rhizomes grow so dense and tough.

Definitely!  Try to get with the longest and least flexible cutting blade available.

[Todd Boland]

No sign of my dubia yet.....mine is a deeper blue version than any of the ones shown.  A pic from 2 years ago.

[Hoy]

This was nice, Todd! Have to try hard to get hold of different colors of Jeffersonia.

[RickR]

I looked at my three pods of clean crosses of Jeffersonia dubia x J. diphylla.  They may have taken since they have not withered and feel solid.  However they are consistently three-quarters the size of normal pods.  I am very hopeful.

[Hoy]

I looked at my three pods of clean crosses of Jeffersonia dubia x J. diphylla.  They may have taken since they have not withered and feel solid.  However they are consistently three-quarters the size of normal pods.  I am very hopeful.

Are you prepaired to do embryo rescue if necessary? Maybe they have to little endosperm.

[RickR]

No, I am not prepared to do ER.  I am hoping the smaller pods are just due to less efficient fertilization and fewer seeds, rather than smaller seeds.

[McDonough]

No, I am not prepared to do ER.  I am hoping the smaller pods are just due to less efficient fertilization and fewer seeds, rather than smaller seeds.

Rick, we're on parallel efforts here.  On my plant where I attempted Jeffersonia dubia x J. diphylla, the four pods the pods look normal sized I suppose, but then again, I did not compare their size to regular J. diphylla elsewhere in the yard.  Same with the pods on a plant I dedicated to trying J. dubia x diphylla

I have been doing some garden visits recently, and invariably both species are being grown, and I find the leaf and plant variability interesting me, to the point I'll ask for seed from some of the various sorts, to increase the gene pool.  The first photo is a pod on my attempted Jeffersonia dubia x J. diphylla, and the next two photos are a good looking leaf form in the garden of Peter George's fine garden in Central Massachusetts.

[RickR]

I see you used J. dipylla as the pod parent, Mark.  Did you also do the reciprocal cross?  I only did J. dubia x J. diphylla, but left open pollinated pods attached on the same plant.  I decided I didn't want the ants eyeing my prize pods as the only ones available for ravaging.  This way, if I miss the initial ripening, there is a good chance my special pods will be left alone long enough for me to harvest them.