Jeffersonia

[AmyO]

So pretty Mark! Mine are just showing above soil...but just the promise of them is so exciting! Have you ever divided them? I would love to make my small swath of them a large one 

[Peter George]

Given the rain we've had, I'm amazed that I've been able to get any pictures of anything for the past week of so, but I did manage a decent of my J. dubia and one of my J. diphylla just about to open. Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow, and the latter beauty will open its flowers for long enough for me to take a picture or two. I've had the J. diphylla for about 5 years, and it's got about 5 or 6 seedlings growing around it, one of which actually bloomed this year.  The J. dubia has been with me for 3 years, and has yet to produce any seedlings.

[MMcD note: photo labels were reversed, I downloaded and re-uploaded the renamed photos ]

[Tony Willis]

Mark and Peter the diphylla are really lovely,I have only seen white ones over here,never blue similar to dubia. The Epimedium book gives them as only white.

Tony, see the correction above, the photo names were reversed, but it has been fixed  Jeffersonia diphylla only comes in white, but I'm currently getting good germination on my attempted 2010 hybrid crosses between the two species (both ways), who knows, maybe we'll eventually see a blue diphylla-like Jeffersonia

[Peter George]

Thank you, Mark. The rapid and profound diminishment in my cognitive processes is worrisome, but hopefully will end when I get through this negotiation and manage to sell my company. A bit of sun might help too.

[Tony Willis]

Oh dear Mrs W. and I were getting very excited and an email was about to wing its way across asking for seed. We shall manage to live with our disappointment.

We look forward to seeing the hybrids.

[McDonough]

With ephemeral spring flowers a lot can change in just 1 week.  Our spring was slow to warm up this year, but in the past week with mild temperatures and rain, and some very warm sunny days, plants are "leaping" out of the ground.  I also realize, now that I'm back to being a working man (as opposed to unemployed), that I would have never have had the chance to experience the fleeting flowers on Jeffersonia as I did last year, nor would it have been possible to play around with attempting to hybridize the two species.  

A couple Jeffersonia garden views, J. dubia in the first, J. diphylla in the second.  Lots of Dicentra cuccularia spreading everywhere; am getting worried about this one.




Two views of Jeffersonia diphylla, photos caught in an early morning dash before going to work.




Last year I collected lots of seed on J. dubia, prepared an area approximately 4' x 5', and sowed the seed in place, covering with a thin layer of decomposed pine bark mulch. The seedlings are coming up thick now.  As it is, seedlings are appearing here, there, and everywhere, what a wonderful "weed" to have




Spring 2010 I also made crosses between J. dubia x diphylla, and the reverse, J. diphylla x dubia.  Seed is germinating.  First up, are J. dubia and the attempted cross... I have four flats of putative J. dubia x diphylla hybrid seedlings.  I also show a photo of two forms of J. diphylla germinating... this species germinates a bit later, so still waiting to see if any J. diphylla x dubia, and waiting for J. dubia alba to show.

[Hoy]

I am looking forward to hear of the achievements of the crosses, Mark!

[RickR]

It is interesting to note (for those who haven't already) in Mark's photos, that because Jeffersonia seed is hypogeal germinating and establishes a root system before topgrowth, the first leaf to emerge is a true leaf, and not a cotyledon.  It make them especially cute. 

[Lori S.]

Very interesting, Rick.  I would never have realized that!

The state of J. dubia in my yard... finally above ground!

[Todd Boland]

My J. dubia are in a race with yours Lori!  Mine look neck-in-neck to yours.  I purchased a diphylla this year but it was from BC so the flowers are lomng gone.  Still, I hope next year I can make a cross as you did Mark...I expect the hybrids would be lovely!

[Gene Mirro]

Seed scrounger here.  Can anyone spare a few?

[McDonough]

Seed scrounger here.  Can anyone spare a few?

Sure thing... post a reminder in about 1 month, seed of both species should be ready.

[Lori S.]

Well, I missed the bloom on Jeffersonia dubia, among other things...
This is all I got to see!  Oh well, there's always next year... 
 

[McDonough]

Well, I missed the bloom on Jeffersonia dubia, among other things...
This is all I got to see!  Oh well, there's always next year... 

Lori, at least you have some good pods developing... collect the seed and sow around the base plant immediately after harvest, and next year you too could have a carpet of seedlings showing next spring!  My sown-in-place seedlings are growing fast, cute little babies by the hundreds, some could actually bloom next year.

[Lori S.]

Wow, won't that be a show at your place!!
I will definitely do that.