Is this Hylomecon japonica??

Submitted by paulhschneider on

I requested & received Hylomecon japonica from the 2014-15 SeedEx. It germinated rapidly & I have planted some of the seedlings, which sized up quickly in the garden. The leaves however don't seem to match those of photos on the internet. I have attached 2 photos of the leaves that I took today (21 May 2015). Am I just being nervous & should wait for a more mature plant? Seeds were donated by #73-J.Roantree,Callon, Co. Kilkennt, Ireland. Any help would be appreciated..paul schneider- Eastern Sun Studio & Gardens, Portland, TN 37148

 

BTW: when the stem is broken it exudes orange sap 

Overview of plant 93.29 KB
Single Leaf 45.91 KB

Comments

Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 05/21/2015 - 18:38

Hi,

Your plant is Stylophorum lasiocarpum, Chinese celandine poppy...  and I have the same, also received labelled as Hylomecon japonicum, except from the SRGC seedex. ;-)

Christopher Grey-Wilson in Poppies: The Poppy Family in the Wild and in Cultivation describes it as an "easy, accommodating plant, though not often seen", "seeds around profusely".

On the other hand, it is sold by some pretty high-toned plant vendors:

https://mailorder.crug-farm.co.uk/?pid=8265

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200009168

Submitted by paulhschneider on Thu, 05/21/2015 - 21:28

Thanks Lori. I had an inkling that it could be  a stylophorum or something very similar. I appreciate your ID. Now I can tag it properly. I usually put the standard narrow plastic tag on new seedlings for the first year. If they survive for a full year they get the metal tags from Everlast label Co. in Michigan. I have started using the tags with the stainless steel wires as my soil here corrodes the regular steel wires within a year or two. The Stainless is more expensive but they don't seem to have the corrosion problem.  This seems to be a really lush looking plant &I will remember to do some dead-headed after they bloom. I had the Stylophorum diphyllum in my garden in northern NY & they really loved to seed about with great abandon. Thankfully they pull out easily. Thanks again & best regards, paul s., Eastern Sun Studio & Gardens, Portland, TN- USDA Zone 7( Actually closer to Z.6 at my location)