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Kirengeshoma palmata




A nice plant for a woodland setting or a bog garden
Kirengeshoma palmata

Also known as yellow waxbells, Kirengeshoma palmata is a late-flowering rhizomatous perennial. It grows to 1.2 meters (3-4.5 feet) high with arching stems and is native to the woods and mountain lowlands of Korea and the Japanese islands of Shikoku and Kyushu.

The unusual name of Kirengeshoma is a Latinized version of the original Japanese name. Palmata, of course, is a common specific epithet, means shaped like a hand and refers to the foliage.

Formerly classified in its own family, Kirengeshoma palmata is now a member of the hydrangea family, although its flowers, which are around 3 cm (1.5 inches) long, are more reminiscent of those of a single-flowered Japanese anemone. The flowers of this garden plants are a fairly deep yellow. In the wild, though, the colour of specimens range from white to apricot. The fleshy-petalled flowers are borne in sprays on wiry stems that bend under their own weight. While beautiful and graceful, they never really open fully. The buds start to burst in early the early fall.


Kirengeshoma palmata
Courtesy Missouri Botanical PlantFinder
Some consider the flowers a disappointment, but this is a plant grown as much for its foliage as its flowers. The leaves are maple-like. They grow up to 20 cm (8 inches) long and across with pointed lobes that are deeper on the basal leaves and very shallow on the reduced leaves found on the flower stems.

Most experts thinks that there is only one species in its genus, but some botanists prefer to classify the Korean plants separately as Kirengeshoma koreana. As far as gardeners are concerned any differences between the plants are very minor. There is some suggestion that the Korean plants may eventually be larger than their Japanese cousins and that their flowers will open more fully.

Looking at its origins, you would expect Kirengeshoma palmata to prefer a moist, leafy, humus-rich soil in partial shade. You would be right. The plant appreciates typical woodland conditions. In late autumn, it dies back to its rootstock, which is extremely hardy and quite capable of withstanding -15°C. It is propagated either by division in the winter or early spring, or by raising from seed. The seed prefers cool temperatures, around 12 to 15°C. The germination time is variable, anywhere from 30 to 300 days. Sowing fresh seed in the autumn and leaving a seed tray in a shady place for germination in the following spring satisfies any stratification requirements and gives good results.

Kirengeshoma palmata is a perfect companion for any Japanese or Chinese woodland plants in the garden. It looks magnificent under maples, its leaf shape is complementary. With its need for ample summer moisture, it thrives at the edges of a bog garden along with candelabra primroses, Rodgersia and irises. Thanks to its late flowering habit, Kirengeshoma palmata is a nice way to provide a burst of color and interest at a time of year when other woodland plants are becoming dull...

About the author:  Geoff Bryant writes garden books and is a horticultural photographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. His stock photo library is called Country, Farm and Garden at (www.cfgphoto.com).








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