HOOTMANODENDRON
November 12, 2012
We have just returned from a very successful seed and plant collecting expedition to China. Thanks to a great seed year, excellent timing and the fact that we covered a tremendous amount of territory in our three weeks of field work, we managed to find seed on a tremendous assortment of material. This botanical bonanza ranged from lofty conifers (including Abies, Tsuga and Fokienia) to beautiful flowering trees and shrubs. A sampling of the trees collected would include around a half dozen different species of Magnolia (incl. Manglietia and Michelia), Sorbus, Acer, three species of Rehderodendron (amazing!), Alniphyllum, two species of Styrax, Gordonia axillaris and the primitive and very rare Diplopanax. Among the fabulous shrubs collected are such treasures as three species of Daphniphyllum, Schefflera, Dendropanax proteus, several species of Hydrangea, etc.
In addition to the great variety of trees and shrubs collected are a wide array of herbaceous perennials and groundcovers including an exciting Epimedium and an exquisitely variegated Asarum. The highlights of course are six or seven beautiful new rhododendrons that we have finally managed to introduce into cultivation. Most exciting among these are the new and very disjunct Taliensia from southern China – R. dachengense, the stewartia-barked R. guihainianum, R. brevicaudatum which looks as different from what one expects in a rhododendron as any other species I have seen, R. brevinerve and a hardy Chinese vireya – R. poilanei.