PLATYCLADUS ORIENTALIS (THUJA ORIENTALIS)

Transcription

1 PLATYCLADUS ORIENTALIS (THUJA ORIENTALIS) Copyright Laurence C. Hatch. All Rights Reserved. This is a complex species with more cultivars grown in the past perhaps than grown today. My thanks to Dr. Lawrence Springate, International Cultivar Registration Authority for conifers with the RHS in Edinburgh for sharing data on the new clones and latest literature studies. The fun thing about this species is that plants turn up in old gardens and especially cemetaries that are sometimes very colorful and charming - of course not a one with a name or any hope of really guessing - save the very obvious 'Conspicua', the original dense, gold in old southern US plantings. The following plant is one found at the Oakdale Cemetary in NC, I believe it was Hendersonville and not the Oakdale of Wilmington. My records failed here. This thing is a perfect of green, narrow and meticulously dense, and worth seeking out. I wonder if it might be the very old var. nana aka 'Sieboldii', the original green, dwarf fish-tail-branched clone. It is more lime ("bright green") than a gold-tinged. It certainly could be 'Compacta' which was sold by the nearby Biltmore Nursery around the time it would have been planted. Biltmore also sold 'Pyramidalis' but we do not believe old plants of that clone would stay this dense. Photo below.

2 I also delight in find very old specimens of the average very sparse quality but the occasional superior giant appears when I least expect it. This gentle giant of about 4 stories tale occurs on Reedy Creek Road in Raleigh NC near a university farm. If you scale this tree to the large tractor, bales of hay, and huge oak you can appreciate how massive it is and how remarking compact for it's age. There has never been a female cone on it to my knowledge and from the second image it appears to be a male clone, loaded with male strobili which give it a slightly more greyish appearance. One hopes such old giants with clearly fine genetics will be exploited in future years for breeding and genetic manipulation work.

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4 The popularity of Biota, Thuja orientalis, and now Platycladus has faded over the decades as the true Thuja proved more long-lasting in dense form, cold hardy, and interesting in many regions. The International Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia are documented in the US Government's 1884 publication shows the number of Platys exhibited at that grand event. Scan below. Most of these clones are long lost to the US trade and gardens.

5 One of the best early listing of cultivars is from Senilis' Pinaceae of 1866 which predates Gordon, Veitch, Beissner, and many others.

6 Even older than Senilis is Endlicher's Synopsis Coniferarum of 1847 which uses Japanese common names for some of the early Biota of gardens. Platycladus orientalis 'Adorjan' (Mesterhazy, Conif. Treasury 1995, not described) or: Avasi Arb., Miskolc, Hungary Platycladus orientalis 'Adorjan Arany' ('Adorjan Aurea' illegitimate, post-1959 Latin name) (Mesterhazy, Conif. Treasury 1995, not described) ha: narrowly pyramidal, semi-dwarf, compact lc: greenish-gold, a mixture of green to gold tones or: Avasi Arboretumn, Miskolc, Hungary Platycladus orientalis 'Adorjan Aurea' post-1959 Latin name (6/9) = 'Adorjan Arany' in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Adorjan Columna' post-1959 Latin name (6/9, amended 8/12) ha: irregularly columnar, looks very ordinary by all photos seen lc: green in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Angulisans' ha: branches erect and "set edgeways" so: almost certainly lost to gardens. Platycladus orientalis 'Antarctica' Joseph Rothrock, Catalog of Trees and Shrubs, p. 18, 1880, as Biota orientalis Antarctica ", ----?", not described. ns, id: while no one imagines a Platy coming from the Antarctic, this epithet ns, id: was occasionally used by nurseryman to denote very cold

7 ns, id: hardy clones just as they did with "siberica" with no connection ns, id: to the original region. I have a general thought this is based ns, id: on Thuja Antarctica Hort. ex Gordon 1862 which is a synonym ns, id: of T. occidentalis 'Llaveana' aka 'Dumosa' (Sudworth). Some authors refers ns, id: Gordon's use of the name to Platycladus orientalis at the species ns, id: level. Gordon said T.a. resembled the "Nootka Sound Arbor-Vitae (Thuja ns, id: plicata)...found in the Antarctic regions" which implies it may well ns, id: have been Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. Indeed some modern Nootka ns, id: clones have a vertical, Platy look and feel even if different cones. Platycladus orientalis 'Archer's Gold' (7/12) in: Great Windor Park 1985 Platycladus orientalis 'Argentea' ('Variegata Argentea', 'Argenteovariegata') lc: marked silvery white ns, id: there is some question if all material of 'Argenteovariegata' ns, id: was or is always the same as 'Argentea'. Seneclauze in 1868 ns, id: recgoznied more than one clone -these are perhaps lost but one! Platycladus orientalis 'Aristata' ha: branches shorter, twisted Platycladus orientalis 'Articulata' ha: branches thinner, elongated, finer-textured. id: such thin-branched seedlings occur commonly and this old name may be one of the them. Platycladus orientalis 'Ascotensis' ha: upright, narrower lc: heavily tinged bright golden yellow, more reliably so than 'Aurea' Platycladus orientalis 'Atay' (7/9) in: Edwin Smits Nur. 2009, website, no photo or desc. web:

8 'Athrotaxoides' at Raulston Arboretum in Platycladus orientalis 'Athrotaxoides' ha: dwarf, compact in part, resembling Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lycopodioides' in branching Gordon (The Pinetum 1858), the first great compiler of conifer cultivars felt the material known to him of 'Aurea' and 'Aurea Nana' were synonomous. Both names have become polyclonal, very variable so modern opinions on extremes from the big gold to smaller golds do vary. The 1903 Kew Hand-list of conifers lumps them as well, adding T. nana compact aurea hort. as yet another synonym.

9 Platycladus orientalis Aurea Group ('Aurea' in part. Thuja aurea Waterer) ha: in the true, original sense this group is full-sized, ha: not dwarf or dense as many clones. That said, Gordon as early as 1858 felt ha: aurea nana hort. was the same as the group. Lumpers have always ha: exist and will continue! Generally speaking, old 'Aurea' is vertical in planar ha: section but not strictly or narrowly so, more mid-pyramidal to broadly ha: pyramidal, rare ovoid-globose or strict pyramidal-columnar, the planar ha: arms of the canopy often a bit undulating toward the apex and not a ha: perfect vertical plane. Old plants over 30 years are often quite open ha: and sparse, rarely remaining neat and tight as 'Aurea Nana', 'Conspicua', ha: 'Westmont' and other improvements. 'Semperaurea' in my experience ha: forms a very wide, spreading-pyramid but stays quite neat, dense. lc: this name has been applied to virtually any gold-tinged clone ns: some plants under this name are the denser 'Aurea Nana' ns: or the variegated 'Aureovariegata' or, in: Europe bef. 1804? Robert Hogg in The Florist and Pomologist of 1879 or, in: reports its origins as a seedling from Waterer's Knap Hill Nursery, UK. I or, in: have seen the Waterer claim in some but not all old conifer refs. or, in: Hovey in the 1864 or, in: Magazine of Horticulture says it was found in 1845 in seedbeds of or, in: M. Dauvesse as an "elegant dwarf". This suggests that denouden or, in: & Booms' 1965 referal of Dauvesse's aurea to the vigorous, mottled or, in: 'Aureovariegata' may be incorrect. Many early authors lump 'Aurea' or, in: and 'Aurea Nana' but these are generally distinct as mature plants. or, in: However, be aware 'Aurea Nana' of the US is Berckman's 'Conspicua' Platycladus orientalis aurea bergmanii = 'Conspicua' ns, id: this old name is still in use in European nurseries in 2012! ns, id: It is clearly 'Conspicua' and thus allied to nurseryman ns, id: Berckman and not Bergman! Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Conspicua' = 'Conspicua' Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Densa' - 'Aurea Nana' This record from RHS Journal 1892 (Pinetum Danicum) proves 'Aurea Erecta' is and was a synonym of Waterer's common, very famous Aurea Group and one concept of 'Aurea Nana'. The American 'Aurea Nana' we must stress has always been Berckman's 'Conspicua'. Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Erecta' = 'Aurea Nana'

10 Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Gracilis' ht: 2.5m tall x 1m wide ha: broadly columnar to pyramidal, compact lc: golden yellow, bronzing in winter in: listed in New Zealand ns: doubtfully published before 1959 and if distinct a new name should be chosen. 'Aurea Nana' taken from Berckman's Catalog, reprinted it seems in American Gardening 18(112): 106 (1897). It states their plant came from 'Semperaurea' and is most likely 'Conspicua'. In any case, the 'Aurea Nana' of Europe (ie. Beissner 1868) is not likely to be Berckman's clone from Augusta GA.

11 It has always been assumed Berckman's American 'Aurea Nana' was a later homonym of the European plant under this name. His plant was called 'Conspicua' by most conifer experts to sort them out. This advert from his firm in National Nurseryman of January 1914 clearly shows 'Conspicua' as a separate listing from 'Aurea Nana'. The Georgia Dept of Entomology report of 1909 also mentions three clones coming from Berckman as shown below, these being Biota aurea nana, B. aurea conspicua (as corespicua), and B. aurea pyramidalis. Here we can make a very good case for at least two Berckman clones! It should be noted that the name Biota aurea conspicua does not validate that clone as 'Aurea Conspicua' because the epithet aurea is the specific or species position and not the tertiary varietal or cultivar position. I finally hit the jackpot and found an article by P.J. Berckman himself in the Proceedings of the Georgia State Hort. Society (1908) of horticultural, saying he had three gold selections, all the seedlings of one tree! Here is yet more evidence of Berckman's Golden (aurea nana) and 'Conspicua' being different, separate material. This ad appeared in the National Nursery of January 1917.

12 Even more information is P.J. Berckmans' article entitled The Best Conifers North and South II in The Garden Magazine of March Here he clearly says that his aurea nana (aka Berckman's Golden Arborvitae, not the 'Aurea Nana' of Europe) was a seedling of 'Semperaurea' along with 'Aurea Pyramidalis' and 'Conspicua'. He says 'Conspicua' is even redder in NY, suggesting why it was named as such. Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Nana' (NOT 'Aurea Nana' Berckman's Nursery, US nor Hort. Amer. c = 'Conspicua' NOR Devausse = 'Aureovariegata') ha: dense, compact, densely ovoid to globose-erect, ha: never open as some stock in Aurea Group

13 lc: tinged golden-yellow, especially on the upper 3-6 inches of growth. lc: It usually bronzes a bit in winter. ns: it is polyclonal, having different origins but all fit the above description id: mature plants are easy to separate from Aurea Group which id: strays in vertical planes for years. This clone when true has id: distinctly undulate or wavy planes through in a vertical id: orientation. 'Conspicua' is sold under this name. eval: 'Westmont' is a denser, selected clone of it. Platycladus orientalis 'Aurea Pyramidalis' = 'Pyramidalis Aurea'? lsp: grown at NYBG along with 'Aurea' and 'Aurea Nana' in 1917 lsp: (J. NYBG XVII: 139). ns, id: If 'Pyramidalis Aurea' proves the same as Berckman's clone ns, id: sold as aurea pyramidal, we think this name has priority. One spin on 'Aureovariegata' which is thought to have been a mottled gold chimera from Japan (perhaps the same clone we have as 'Joseph vanhoey Smith' today) but said by Frank Jesup Scott (The Art of Beautifying Suburban Home Grounds, 1870) above to have come from France! Doubtless, gold-mottled sports have occured many places and times. Early authors tended to lump similar clones having not seen nor compared them all. By the way, Scott says that Bartram grew the plain species in his Philly garden and had a 20 foot tall tree by1870. Platycladus orientalis 'Aureovariegata' ('Van Hoey Smith', aurea nana Devausee NOT Beissner NOR Berckmans) lc: heavily mottled yellow (85% to the eye in current shoot), not suffused lc: or tinted with yellow new growth as Aurea Group and lc: 'Aurea Nana', the chimera brushed on richly, tips and stem all green, lc: contrasting nicely. or: thought to be a chimera from Japan but such sports appear from or: year to year in many places. Platycladus orientalis 'Autumn Glow' (3/01)

14 ha: dense, ovoid lc: bright yellow becoming lime with pale tips, lc: distinctly bronze to red in winter, more color with sun in: Kenwith Nurs Platycladus orientalis 'Azurea' Ed Cope, Native and Cult. Con lc: glaucous-green to bluish Platycladus orientalis 'Bakeri' ('Baker', ';Baker's Hybrid', 'Baker's Green Spire'?, 'Pyramidalis Bakeri', var. bakeri Bailey 1933) ha: conical, dense lc: lighter, brighter green lu: durable in hot climates such as California Platycladus orientalis 'Balaton' (3/02) ha, lt: thread-like, broadly ellipsoidal-pyramidal, very irregular and ha, lt: tangled compared to 'Filiformis Erecta'. I have also seen images ha, lt: where it's trained wider, becoming pendulous as Pendula Group lc: darker green than most Filiformis types, which are often pale lc: bright bright lime hues in: Barabits Nurseries or: seen at Badaczonyors Bot. Gard., Hungary 1962, perhaps a seedling li: Gelderen, D.M. van and J.R.P. van Hoey Smith Conifers: an illustrated encyclopedia. Timber Press. Platycladus orientalis 'Barabits Juvenilis' (Mesterhazy, Conif. Treasury 2010, 1.0) lt: juvenile, greenish-blue or: Barabits Nursery, Hungary Platycladus orientalis 'Barabits Sarga Juvenilis' (6/9) in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Beacon Glow' (7/9) ha: compact lc: greenish-yellow in: Edwin Smits Nur. 2009, website, no photo or desc. web: Platycladus orientalis 'Bence' (6/9, amended 8/12) ha: columnar, more erect than most thready forms lt, ls: filiform, thread-like shoots lc: rich, palish green, bronzed in winter in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Berckmans' Golden' ('Aurea Nana' of Berckmans' Fruitland Nursery

15 NOT of Europe, WIDELY, INCORRECTLY LUMPED WITH 'Conspicua', 'Berckmanii', 'Berkman's', 'Bergmann') NEW AMENDED CULTIVAR NAME ns, id: this original clone was one of three seedlings raised by P.J. Berckmans ns, id: from 'Semperaurea'. One was this clone, a second 'Conspicua' which is ns, id: very similar in summer and wrong lumped with it but more red in ns, id: winter, and the more narrow yet 'Aurea Pyramidalis'. Platycladus orientalis 'Beverleyensis' ('Beverly Hills') htl 6 ft. (10 years) ha: columnar, compact lc: new growth tips golden yellow, reddish bronze in winter (unless in Beverly Hills perhaps) eval: as Harrison remarks it can look dying in color in winter and this is not a very good thing in cold climates.` Platycladus orientalis 'Blackman's Blue' (11/99) ht: 2m tall x 1m wide in 10 years ha: similar to 'Green Cone', a neat cone shape composed of vertical shoots. lc: green in very cold New Zealand winters it turns near black id: it is similar to 'Green Cone' except in the exceptional winter coloration. so: source (Cedar Lodge Nursery) Platycladus orientalis 'Blijdenstein' ht: 4m ha: ovoid lc: light green lt: juvenile, more finely textured than typical of species or: Pinetum Blijdenstein 1937 as seedling ns: the clone 'Elegantissima' originated at Pinetum Blijdenstein but is golden clone and very different. li: Gelderen, D.M. van and J.R.P. van Hoey Smith Conifers: an illustrated encyclopedia. Timber Press. Platycladus orientalis 'Blucone' ('Blue Cone') ha: dense, conical lc: blue-green, it is never as blue as the bright Chamaecyparis lawsoniana. or: Howard's Nursery, Austin, TX bef by one report but sold by or: Monrovia as early as It is possible that Howard's plant is or: 'Blue Spire' or 'Howardii' and confused with this one in: Monrovia Nur Platycladus orientalis 'Blue Spire' ('Howardii') ha: conical, narrowly pyramidal, slightly pendulous lc: bluish-green or: Howard's Nursery, Austin, TX bef. 1961, not='blucone'

16 Platycladus orientalis 'Bonita' Slavin 1932 ha: dwarf, conical, much slower, branches in distinct vertical planes lc: bright green, tips golden yellow in: D.Hill Nursery 1927 Platycladus orientalis 'Bonner Hexe' (7/9) ha: slow, erect, broom from 'Elegantissima' lc: yellow tinged in: Dutch nurseries c. 2008, listed 7/30/12 by esveld.nl in: with photo from Arb. Trompenburg. Platycladus orientalis 'Borzas' (6/9) in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Brewers' or: Sherman Nurseries, Sherman, TX 1940's Platycladus orientalis 'Buchan' ht: 3m ha: ovoid, shrubby lc: golden becoming yellowish-green in: c. 1987, origin not clear Platycladus orientalis 'Burtonii' ('Burton') in; Monrovia Nurs. 1958, not desc. in literature Platycladus orientalis 'Caesius' Cope, Nat. Cult. Con lc: "leaves glaucous" Platycladus orientalis 'California Golden' or: Griffing Nursery c Platycladus orientalis 'Caribbean Holiday' ha: dwarf, ovoid lc: bright golden, tinged orange to bronze in winter in: Wansdyke Nur Platycladus orientalis 'Carrilem Holiday' (3/01) ns: listed name with the RHS The 2002 database has a 'Caribbean Holiday'. Was this a typo? Platycladus orientalis 'Cedar Lodge' ha: narrow lc: dark green in: Cedar Lodge Nursery c Platycladus orientalis subsp. chengii (Bord. & Gaussens) Silba ns, id: Flora of China lumps it with species.

17 Platycladus orientalis 'Chinensis' Cope, Nat. Conf ha: "dwarf, round to conical" (Cope) Platycladus orientalis 'Collen's Gold' (3/01) ht: 3.5m tall x 1.1m (10 years) ha: more narrowly columnar than Aurea Group and 'Beverlyensis', 6-8 in. growth a year id: may be 'Collyer's Gold' or vice versa. in: Hull Farm, England, grown in the UK since about 1983 Platycladus orientalis 'Collyer's Gold' lc: bright golden yellow, a good modern clone. Platycladus orientalis 'Columnaris' Laurels Nursery, Australia, online catalog, accessed , post-1959 Latin name ha: very narrow, columnar, ellipsoidal by Laurel's online image lc: bright lime-green, some yellowish tints but narrower and lc: less gold than their own clone 'Laureli' Platycladus orientalis 'Columnaris Aurea' Stanley and Sons Nursery, online catalog, accessed , post-1959 Latin name ha: "very fastigiate", 6-10 in. a year lc: yellow, non-burning in OR USA 'Compacta' from the Biltmore Nursery, Asheville, NC USA catalog of They described it then as "a low and very compact form, with bright green foliage. Very formal and attractive and a favorite everywhere". Platycladus orientalis 'Compacta' ns, id: this is a logical, obvious name which probably has had 20 meanings.

18 ns, id: The RHS Hand-List uses var. compacta as a syn. of var. nana Carr., ns, id: var. Sieboldii Endl. and Biota zuccariniana Siebold. Separation of all ns, id: these potentially unique clones is difficult in We can be fairly ns, id: sure of what Biltmore had in the US based on the above image. Platycladus orientalis 'Compacta Aurea Nana' = 'Aurea Nana' Platycladus orientalis 'Compacta Nana' ('Nana Compacta', 'Compacta Nana Green') ha: pyramidal, dense, very uniform from cuttings, lower, distinctly vertical in planes lt: many sem-juvenile (semi-divergent), others more juvenile lc: lighter, brighter green, often tipped purple to bronze in winter Platycladus orientalis 'Compacta Nana Green' = 'Compacta Nana' ns: this name has been contrasted with 'Compacta Nana Aurea' to list the gold and green clones.

19 'Conspicua' in cone at Atlanta Bot. Gard.

20 A much older 'Conspicua' at Winterthur, it's fellow plantings now overgrowing it. The old Charlotte NC cemetary near downtown with very old conifers such as this dwarf gold which is almost certainly 'Conspicua'. Charlotte is not far from SC and GA where the compact, Berckman clone reigned supreme for decades. However, recent research shows that Berckman's arborvitae sold as aurea nana was not the same as his 'Conspicua'

21 Berckman's 'Aurea Nana', a later homonym of an older European clone is correctly called 'Conspicua' in part but 'Berckmans Golden' in other cases. The ad above is from National Nurseryman 18: 494 (1910). The Berckmans nursery grounds are world famous today and better known as the Augusta National aka Masters golfcourse. Platycladus orientalis 'Conspicua' ('Aurea Conspicua', NOT original 'Aurea Nana' Berckmans Nursery and Hort. Amer. NOR Europe c. 1868) ha: dense, compact, distinctly columnar to narrowly ovoid lc: golden new growth, later bright green id: much narrower and more vertical than true 'Aurea Nana' ns: 'Berckmans' has been used for this clone as well as 'Aurea Nana' ns: but if you look at Berckman's own writings and ads, he kept ns: his aurea nana and conspicua are separate entities. ns, id: while denouden and Boom do a fine job of separating out ns, id: 'Conspicua' from Berckmans' original 'Aurea Nana', many ns, id: modern authors lump them (ie. Harrison, Landscape Plants ns, id: for Eastern N. Amer., 1997) Platycladus orientalis 'Coral King' Platycladus orientalis 'Coral Queen' lc: rich gold, tinged coral tones in winter. Platycladus orientalis 'Cristata' ha: dwarf, erect, compact, much slower, branchlets shorted and crested at the apices, slightly contorted Platycladus orientalis 'Croatia' ns: listed name with Esveld c. 2002

22 Platycladus orientalis var. cupressifolia hort. Amer. = 'Ramseyi' Platycladus orientalis 'Cupressoides' = 'Pyramidalis or 'Stricta', perhaps being the same ht: ft. ha: columnar, very erect, named for the resemblance ha: to Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta' Beissner's Handbuch der Nadelholzkunde of 1891 sharpened to show his comparison of var. decussata vs. var. meldensis. The needles of 'Decussata' seem much more diverged and longer than 'Meldensis' as known to him. Beissner also listed Retinospora squarrosa Hort. ("nicht Zucc.") as a synonym so there might be a case for this being Chamaecyparis pisifera Squarrosa Group. Platycladus orientalis 'Decussata' = 'Juniperoides' reversion? ha: dense, erect shrub, much branched lt, lc: a mix of juvenile, greyish-green foliage, polymorphic lt, lc: and apparently containing some less divergent foliage. lt, lc: This appears to be similar to 'Juniperoides' or 'Sanderi' lt, lc: and perhaps a phase of one of them, perhaps containing lt, lc: some full of particular reversions to appressed, adult-type lt, lc: foliage as can occur in 'Juniperoides'.

23 T. Moore in the Florist and Pomologist of 1879 (p. 165) describes this plant. He is likely referring to the famous Mr. Jackson of England, a noted conifer expert and grower, who is listed for this clone in Clearly now it is a few years older! Platycladus orientalis 'Densa Glauca' ('Densa'?) Beissner 1891 ha: dwarf, globose, very dense lc: blue-green in: listed for the International Exhibition in Philadelpha, PA USA in: of 1876 as 'Densa' Platycladus orientalis 'Duci' (Mesterhazy, Conif. Treasury 2010, 1.0) or: Zoltan Torok, Hungary Platycladus orientalis 'Dundi' (6/9, amended 8/2012) ha, lt: juvenile foliage, sunglobose to very broadly ovoid lc: very pale yellowish-grewen to silvery-green, very purplish to bluish in winter or: Zsolt Naga Nursery, Sopron, Hungary, seedling of 'Sieboldii 1988 in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Duzi' (6/9) in: listed in: online file, June 7, file archived in INCA for researchers Platycladus orientalis 'Dwarf Greenspike' Robert Ealy, "Dwarf Greenspike - A New Arborvitae for Landscape Plantings, Bulletin, Oklahoma State Univ., 1961" ht: 1.5m in many years ha: compact, pyramidal, dwarf lc: bright green ll: 4-5mm lt: nearly all juvenile, very soft to touch but otherwise appearing like a green juniper eval: it proved very durable in the dry, hot climate of Stillwater eval: Oklahoma based on a 1952 planting there. Many species examples eval: perished but this clone survived well. It is possibly more eval: resistant to Phomopsis blight, an issue for conifers in hot regions. or: Robert P. Ealy, Oklahoma State University, OK USA 1940 Platycladus orientalis elegans aurea nana = 'Aurea Nana'

24 'Elegantissima'. A very old plant at USNA in the old conifer collection above the Gotelli. It is still colorful but the habit shows it's age to compared to similarly old 'Conspicua' with neater, less ragged form.

25 'Elegantissima'. Old plates and especially older photographs are very useful in horticultural research as they show "original intent" of the original, true clone or strain. This plant of 'Elegantissima' from Castlewellan, Ireland shows how distinct this is from many Aurea Group entities. Photo from The Garden 35: 443 (1890). Another old plate confirming it's form and strong density appeared in Gardening Illustrated 13: 112 (1891). The author, "W." (possibly William Robinson), stated the obvious that this Rollison product was superior in neatness to Waterer's older Aurea Group material.

26 Platycladus orientalis 'Elegantissima' ('Elegantissima Stricta', T. elegantissima Hort. ex Gordon, Pinet. Supp. 1862) ha: pyramidal, narrower, very erect, sprays fan-shaped to plumose much ha: more like Chamaecyparis lawsonsiana at times, others times more erect, ha: not as vertical in planes as 'Aurea', quite irregular to semi-tufted ha: in sprays with age, "very neat dwarf...much neat appearance and ha: more erect than the Biota Orientalis aurea" (Gordon 1862) lc: new growth golden yellow, later green. Reddish-brown tinged in winter. The contrast of the gold tips lc: with inner dark green is very nice. in: Rollison Nursery, England c Platycladus orientalis 'Elegantissima Picta' ha: dwarf, erect lc: silver mottled Platycladus orientalis 'Ensata' ha: branchlets very irregular, sometimes monstrous lc: dark green in: known to Carriere in France, 1867 Platycladus orientalis 'Erdotelek' (Mesterhazy, Conif. Treas. 2010, 1.0, with color photo) lc: mottled gold on green or: Laszlo Lakatos, Hungary Platycladus orientalis 'Erecta Filiformis' = 'Filiformis Erecta'? ns: this transposition of epithets appears in trade lists (2002). Platycladus orientalis 'Ericoides' Dall. & Jacks = may be Biota ericoides hort. ex Carrier, Tr. Gen. Con = Thuja occidentalis 'Ericoides'? Platycladus orientalis 'Excelsa' later homonym, not valid (NOT Biota orientalis Hort. ex Gordon, an earlier use of this epithet = 'Pyramidalis') ha: pyramidal, denser lt: "soft, lacy" per denouden & Boom (juvenile type?) lc: light green, bronzing in winter dr: very rust sensitive and no longer grown for this reason in: Griffing Nursery, US Platycladus orientalis 'Excelsa Compacta (Alridges Nurseries ex Mesterhazy, Conif. Treas. 2012, 3.0, name only) Platycladus orientalis 'Expansa' (?=Biota orientalis var. expansa Endlicher = 'Pyramidalis' Endlicher) ha: loose, spreading, open branches so: lost to gardens.

27 An early mention of 'Falcata', confirming it's Japanese origin, appearing in The Gardens Monthly 4: 182 (1862) Gordon's Pinetum details the origins of this clone. Platycladus orientalis 'Falcata' Lindley (Biota Fortunei hort. ex Gordon) ha: pyramidal, erect, 15 ft. tall, used as hedge in Japan frt: cones with sickle-shaped (falcate), curving backwards horn id: denouden & Boom say the leaves are not falcate as sometimes stated. ns, id: see plate under 'Zuccariniana' or: Robert Fortune imported from Yokohama, Japan in: James Veitch Nursery Platycladus orientalis 'Falcata Lutea' lc: golden yellow frt: cones with sickle-shaped (falcate), curving backwards horn Platycladus orientalis 'Falcata Nana' ha: dwarf, compact lt: curved, falcate - not the cones as the above two clones Platycladus orientalis var. falcata nova RHS Hand-list of Coniferae 1903 Platycladus orientalis 'Fastigiata Aurea' post-1959, illegitimate Latin name (Hort. ex Mesterhazy, Conif. Treas. 2012, 3.0, with color photo) ha: irregularly pyramidal lc: rich gold.

28 Platycladus orientalis 'Filifera' and 'Filiformis' = Pendula Group sensu latu Platycladus orientalis filiformis compacta = 'Tetragona' Platycladus orientalis Pendula Group 'Filiformis Elegans' ha: branches long and thread-like lc: blue-green, more glaucous than most clones of this habit and shoot type 'Filiformis Erecta'. University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Here is a very useful habit

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