Disporum longistylum ‘Moonlight’

Chinese Fairy Bells 'Moonlight' Colchicaceae

A particularly handsome and unusual selection of Disporum longistylum, ‘Moonlight’ brings a touch of silver to the shady garden. Its arching, bamboo-like stems are clothed in broad, boldly creamy-variegated leaves, producing an evergreen or semi-evergreen presence in mild winters. In spring, pendent, creamy-white bells hang from the tips of the stems, followed by attractive dark berries. It is a choice plant for the woodland border, where the pale foliage positively glows in shade—proof that woodland plants need not all dress in green.

Importantly, this plant is very often mislabelled as Disporum cantoniense. The distinction is not merely academic. D. longistylum produces its flowers in a truly terminal inflorescence at the apex of the stem or branch, with the tepals only 1–1.4cm long and shorter than the stamens, allowing the stamens to project conspicuously beyond the tepals. In D. cantoniense, flowers are generally pseudolateral, arising from short branchlets opposite a leaf, with tepals longer than the stamens. 

The species has a fascinating history of confusion in cultivation: RHS taxonomic work demonstrated that even well-known cultivated selections such as Dan Hinkley’s ‘Green Giant’ and ‘Night Heron’, traditionally sold as D. cantoniense, actually belong to D. longistylum.  Kew currently accepts D. longistylum as a distinct species, native from Assam through Tibet and central China. 

Height: 80–120cm
Spread: 50–80cm
Flowering: April–May
Hardiness: H5, approximately −15 to −10°C
Aspect: Partial to full shade
Soil: Moist, humus-rich and well drained
Evergreen: Often semi-evergreen in mild winters