Polygonatum odoratum 'Kayabanishiki'

Solomon’s Seal 'Kayabanishiki' Asparagaceae

A Solomon’s seal that clearly didn’t get the memo about staying green! ‘Kayabanishiki’ is a striking Japanese selection of Polygonatum odoratum, grown for its red-flushed stems and beautifully variegated foliage, with cream and yellow markings becoming particularly prominent towards the leaf tips. The pendent, white, bell-shaped flowers appear in spring, but it is the foliage that makes this selection especially desirable.

The cultivar name ‘Kayabanishiki’ (茅場錦) can be translated approximately as “variegated pattern of the thatched-grass field”, from kaya (茅), meaning thatching grass or pampas-type grass, ba (場), meaning a place or field, and nishiki (錦), meaning brocade or a richly variegated pattern. The name therefore evokes the colour and patterning of a variegated grass or a richly woven brocade.

‘Kayabanishiki’ is a Japanese horticultural selection, rather than a botanical variety, although it is sometimes encountered under Polygonatum odoratum var. maximowiczii ‘Kayabanishiki’. The cultivar name is the preferable horticultural designation.

Easy and dependable, growing well in sun or shade in a moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil.

• Height: 60–90cm
• Spread: 40–60cm
• Flowering: May–June
• Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)
• Position: Sun or shade
• Soil: Moist, humus-rich, well drained
• Origin: Japan
• Introduction: Japanese horticultural selection
• Name meaning: “Variegated/brocade of the thatched-grass field”