Polygonatum yunnanense OG 94.047

Solomon’s Seal Asparagaceae

A rather splendid Chinese Solomon’s seal with glaucous, tessellated stems and handsome, lustrous foliage. Polygonatum yunnanense forms relatively short, arching stems, the green and reddish colouring of the stems often giving them an attractive patterned appearance. The broadly lanceolate to ovate leaves are glaucous beneath, while the slender axillary flowers are followed by berries. A choice and comparatively uncommon species for the specialist woodland garden.

Its natural range is centred on south-western and central China, particularly Sichuan and Yunnan, with records extending into Chongqing. It is associated with mountain woodland at considerable elevation. Kew currently accepts P. yunnanense as a distinct species, following its reinstatement by Aaron Floden in 2012; it had previously been submerged under P. nodosum. 

Our material is the Ogisu 94.047 collection, made by Japanese plantsman Masahiro Ogisu in 1994 at Wolong, Sichuan, China. The collection was subsequently maintained as a living accession and was one of the collections used by Floden in his 2012 study reinstating P. yunnanense. The same accession is still recorded in specialist plant collections under the number OG 94.047. 

• Height: 30–50cm
• Spread: 30–45cm
• Flowering: May–June
• Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)
• Position: Partial shade
• Soil: Moist, humus-rich, well drained
• Collection: Masahiro Ogisu, 1994
• Collection number: OG 94.047
• Provenance: Wolong, Sichuan, China
• Introduction: Introduced into cultivation from the 1994 Ogisu collection
• Nomenclature: Polygonatum yunnanense H.Lév.
• Taxonomic note: Reinstated as a distinct species by Floden (2012), having previously been treated as P. nodosum.