Re: Phormium tenax 'Variegata' and 'Williamsii'
Tim wrote:
>I know someone who's desperate to lay hands on a specimen of P. t.
>'Williamsii,' which doesn't seem to be (commercially, certainly; at
>all, possibly) available in the U.K. The UK expert on Australasian
>plants I consulted said, Why is he bothering with it? There's no
>significant difference/improvement on the ordinary P.t. 'Variegata'.
>Anyone care to comment?
I asked Moira about this (presumably you are asking on Jason's behalf)
who tells me that it is a variant of P. tenax 'Variegata', supposedly
more vigorous and with a better defined variegation. Since then, I've
tracked down one specimen here which appears to correspond with the
Williamsii variety.
The plant I've seen is extremely lush, lax leaved and very vigorous
with a strong variegation almost shaded with the faintest amount of
pink which causes the creamy yellow to stand out more. It does not
appear to be as free in producing offsets and the present owner is not
prepared to split the plant until next spring at the earliest.
Currently it is about 2.5 metres high with about 8 growths, the leaves
being a good 15 - 18 cms across.
We seem to have quite a range of variegated forms down here - some of
which are recognisable clones, while others are rather obscure. The
claimed 'Williamsii' is rather more outstanding than the ordinary
variegated forms and has that 'tropical' look about it.
My pal in Aus. reckons he has tracked it down and is supposed to be
sending me a few young plants (along with both the white flowered and
ordinary forms of Doryanthes excelsa) later in the year. I'm not that
interested in Phormiums, so I'll probably pass them on to Chris and
Jason.
Dave Poole
