Re: Painter's Palette was: one more plant id

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On Tue, 18 Jul 2000 03:35:46 -0400 "Marge Talt" <mtalt@clark.net> writes:
>Shelly, if
> yours has absolutely no variegation except the chevron, then it
> isn't
> 'Painter's Palette'...am thinking it might be the species, but the
> photos I've see of that have a plain green leaf with no chevron and
> the flowers are white.  Anybody else know of another variety of
> cultivar with a chevron but no cream variegation?

Marge --

 

The pure species Polygonum virginianum (a/k/a Tovara virginiana) has red-brown chevrons on medium green leaves.  Is that what you're asking?  I've noticed there is considerable regional variation, some populations having a clear chevron and some having a faint one.  Between what I've seen labeled as both 'Painter's Pallette' and 'Variegatum', and what I see growing in the woods, I'm thinking that these two cultivars are the result of hybridizing.  Of course, this is a species that's listed as native to Japan, the Himalayas and the northeast United States, so one might expect that they don't all match the holotype.  ;-)

 

This is one of my favorite groups of plants.  There seems to be an ongoing debate lately between taxonomists as to whether or not Persicaria should remain as a separate genus.  As best I can tell, the "typical" smartweeds, from those weeds of ditch and garden to the giant Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate (I have a specimen right now that could kiss basketball players over the 6' privacy fence) remain in the genus Polygonum.  Many of these are annuals or subtropical perennials, all herbaceous and "weedy."

 

The fibrous clumpers, the ones generally referred to as knotweeds, will probably remain as Persicaria.  This just seems, to me, "how the wind is blowing" as the saying goes.  This would include Tovara -- or, at least, some of the populations -- and many of the new Asian species and derived cultivars, such as the incredible 'Red Dragon.'

 

And don't forget the semi-woody knotweeds, such as the dread Mexican bamboo (sometimes called Japanese bamboo), which were moved to the genus Fallopia.  This appears to be a pretty sure thing.   I don't really know the exact criteria are being used in separating these species -- I haven't had any bouts of insomnia lately and so haven't had a reason to read any taxonomic revisions.  I'm sure it's something really obvious like number of pollen grains.  ;-)

 

HOWEVER, what we hobbyists should always remember is that a valid name applied to a correctly identified plant is never going to be "wrong," even if it's not the most current name.  There's absolutely no need to run out into the garden and change plant tags every time a genus is reviewed or revised (Botanical gardens certainly don't do it!).  A correctly identified plant will never be considered mislabeled, that's the way the system works.

 

Dean Sliger

Warren, Michigan, USA

Zone 6B