Re: Cimicifuga/Actaea dioecious?

Being very behind in my mail, think I have missed the beginning of
this thread, but FWIW, Dan Hinkley, in his 'The Explorer's Garden',
goes into the genus Cimicifuga in some detail and has this to say
about C. dahurica:

"A late-blossoming and dioecious species native to eastern Asia,
Cimicifuga dahurica produces dramatically branched, somewhat lax
flowering stems to 6 ft. (1.8 m) in very late summer and early
autumn.  I observed this species frequently in the mountains of South
Korea in 1993, where I successfully gathered sufficient seed as well
as a small division from a plant growing in the wild.  Though the
seedlings have grown to sizable specimens, only the divided plant has
successfully blossomed thus far, and it receives rave reviews from
those who observe it in our woodland in early September.  Male
specimens offer a better flower effect than the females, the
inflorescences of which are fewer branched and fewer flowered.  The
leaves of C. dahurica are bi-or triternately compound and grow to 2
ft. (0.6 m) in length, making large and handsome mounds of foliage in
bright shade or full sun in moderately moist but well-drained soil."
In another section of the chapter, he says " The vernacular name of
C. dahurica, from northeastern Asia, is bug chaser dahurian, showing
an ethnobotanical co-evolution of two species from the same genus in
two separate geographical regions." (he was talking about C.
racemosa).

He also has a nice image of C. dahurica whose flowers are quite
unlike those on my version of Cimicifuga - the spikes being made of
many smaller almost horizontal spikes of flowers that sparsely stand
out along the main flower stem...not a very good description of what
actually makes quite a statement.  Reminds me more of goatsbeard
(Aruncus) on steroids than Cimicifuga.

 I am wondering whether the other resources were unaware of its being
dioecious?  I mean, could this be a recent discovery about the
species?

Think you ought to write to Heronswood...and then post what you find
out:-)

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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From: Diane Whitehead <voltaire@ISLANDNET.COM>
Date: Monday, January 15, 2001 3:30 PM

http://www.mobot.org/hort/plantfinder/  is an interesting resource.
I checked what it said about C. dahurica, and it made no mention of
it being dioecious, either.  Maybe I will have to write to
Heronswood, as their catalogue seems to be the only place that says
so.

However, don't give up on books! Most of the books I have list more
cimicifugas than mobot does, except for the newly-released "Black
Negligee" which of course isn't in any books.  The mobot plantfinder
lists these:

Cimicifuga 'Black Negligee' - Bugbane
Cimicifuga dahurica - Bugbane
Cimicifuga racemosa - Black cohosh
Cimicifuga ramosa 'Atropurpurea' - Cohosh
Cimicifuga ramosa 'Hillside Black Beauty' - Bugbane
Cimicifuga simplex 'White Pearl' - Bugbane

The Royal Horticultural Society's Index of Garden Plants by Mark
Griffiths describes 13 species (C. americana, arizonica, biternata,
dahurica, elata, foetida, heracleifolia, japonica, laciniata,
racemosa, ramosa, rubifolia and simplex) and 7 additional varieties
or cultivars.

My favourite resource for new plants, however, is an old book: The 3
volume Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture by L.H. Bailey 1928.  He
did not list "dead entries" but only plants in cultivation. Many
plants listed were in cultivation then but then died out and the
areas in which they are native were closed to collectors.  Some of
these areas are now being collected from again, and the plants are
considered new to us.

Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
plant AND booklover - one wall of my bedroom is floor to ceiling
garden books.
http://www.mobot.org/hort/plantfinder/  is an interesting resource.
I
checked what it said about C. dahurica, and it made no mention of it
being dioecious, either.  Maybe I will have to write to Heronswood,
as
their catalogue seems to be the only place that says so.


However, don't give up on books! Most of the books I have list more
cimicifugas than mobot does, except for the newly-released "Black
Negligee" which of course isn't in any books.  The mobot plantfinder
lists these:


<bold><italic><fontfamily><param>Times_New_Roman</param><color><param>
9D9D,1111,B3B3</param><bigger><bigger>Cimicifuga
</bigger></bigger></color></fontfamily></italic><fontfamily><param>Tim
es_New_Roman</param><color><param>9D9D,1111,B3B3</param><bigger><bigge
r><underline>'Black
Negligee'</underline></bigger></bigger></color><bigger><bigger> -
Bugbane

<italic><color><param>9D9D,1111,B3B3</param>Cimicifuga
dahurica</color></italic> - Bugbane

<italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param>Cimicifuga
racemosa</color></italic> - Black cohosh

<italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param>Cimicifuga ramosa
</color></italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><underline>'Atrop
urpurea'</underline></color>
- Cohosh

<italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param>Cimicifuga ramosa
</color></italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><underline>'Hills
ide
Black Beauty'</underline></color> - Bugbane

<italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param>Cimicifuga simplex
</color></italic><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><underline>'White

Pearl'</underline></color> - Bugbane


</bigger></bigger></fontfamily></bold>The Royal Horticultural
Society's
Index of Garden Plants by Mark Griffiths describes 13 species (C.
americana, arizonica, biternata, dahurica, elata, foetida,
heracleifolia, japonica, laciniata, racemosa, ramosa, rubifolia and
simplex) and 7 additional varieties or cultivars.


My favourite resource for new plants, however, is an old book: The 3
volume Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture by L.H. Bailey 1928.  He
did
not list "dead entries" but only plants in cultivation. Many plants
listed were in cultivation then but then died out and the areas in
which they are native were closed to collectors.  Some of these areas
are now being collected from again, and the plants are considered new
to us.


Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

plant AND booklover - one wall of my bedroom is floor to ceiling
garden
books.

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