Heptacodium miconioides
Encyclopedia
Heptacodium miconioides, commonly known as the Seven Sons plant, is a member of the Caprifoliaceae
family, a cousin of the Honeysuckle, and sole member of the genus Heptacodium
. The species is endemic to the province of Hubei
in western China
, where it was discovered by Wilson
in 1907 whilst collecting on behalf of the Arnold Arboretum. Considered rare at that time, the species is today threatened by habitat loss, and only nine populations are known to remain in the wild. However, the plant is now also widely grown as an ornamental
around the world.
leaves are opposite, 8 – 10 cm long by 5 – 6 cm wide, with entire
margins and deeply impressed venation running parallel to the margin.
In September, H. miconioides produces large shows of small fragrant white blooms attractive to butterflies, the flowers five-petalled, < 13 mm across. When the white corollas have fallen, the calyces develop into deep red expanded lobes which persist into November.
and Europe
, and is currently (2011) stocked by 26 nurseries in the UK alone http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/.
H. miconioides is extremely hardy, and tolerant of temperatures as low as - 35° C.
. It is also fast - growing, and can reach a height of 3 m in just five years; it is also very shade tolerant.
, Ampfield
, near Romsey
, in England.
.
Caprifoliaceae
The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade consisting of about 800 dicotyledonous flowering plants, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution; centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa.They are mostly...
family, a cousin of the Honeysuckle, and sole member of the genus Heptacodium
Heptacodium
Heptacodium is a genus of plant in family Caprifoliaceae, comprising just the one species found in China:* Heptacodium miconioides, Rehder...
. The species is endemic to the province of Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
in western China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where it was discovered by Wilson
Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
in 1907 whilst collecting on behalf of the Arnold Arboretum. Considered rare at that time, the species is today threatened by habitat loss, and only nine populations are known to remain in the wild. However, the plant is now also widely grown as an ornamental
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
around the world.
Description
H. miconioides is a deciduous large shrub or small tree, typically growing to a height of between 4 and 8 m. The bark of the trunk is papery and thin, light tan in colour, and exfoliates in strips or sheets. The upright, spreading, quadrangular branches give the plant a rounded, often irregular shape. The dark - green cordateLeaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
leaves are opposite, 8 – 10 cm long by 5 – 6 cm wide, with entire
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
margins and deeply impressed venation running parallel to the margin.
In September, H. miconioides produces large shows of small fragrant white blooms attractive to butterflies, the flowers five-petalled, < 13 mm across. When the white corollas have fallen, the calyces develop into deep red expanded lobes which persist into November.
Cultivation
The Sino-American Botanical Expedition of 1980 http://arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/archived-news/sino-american-botanical-expedition/ collected viable seeds which were sent to the Arnold Arboretum, where it was found to be easily cultivated. Readily propagated from either seed or by softwood cuttings, the species has since become widely available in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and is currently (2011) stocked by 26 nurseries in the UK alone http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/.
H. miconioides is extremely hardy, and tolerant of temperatures as low as - 35° C.
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. It is also fast - growing, and can reach a height of 3 m in just five years; it is also very shade tolerant.
Notable trees
A specimen 8 m high planted in 1981 grows in the Flagpole Bed alongside Jermyn House at the Sir Harold Hillier GardensSir Harold Hillier Gardens
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum comprising 72 hectares accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs in about 12,000 taxa, notably a collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron....
, Ampfield
Ampfield
Ampfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Test Valley in Hampshire, England, between Romsey, Eastleigh, and Winchester. It had a population at the 2001 census of 1,474....
, near Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, in England.
Etymology
The generic name of Heptacodium means 'seven flowers' (hence 'Seven Sons'), seven being the average number of flowers on a head. The specific epithet miconioides alludes to the similarities of the plant to the unrelated Meadow Beauty genus, MiconiaMiconia
Miconia is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall...
.